Time for a new voice/data modem?

[ckuttner]

I hope this isn’t TOO off-topic. I find the wisdom of this group formidable.

We have home Xfinity (Comcast) data and landline service. We own a an Arris Surfboard TM822R data/voice modem that we’ve had in use for a bit over three years. It feeds our Netgear NightHawk router.

Everything seems working fine as far as data, but periodically, we lose voice service. Comcast says our phone line is OK. I find that rebooting the modem once or twice and repeatedly plugging in the phone line can get us to dial tone.

Let me describe that: our house phone wiring leads to our Panasonic wireless phone. When it loses dial tone, I go downstairs, directly plug in a phone, and it may take 2-3 tries to get a dial tone. Sometimes I can then hook that up to the central phone wiring and keep a signal, but lately the only option is to take the. Panasonic base station down to hook it up directly to the modem, and even then, it loses signal periodically.

Checking the modem’s parameters from a web browser, everything seems up to spec.

Xfinity gives us a choice of only two modems that we can own, this one and Arris T25, which would give us faster data, but for a lot more money.

In my amateur way, I think our voice signal is getting weak, not enough to feed the whole-house wiring nor consistently send signal to a direct-wired phone.

So....is it time to replace this modem? Thanks in advance.

 

[BrianBaughn]

The way you're describing things the problem seems to be pointing to the modem.

Where are you getting the info that your modem and the T25 are the only two choices? Are you looking here:

Device Info - Xfinity

Comcast Customer Service is here to provide Help and Support for your Xfinity Internet, TV, Voice, Home and other services.

www.xfinity.com

By the way, we have Comcast TV and internet but use Voipo.com for a "landline" phone. I've never paid more than $92.50/year for the number…and the VOIP device works fine with our out-of-date ZyXel modem.

I could also get more download speed with a new modem but since there'd be no improvement in upload speed I'm not doing it.

 

[ckuttner]

Thank you.

Yes, that Device Info link is where I’m getting the info. Comcast has told me they are the only two voice modems they’ll support. I’d welcome other choices.

They have odd pricing...we have no need for their TV service, and they actually charge me about $20 less per month to have our landline with them than if I didn’t. (Actually, I don’t see any need for a landline, but my wife thinks otherwise, and I am wise enough to respect her preference!)

Good thing is the price on the TM822 has come down in the past few years....

 

[BrianBaughn]

Well I wouldn't get a TM822 as it doesn't even qualify for 300Mbps.

I still don't understand since, when I select "300Mbps" and "Voice/Telephone enabled", I see nine models…four of them don't include a wifi router.

I guess it's dependent on service area?

 

[IowaLynn]

I went to a new Netgear Wi-Fi 6 AX45 model and issues I'd had with service, now gone. Prior model had bad firmware and known issue with dropping and needing rebooting. Also on latest Motorola docsis 3.1 - my older pre wifi 6 router got half the bandwidth, router upgrade alone made difference even with 5 year old Mac and iphone X.

 

[Fishrrman]

Before you replace the modem, I'd check over the internal [house] phone wiring.

Could it be a flaky connection or phone plug...?

 

[BrianBaughn]

Before you replace the modem, I'd check over the internal [house] phone wiring.

Could it be a flaky connection or phone plug...?

My understanding is that his problem continues if he connects any phone directly to the modem.

 

[hallux]

I went to a new Netgear Wi-Fi 6 AX45

This is the router, the box the OP has issues with is the one that connects to the RG-6 from the cable company.

Also on latest Motorola docsis 3.1 - my older pre wifi 6 router got half the bandwidth, router upgrade alone made difference

The phone connects directly to the modem, a router upgrade won't help with that.

 

[ckuttner]

Yup....it’s iffy even if I directly plug a phone into the modem. If I plug in the wire I have that connects to the home phone wiring, I don’t get a signal. What I’m doing now is I have moved my wireless phone base station to plug directly into the modem—-which I’d need to do if our phone wiring were bad. But even that signal goes out periodically. It’s like it’s just marginal... Time to do some shopping.

