[Pilege21]

My aunt has been having troubles with connecting to the internet. She says it keeps going in and out. Her internet provider says it's the modem, due to it being a few years old. What would be a good modem to get? Something that is good and cheap.

[LiveBrianD]

What kind of connection do you have (Dialup, DSL, Cable, FIOS) and what ISP (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon...)? I would try to get as direct of a connection as possible to the router - for instance, if cable, don't run the connection through a bunch of splitters unless you have to. Also, try unplugging the modem and router for a moment, and then plugging them back in, to reboot them. Sometimes, hickups occur and that fixes them.

[Pilege21]

Cox is the company and would say cable. She can't really finish a lot of downloading so Cox came to the conclusion it's the modem.

[LiveBrianD]

Yep, I think Cox is cable. As I said, I would try rebooting the modem and router, as well as removing any splitters that are on the connection that goes to the router if possible.

[Szczecinianin]

True, sometimes such reset (unplugging and plugging in) helps. But modem replacement may be needed too, maybe it's malfunctioning. Oh, and did your aunt consider using Wi-Fi? It's great when you download a lot (much faster, broader band.)

[coastie65]

Szczecinianin, on 14 February 2012 - 02:49 AM, said:

True, sometimes such reset (unplugging and plugging in) helps. But modem replacement may be needed too, maybe it's malfunctioning. Oh, and did your aunt consider using Wi-Fi? It's great when you download a lot (much faster, broader band.)

I have a friend who does not have access to Cable, Fiber Optics, or DSL. The phone company checked and found that he could connect wirelessly with an excellent connection, so that is what he did ( he was on dial up and was tired of getting dropped ).

[LincolnSpector]

Pilege21, on 13 February 2012 - 07:54 PM, said:

My aunt has been having troubles with connecting to the internet. She says it keeps going in and out. Her internet provider says it's the modem, due to it being a few years old. What would be a good modem to get? Something that is good and cheap.

Try replacing cables first. Why? Because if you replace a $50 modem and then discover that the problem is with a $5 cable, you'll feel like an idiot. (I know this from personal experience.)

Lincoln

[Pilege21]

Any resets didn't work. She has a laptop hooked up wirelessly and has the same problems with downloading stopping 75% the way. All the cables are fine, in house. I guess we can try the new router. She found a Motorola SB5120 or SB5101 on ebay for $20. If it has the same problem, could be Cox's connection from the main box to her house.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Szczecinianin]

Pilege21, on 15 February 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

Any resets didn't work. She has a laptop hooked up wirelessly and has the same problems with downloading stopping 75% the way. All the cables are fine, in house. I guess we can try the new router. She found a Motorola SB5120 or SB5101 on ebay for $20. If it has the same problem, could be Cox's connection from the main box to her house.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Yeah, this COULD be Cox's fault. Or someone tampered with the box like we had a similar problem. Someone devastated it and there we were "unplugged". I understand Cox's offer doesn't come with transfer limits or anything like that in small print. Read it again, just in case.

PS Last week we had Wisława Szymborska's funeral in Poland.