Severe upload issues / Level 5-6 Errors Flooding Log

GrantG

We've been with Spectrum for a few months, and there have been some issues with our upload we've tried to struggle through the best we can despite requiring a stable upstream for our Twitch and Youtube streaming. Recently it has been getting much worse, even before the storm that caused an outage here, to the extent that during prime time hours there are repeated connection drops with our upload that have made any sort of stable stream increasingly impossible to maintain. Packet loss on the upstream also fluxuates and becomes severe later in the evening, with no effect on the download channel which remains perfect.

Our modem logs are absolutely filled with constant Level 5 and 6 errors which corrospond to these drops, and I've posted them below with the MAC address info stripped out. The modem is a brand new Arris S33, but I have tested others with the same result. The coax is all new, there are no routers on the network, and I have tested the modem directly connected to the drop with the same (actually worse) issues present on the upstream.

There is currently one Spectrum supplied splitter installed at the drop which was put there by the installation tech (his words were "Your connection is going to have biiiiiig problems without a splitter!" which didn't give me a lot of confidence and made me suspect a power or noise problem from day one). Removing the splitter sends the power levels too high and, as expected, worsens the disconnect issue while somewhat stabilzing the upload situation. Any assistance with this would be amazing.

We'd like to stay with the service if possible, but we need stable upstream for what we do. Thanks.

Power levels and error logs are attached.

levels-errors.doc

RAIST515O

Kinda hard to sift through that .doc file on the phone (no-native reader, so has a lot of gibberish and no formatting).

At quick glance though, it looks like the signals are actually mostly mid to low. 3 and 4 db on the downstream is kind of a sweet spot... close to the middle of the acceptable range for 3.0 type channels.

But those upstream sticking so close to 40 and 43 is a bit unusual, though technically still within usable parameters. Typically you would see them settle in a few db higher, but the downside of that is there isn't much headroom to compensate if the noise floor ramps up (if the upstream level crosses 50/51, it risks triggering an automatic reboot).

It is a bit odd to also only see 2 channels locked for the 3.0 signals too, usually it is 4. Unless that is something they are doing now with the 3.1 OFDM channels also in play.

I would check those levels again when the line is in trouble to see how those upstream stats change. If there is a drastic increase in those power levels, then there for sure is some form of interference it is trying to overcome. That will need a closer look with a schedule tech visit. Save a snapshot of those signal spikes for the technician in case it is not doing it when they are on site. That is the hard part of these issues... capturing the right data for them to take action.

You could do a rudimentary survey to make sure connections are clean, dry and tight... with no open cables or splitter ports. Not torqued up tight, just slightly more than snugged finger tight. Every cable/port should have something on the end, even if it is not being actively used. Terminating caps or an old VCR even--something to terminate it so it doesn't act like a micro antennae for stray signals to creep in or out.

GrantG

Thanks for the reply! Sorry for the formatting on the document too, I realized I couldn't easily paste the logs without going over the character limit pretty quickly.

Tonight before I go live with a stream I'll keep an eye on where the power levels are and see if there is any significant change there. From what I've seen in the past, usually there isn't much movement outside of + or - 1 dBmV, but you never know.

What I have noticed and can almost predict down to the moment they'll start to kick off is the constant "US profile assignment change" type errors which tend to flood the log starting around 9 PM EST, but they are present still during the day with much less frequency. In some severe cases I've counted over 100 of this instance in just an hour or two.

17/10/2024 13:48:08	6	US profile assignment change. US Chan ID: 8; Previous Profile: 13; New Profile: 11 13.;CM-MAC=Redacted;CMTS-MAC=Redacted;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
17/10/2024 13:48:08	5	DBC-REQ Mismatch Between Calculated Value for P1.6hi Compared to CCAP Provided Value;CM-MAC=Redacted;CMTS-MAC=Redacted;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;

I double checked all of the connections this afternoon and everything is in good shape, and the other open port on our one splitter I terminated a while back. I keep everything as simple as possible in the system here as the only thing that really matters is stable upload.

Edward_T

Hello @GrantG;

I reviewed your modem's history and I did see a problem with the cable signals a few days ago. It has been stable with the cable signals since Tuesday. There has been several open tickets in your area related to the repair of the damage from Milton including one that is active at this time. Many of our lines have been replaced during the repair work and it is possible that the issue affecting the internet quality was addressed. I would recommend you monitor after we resolve the current issue and reach back out to us if you continue to see issues with the internet.

GrantG

Thanks @Edward_T - I appreciate the reply and also the enormous amount of work Spectrum is doing to get everyone in the area back online. I can only imagine how much work that's been to restore everyone's service.

This upstream channel switching problem we're seeing was present before the storms, but it's escalated to the point where we're seeing close to a hundred disconnects a day right now, where previously it was a few and much less disruptive. I'll keep an eye on things over the weekend and see if things improve, and check back in.

Thanks for the continued support.