 

[Fishrrman]

Do you by chance have another phone you could try?
Directly into the back of the modem?
(you may have done this already)

 

[ckuttner]

That’s what I am doing....direct-wired phone into modem—and I have two I can try—works more of the time than going through house wiring, but still variable.
I should clarify: I lose phone signal, then reboot modem. I can plug phone in directly and maybe fourth time I plug it in, I get a dial tone. I may lose that and get only silence, finally after 2-3 more attempts, without necessarily rebooting the modem, I get it back and it stays for a couple of weeks. Then we go back to the start.

 

[IowaLynn]

Swap out phone? Swap out modem?

We had a storm with near by lightning strikes that damaged the modem - ISP could login and see errors, i could barely get online. The lightning and surge protector coax had to be replaced.
I now keep spare backup midems and router just in case - can't afford to be without. And ended my cable phone and ISP modem rental - buying my own equipment.

 

[ckuttner]

Swap out phone? Swap out modem?

We had a storm with near by lightning strikes that damaged the modem - ISP could login and see errors, i could barely get online. The lightning and surge protector coax had to be replaced.
I now keep spare backup midems and router just in case - can't afford to be without. And ended my cable phone and ISP modem rental - buying my own equipment.

Great advice, IowaLynn! I’ve been trying to delay buying another modem, but my current one is working OK for data, so it could be a good backup.

 

[ckuttner]

My cheap idea: Netgear CM500V. I already have a router.. This is Docsis 3.0, but download speed listed as 300 mbps and I'm buying only 200 mbps. If I get a few years out of this, it will beat paying $150 or more; this modem lists as $100 at Amazon and quite a bit less for refurb.
Opinions?

 

[emac82]

I would ask Comcast to swap out the modem they provide - and if you're still having issues connecting directly, they should be checking the outside drop to make sure there's no water damage etc. That could potentially cause some issues but unlikely - since it doesn't sound like your TV and Internet are affected.

If the new modem seems fine direct, but continues to be a problem through the jacks, then you likely have a jack/wiring that needs replacing.

 

[ckuttner]

Thanks....actually, I'm using an Arris modem I bought. And it sometimes works directly wired through the phone jack, sometimes not.

 

[emac82]

Thanks....actually, I'm using an Arris modem I bought. And it sometimes works directly wired through the phone jack, sometimes not.

Your provider doesn't provide you with a modem? Or you bought the modem through them, you mean?

 

[ckuttner]

Nope, they supplied a modem, for which they charged me $10 or $12 per month, so I bought my own to save some money. I've gotten my money's worth out of this in my three years.
I'm considering renting one again from them...but Xfinity can be a pain to get to take back a modem, or at least give credit, from all I am aware of.

 

[emac82]

Nope, they supplied a modem, for which they charged me $10 or $12 per month, so I bought my own to save some money. I've gotten my money's worth out of this in my three years.
I'm considering renting one again from them...but Xfinity can be a pain to get to take back a modem, or at least give credit, from all I am aware of.

Ah okay, gotcha. I worked for a Canadian Telco for 20 years, and as of the last few years, the only option is to "rent" a modem but the rental is normally $0/included in the package - I thought Comcast might have done the same.....

 

[chrfr]

Nope, they supplied a modem, for which they charged me $10 or $12 per month, so I bought my own to save some money. I've gotten my money's worth out of this in my three years.
I'm considering renting one again from them...but Xfinity can be a pain to get to take back a modem, or at least give credit, from all I am aware of.

Don't rent a modem from Comcast. As you've seen, the one you own now has paid for itself in just a few years.

 

[hallux]

Wow, that stinks that they make you pay. I was in my local Spectrum (I actually think it was Time Warner at the time) office one time, dealing with an equipment swap of my own (or possibly turning in my rented modem because I bought my own) and overheard someone dealing with something related to their modem. They had phone service and internet and were told that as long as they had phone service they wouldn't be paying a rental fee but if they dropped phone and kept the modem for internet they would start getting charged a rental on the modem.

I don't know if that's still the case, just shows a difference between providers. Actually, now that I think about it I don't think Spectrum even charges rental for modems anymore, or for WiFi for that matter...