How To Troubleshoot A Slow Cable Modem

With download speeds reaching 6Mbps, cable Internet services are offering more bandwidth than most servers on the Internet can fill up, which means that the consumer has enough headroom to download many things at once without running the risk of slowing themselves down due to bandwidth constraints. Unfortunately, there are several common ways to slow yourself down that have nothing to do with your ISP's bandwidth.

This article will touch on the following common issues:

• Outdated Firmware
• Connectors and Splitters
• USB Conflicts
• LAN Bandwidth Consumption
• Spyware

Although there are other software & hardware issues that can affect the speed of your cable modem, these are the most common ones that should be looked at first.

Outdated Firmware

Firmware is a computer program that sits in Read Only Memory (ROM) and either assists a piece of hardware's functionality or allows for different configurations. Basically firmware controls your modem in much the same way that Microsoft XP controls your PCs processes. What it's there to do however is less a concern than how long it has been since the firmware has been updated. Old firmware in a cable modem can cause any number of strange problems from intermittent packet loss, random power cycling, critical computer errors, and simply not being able to connect to the cable network.

Firmware problems should be near non-existent for consumers that are renting a cable modem from their service provider, but if you are buying a cable modem make sure that the firmware is as up to date as possible. How this is done can be tricky, and each manufacturer has their own firmware and methodology for updating it. Check your manufacturer's website for information on how to update your hardware, but be sure you know what you are doing. If you don't understand how to update your modem call the manufacturer and get assistance. If the firmware is damaged, then the modem will most likely not function at all, so updating it is best left to the manufacturer.

Connectors and Splitters

Your modem doesn't connect directly with your neighborhood network via a single coaxial cable. More then likely there are several connectors and at least one splitter between you and the street. Connectors have a metal pin with a grooved screw device that can be fit together to extend a single cable. The best example of one is connected to the back of your cable modem. Splitters allow for multiple inputs into a single consolidated cable, and if you have cable TV and cable Internet then you have at least one splitter in your attic (or behind your TV if you live in an apartment).

Each connector and splitter causes "line noise" which slows down the Internet packets coming and going down your cable line. The more noise on your line, the slower your speeds. Now under normal conditions, you could have many connectors and a few splitters and there would be no discernable slowdown. If however any of these connections are loose or have some type of debris interfering with them, then you are going to have problems. This type of issue usually presents itself as extreme packet loss or intermittent loss of connectivity.

Many cable users that live in areas where the temperature consistently rises above 95 degrees Fahrenheit have had trouble with the silicone used to insulate the connectors as it melts and causes extreme "line noise". During the day the silicone begins to melt, and then at night when the temperature drops the silicone hardens again causing packet loss and connection loss. Fortunately this problem is easily diagnosed by any technician that visits your home, and is fast to fix.

USB Conflicts

There are two types of connection methods used to connect your computer to your cable Internet network, Ethernet and USB. An Ethernet connection uses a network card that connects your computer to your cable modem via an unshielded twisted pair cable referred to as a Cat 5 (Category 5) cable. A USB connection connects your computer to the cable modem via a Universal Serial Bus cable, and does so without the need for a network card. Both methods are fine, but the USB connection carries with it an increased possibility of conflict with your system.

This conflict generally stems from the fact that the USB drivers used by many devices can cause communications errors in the USB cable modem connection. This means that if you use a printer and a wireless mouse connected via USB ports, it is possible that you could create a slowdown in your cable modem due to communication errors. This issue usually presents itself as a slow Internet connection with intermittent connectivity, as well as error messages when using other USB devices.

The solution here would be to connect via an Ethernet cable, and if you are renting your cable modem there is not usually a charge for the tech who installs your cable modem to install an Ethernet card as well.

LAN and Wireless LAN Connections

One of the great strengths of high speed Internet access is the ease in which Local Area Networks (LANs) can be set up. With the addition of a router, be it wired or wireless, many computers can connect to the Internet using a single connection (some cable providers limit this to 8). Comcast and Charter are now using a router/modem combination that precludes any additional hardware so a LAN can be almost plug and play if you are a Home Network Subscriber. Although the router or gateway will have a single IP, the gateway will assign each computer an IP that is for LAN use only, allowing each computer to do business with each other, but appearing to the rest of the Internet to all be a single address.

So you have your 8 computers fired up and each of them is downloading a new game that weighs in at over a gigabyte. And they are all doing this at the same time. You have just found a way to slow down your powerful connection. With each computer hitting a server for all it's worth, then bottlenecking at the LAN connection with a massive amount of information, you will have slowdowns. Although this is an extreme example, it illustrates what may be happening across many networks to a lesser degree. Remember that your bandwidth doesn't increase for every computer you put on your LAN. There are hardware and software packages that allow LAN users to place priorities on computers to avoid slowdowns for specific users, but the best solution is to reduce the number of simultaneous downloads.

Spyware

Although spyware isn't solely a cable Internet speed problem, it is a large enough issue to mention here. Regardless of how you connect to the Internet spyware will slow down your connection over time.

Spyware, also referred to as adware, quietly runs in the background of your computer recording and analyzing where you go on the Internet. This information is then either used to serve advertisements to you in the form of pop-ups that you didn't ask for (bad), or transmitted to a third party without your knowledge or permission (very bad). As the spyware adds up on your system, more and more processing power is used up by it. In extreme situations a computer can be shut down completely by this problem, but more often than not the issue presents itself as a slow Internet connection. Understand that this isn't a bandwidth issue, but a process issue with your computer.

The best solution to this is a good spyware/virus protection suite like Norton Anti-Virus. Windows Defender is another good option, but it only handles adware and doesn't remove viruses. Avoid this issue in the future by using the auto protect features of either of these products.

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