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Forum Discussion
Intermittant Loss of Internet Connection -- Netgear
Windows 7 Ultimate Netgear CM400 Modem (purchased just 8 days ago) Netgear N300 Wireless Router (Model WNR2000v5) with WiFi disabled (purchased 1 year ago) ISP Spectrum (aka Time Warner Cable) ...
After repeated denials that their system was causing my loss of Internet connection, Spectrum finally admitted they had an area-wide Internet outage that did not affect TV. The outage lasted several hours. This reply, however, shows that the outage was finally fixed.
Nevertheless, I would still be interested in knowing how to distinguish between an ISP problem and a problem local to my household's LAN (local-area network). I understand there might be applications that can test a modem and that I can download and install on my PC.
Again, Spectrum denied that they had any outages affecting my area. They claimed they could not find a record of anyone telling me that they had such an outage.
Yesterday (29 December), the frequency of losing an Internet connection increased as did the time taken for an automatic reconnection. Finally, in the mid-afternoon, the Netgear modem completely failed to reconnect. I attempted a reboot by disconnecting the power, waiting about 15 minutes, and then reconnecting the power. The power-on light would go on. The downstream light would blink and then go steady. The upstream light would blink but not go steady. Sometimes, the upstream light would go out; and the downstream light would start blinking. Then the downstream light would again go steady, and the upstream light would again blink. During this time, the Internet light never even blinked.
I returned the modem to Best Buy that night for a refund and replaced it with a Motorola MB7220 modem. I immediately installed that modem. Since then, I have not had any problems with my Internet connection. Nevertheless, I will not cancel the appointment for an on-site visit by a Spectrum service technician.
Since my connection problems were acute only in the afternoon and it is still morning here, I will hold judgement as to whether the Netgear modem was defective or Spectrum was causing my problem.