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Intermittent connection drops, T3 and T4 timeouts
Hi, I'm experiencing intermittent drops on my Spectrum connection. A previous phone agent tried to blame my hardware, but I pulled my Netgear CM3000 event logs and they strongly point to a physical line issue. Over the last 48 hours, I am seeing relentless T3 timeouts, T4 timeouts, and MDD message timeouts accompanied by Primary Downstream Channel Loss (Event Type Code 4). The modem is also constantly fighting changing upstream profile assignments. Can a moderator please check the Scope tool for my hardware's flapping history and upstream SNR so we can schedule a line technician to check the street node or house drop?
This has been a recurring issue for at least the last two weeks. I've reset my equipment multiple times but the timeouts keep happening.
Thank you!
Best Answer
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Good morning. Apologies for the connectivity issues that you've been experiencing. I see that there is a significant delay in the return time of any ping that I've recently sent to communicate with the modem. Have you recently added any new splitters to the network? Has the equipment been relocated to an area where its placed on top of or underneath any other device? Is the modem in an area where air can flow to avoid any issue with overheating? Can you please visually inspect the equipment to ensure that the cables are securely connected and that there is no sign of any physical damage? If you're able to confirm the physical status of the equipment, It may be necessary to schedule an on site visit with a technician to address the connectivity issues you've been experiencing.
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Hi Melissa, thanks for responding so quickly. I have not added any new splitters or relocated the equipment. The modem is sitting on my desk and has no air flow issues. The cables are securely connected, and I didn't see any sign of physical damage.
I do have an e-mail from Spectrum on August 6 at 12:32am, stating a network upgrade is underway from 11pm on August 5 to 8am on August 6. And I recall there were Spectrum technicians in my neighborhood. Maybe something happened while they were working during that time.
Can you schedule an onsite visit with a technician for this Monday, September 21?
Thank you!
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Hello @Cybersaber
I was able to locate your account using your community registration and I've scheduled that appointment for Monday 7-8am. You may receive a call ahead of the appointment as well as the reminder notification and the notification when the technician is on the way to the home. Someone 18 or over with valid ID would need to be home for the duration of the appointment. If you need to reschedule or cancel the appointment, that can be done within your My Spectrum app.
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Thank you, Renee!
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Just for future reference, if you call the support number on your bill the automated attended can notify you of any known issues and maybe rule out some questions. Can help you with technicians too.
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Thanks, @RAIST5150. Talking with a technician over the phone didn't help me last week though. He insisted it was my modem or router because from his end, the connection looked fine.
A technician (Jesus) just finished his visit at my home, and he determined that it was water damage to outdated cables outside the house that was causing my intermittent connection drops, and he replaced them with new cables.
Thank you, Spectrum!
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If they don't find something in the system, I got the tech to come out to confirm... where the real troubleshooting often starts. I have a dedicated drop to my utility room ground block where it hands off to them. It affords me the option of putting my modem "directly" on their line. Have rerun it twice since 2002 (once to prove a point). It has been somewhere on their lines plenty of times... sometimes a neighbor or elsewhere on the street, but not in my walls.
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Well, it seems I'm still having some issues. I downloaded my modem's event log for today, September 28. My connection is intermittently dropping because the modem is throwing constant MDD message timeouts and Event Type Code 4 on channels 1 through 32, mixed with multiple T3 timeouts. A field tech replaced my drop cable on September 17, so the drop is brand new. A Google search of my issue says there's severe plant noise or an over-the-street balance issue affecting both downstream MDD delivery and upstream OFDMA profiling. Can a line technician or maintenance crew be routed to inspect the local node or street tap?
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Thank you for keeping us posted on this. I am sorry you are still noticing the drops in signal. Our technician would have to determine if this needed to be escalated to our maintenance team for further review. If you would like to schedule another home visit please let us know and we can get this scheduled for you. -Lyn
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@Lyn_T thank you so much. Can you set up a visit for this Friday? I will be home that day.
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I scheduled another service call for Friday, October 2nd with an arrival between 9-10am. You can use the My Spectrum App to cancel, modify, or manage notifications if needed. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks!
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Thanks, @James_M . I checked my event log tonight because my connection dropped again about 15 minutes ago, and there were four "Dynamic Range Window violations" at 7:35pm PDT. In-between these four error messages, it said, "RNG-RSP CCAP Commanded Power in Excess of 6 dB Below the Value Corresponding to the Top of the DRW". Not sure what this means, but Google AI suggests that "The issue is a severe upstream power or noise baseline fault on the local node, not a simple line drop to the house." I can print out the event logs for the technician on Friday, if they will help him/her.
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The technician will have the ability to pull up the historical activity on your device as long as you do not perform a factory reset.
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Thanks, @Melissa_G. I’m definitely not factory resetting my modem! I’m just concerned that the connection dropped at least twice within a few hours. Keeping my fingers crossed for Friday!
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Update - the technician was here around 9am today. He tested the line and it was fine. Then he factory-reset my modem and had it reprovisioned. Less than two hours later, the modem is actively lagging and logged new T3 timeouts.
I don't think my modem is the problem though, because of the Dynamic Range Window violations that occurred on September 30. Don't these occur if Spectrum's street equipment is forcing my modem to shift its power levels past its safe limits?
Also, when I first logged into the modem's webpage interface immediately after the reprovisioning, the webpage opened quickly, and the event log and power levels loaded up fast. But since this morning, my modem's web interface is taking a long time to load, or just times out while waiting for the event log or power levels to display.
Can my issue be escalated to line maintenance to check the street node?
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Hi - since you are using your own Netgear modem, the next step would be to test using a Spectrum supplied modem to rule out an equipment issue. The account holder or authorized user can obtain a Spectrum modem, free of charge, at any Spectrum store. Let us know how that goes.
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Good morning the T3 and T4 timeouts have been continuing over the weekend and into this morning. Can a line maintenance crew be dispatched?
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No, we do not have an escalation path to dispatch a maintenance crew for this type of issue.
The next step would be to test using a Spectrum supplied modem to rule out an equipment issue.
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Thank you, @James_M.
I understand you cannot directly submit a maintenance ticket for customer-owned equipment. I will pick up a Spectrum-supplied modem today to use purely as a diagnostic tool. Since the previous logs show clear CMTS-driven Upstream Profile drops and Dynamic Range Window violations, I think a Spectrum modem will experience the same line-level drops.
If using a Spectrum modem does rule out an equipment issue, then what's the next step?
Can I pick a modem up from a nearby Spectrum store?
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Yes, you can pick it up from any local Spectrum store. Let us know how it goes.
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Thanks @James_M . Picked up the modem this afternoon and got it activated about 30-40 minutes ago. The phone rep said the Spectrum modem doesn't have a web interface I can access, so I'll have to monitor my connection for any drops for the next two days or so. But he added that he and the other staff can tell me if the modem gets any T3/T4 timeouts when I call again.
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