Octopus Overlords

Last week my cable Internet wasn't working. I figured that my area was down for some reason, but the next day---same thing.

So I called the tech guy, and one of the things he told me was to unplug the modem for 30 seconds. I unplugged the power cord from the modem, plugged it back in, and nothing happened. After awhile, he got frustrated and told me to call Microsoft.

But afterwards, on a whim, I decided to unplug the power adapter from the other end--at the power surge protector--for some really weird reason that I can't figure out, that worked, but unplugging the power cord from the modem end didn't. Any ideas on why this is?

Well, today, the same thing happened...no Internet. So I unplugged the power adapter, but this time, even that didn't work. The only way I got it working again was to completely shut off *everything* and unplug the surge protector (which is what everything--computer, modem, monitor, etc is plugged into) from the wall. THEN it worked.

This is getting ridiculous... Does anyone know why I have to do this? What could the problem be? And why the heck does it make a difference what end of the power cord I unplug?

Thanks to all who can help!

Try plugging fewer things into the strip. It may not be able to handle the load. If possible, try plugging a few things into another wall outlet, too. That outlet may not be able to handle the load, either.

I would also make sure that all your connection lights are on on the modem. If it just cycles through the lights you probably have a weak signal from the cable connection. That is usually the cause of things from my experience. Make sure you don't have your cable split too many times before connecting it to the modem.

Sometimes just unplugging my modem does not work. I have to unplug the lan and cable connection too, not just the power. Not sure why but it works. Mine was out all yesterday and took a few times of unplugging everthing today to get it working.

I'm no expert, but when that kind of stuff starts happening, I'd assume the cable signal is weak or problematic if you have to power off your modem every day. Call your cable company when it's out, tell em it's out, tell them it's been going out every day and your tired of talking to tier 1 tech support lackeys that ask you to clear out your browser cache and power off your modem. Let them know it's unacceptable, and have them come out as many times as required.

When my modem would drop sync every 100 mins exactly and kick me out of EQ, I talked to maybe 12 different tier 1 guys that swore up and down it was 'your game' or my router setup. They got to the point where they wanted me to sign some thing that said I'd have to pay them for service visits if the problem was not theirs. Finally I got to tier 2 support, they monitored my connection at the 100 min mark and eventually found out there was a bad transponder affecting the entire neighborhood because I was relentless and badgered them a few times a week.


Atleast they can check your signal strength when they are out there.


EDIT: Try connecting your modem directly to your pc for a few days to see if you still lose the signal if you think your router is causing a problem.