I recently moved into a condo complex and I am trying to install
Comcast high speed internet. After connecting the cable to the cable
modem and powering up the computer, I can never seem to get farther
than a steady receive light and a flashing send light. After a two
calls to customer service, they finally agreed to send a tech. out.
My question is, could it be the apartment amp that is the problem? I
have heard some older amps do not allow a return path. Will the cable
company replace this device, or will I have to coordinate with the
condo association? I am trying to limit the amount of time I have to
sit and wait for the cable tech to come out.

With my first call to customer service, they had me try to adjust the
proxy settings on my internet browser. Would this have any impact on
whether I would be able to get all of the lights on my cable modem
working? Another note, I cannot see the diagnostics page when I type
in 192.168.100.1 (it's a Motorola Surfboard modem)? Could this
suggest a firewall or IP settings problem. It would be great if I
could resolve the problem on my own.

Also of note, I had Zone Alarm installed and I uninstalled it. I also
had a router installed where I lived previously, but I have no use for
it now, so it is no longer being used.

Thanks for the feedback!

Bill Bodinson wrote:
Yes, it definately could be the amp. Or it could be a bad splitter, an
incorrect filter, or a handful of other problems that could exist,
depending on the creativity of whoever did the original cabling, or the
failure of any component in the cabling. If you're the first in the
complex to have cable Internet, it may even be a problem outside the
complex.

If it's inside the complex, how it gets fixed, or who pays for it is
something that can't be difinitively determined. If the cable company
did all the cabling, they would certainly fix it. But if the cabling was
done by the builder of the complex, they may or may not fix it without
charge. Unless the cabling physcially runs through another unit that
needs to be accessed, you should not need to coordinate anything.


Not being able to see the diagnostic page could be another problem. (Or
it might not.) Whether or not the modem can sync-up has nothing to do
with whether something is connected to the modem. If the modem can't
sync-up, the sequence of the lights while, and after it's trying tell as
much as could be obtained from any logs visable in the modem. That means
the tech trying to help you get to that page is lacking in technical
ability, so it's entirely possible that there is no problem on your end
at all.

Make sure you take out any proxy settings in the browser, and any other
settings that may have been tweaked.


Some older versions of Zone Alarm sometimes did not completely uninstall
correctly. It's possible you could have a problem, but it's possible
that you don't have a problem, either. At this point, it's too soon to
even worry about whether there could be a problem. As for the router,
that should have no affect at all.

Let them fix the cabling first. Once your modem is able to sync-up, then
you can assess whether or not there are any other problems. Until then,
random fiddling has a greater possibility of causing problems than
fixing any problems.

--
Warren H.

==========
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"Warren" <wholzem@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Y8j4d.233869$Fg5.79161@attbi_s53...

The flashing send light certainly suggests the possibility that your cable
connection is coming from one
of the line amplifiers which do not support the reverse transmission path
required for all cable modems.
Such amplifiers are totally satisfactory for both analog and digital
television--they seem to be cheaper
and more readily obtainable than the amplifiers (Scientific Atlanta,
Holland, some others) which are specifically designed
to permit the reverse path essential for cable broadband internet
connection.and are clearly identified as such. If your apartment cable
installatio was
accomplished by a private contractor instead of a cable provider you may be
able to talk apartment management
into permitting you to substitute a proper return path amplifdier for the
existing amplifier. They cost about $50 and
often are offered on eBay--they are called "line drop amplifiers".

If your Motorola Modem is a 5100 ( the only Motorola with which I have had
hands on experience) the
diagnostic screen probably will not display until the modem has completed
the full handshaking sequence.
even when it is operating correctly.

In article <0ol4d.7272$gG4.5831@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink. net>,
John M. Hunt <j4362@earthlink.net> wrote:
:
:If your Motorola Modem is a 5100 ( the only Motorola with which I have had
:hands on experience) the
:diagnostic screen probably will not display until the modem has completed
:the full handshaking sequence.
:even when it is operating correctly.

That's not correct. You can still access the status pages when the
modem does not have an upstream connection. Otherwise, what would
be the point of having a status page that could display any status
other than "Operational"?

I initially had the same symptoms as the OP (flashing "Send" light)
until a Comcast installer came out and removed the filter that was
blocking my upstream signal path. I could still see the SB5100's status
and diagnostic pages just fine.

--
Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "rnichols42"

Robert Nichols <SEE_SIGNATURE@localhost.localdomain.invalid> wrote in message news:<ciunde$n1m$1@omega-3a.right.here>...
An update - I am now able to see the diagnostics page. One of the
people I spoke with at Comcast had me set up a proxy on Internet
Explorer and since there is no connection to the Comcast (former AT&T)
proxy server, I could not do anything. It is definitely an upstream
problem as the power level on the upstream signal varies anywhere from
10 dbmV to 58 dbmV in a given say 30 second time frame. The signal
level varies from -2 dbmV to -4 dbmV, which doesn't conern me all that
much. The signal to noise ratio is somwhere in the mid 30's. A
technician will be coming out tomorrow, we will see what happens...
Thanks again for everyone's input.