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Comcast connex failure due to Mac?

L

llaing

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 26, 2008
8
0
I've been having intermittent connection problems with Comcast since February. Comcast can't seem to diagnose or solve the problem. Each time they get my connection back up, it goes down again a few days or weeks later.

I switched to Mac last August, with little difficulty. Yesterday, after my connection went down *again*, a "Mac expert" at Comcast told me that this happens with him a lot too. He said that it may be something I just have to live with, implying that it was a problem with Mac users.

Well, I don't have to just live with it, and I've decided to cancel my Comcast subscription if their last fix (a new router/modem) doesn't hold up. But I'm curious, has anyone here ever heard of such a thing? The excuse doesn't make sense to me, since I didn't have connection problems for the first six months I had my Mac. But in February, Comcast switched me to new (better!) servers. I wonder if that's the issue.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Laura
 
I remember when they still required Internet Explorer 5 for Mac in order to set up their service. I actually had Comcast techs call my old work to try and figure out how to get their service working on a Mac.... the tech either didn't have the IE needed, or Comcast had upgraded their setup process on the web and used some new tech that wasn't compatible with the ancient IE for Mac.

I think they finally changed that no more than 2 years ago... that's how lazy their entire company is: it took them more than a decade to move away from IE, a product that hasn't been updated in nearly as long, to make a Mac client (of which is standalone, but I think I saw their setup disc with IE still on it not long ago when I helped set up a friends service).

This, of course, reflects their entire company and trickles down to each and every local facility and then every subcontractor they hire. That company is ****ing stupid at every possible angle (not just this IE, but everything else they suck at).

I might end up with them again, Triple Play is a scary idea to let Comcast take over every communication device in my house, but it amounts to a lower bill each month in these awful times.

..............

Aaaaannnnnywaaaay, what did I come here to talk about again? :)p) You should expect nothing other than full service at all times. Disconnecting randomly for no reason, unless maybe it's your router if you have a third party one..... DO NOT use their 2WIRE wireless, is not acceptable for any reason; especially if they have supposedly upgraded the service in some way.
 
Good question, Jessica

I don't. I'm using the Comcast router/modem. (I was using their Gateway, but the tech switched that out today.)

Laura
 
madog said:
DO NOT use their 2WIRE wireless, is not acceptable for any reason; especially if they have supposedly upgraded the service in some way.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm... that may be what they installed today. Will have to check.

Yes, I hate them too. There don't seem to be many other options in my area, however.

Laura
 
Yeah I make internet setup software for the Mac (for AT&T DSL) and there is a model of 2Wire gateway (their term) that just won't connect to a Mac if there is interference in the area. The Mac may see the gateway, but it won't connect or drop the connection.

I have good luck with Linksys wireless products and recommend them to everyone.
 
Sayer said:
Yeah I make internet setup software for the Mac (for AT&T DSL) and there is a model of 2Wire gateway (their term) that just won't connect to a Mac if there is interference in the area. The Mac may see the gateway, but it won't connect or drop the connection.

I have good luck with Linksys wireless products and recommend them to everyone.
Click to expand...

So today, they installed a router and cable modem. Perhaps this will solve the problem? I'm hoping. Changing my e-mail address would be a terrible bother and could cost me business. (I work for myself at home.)

Thanks for the great feedback. I've been in contact with a service rep at Comcast, and I'm going to send her a link to this discussion.

Laura
 
llaing said:
Hmmmm... that may be what they installed today. Will have to check.

Yes, I hate them too. There don't seem to be many other options in my area, however.

Laura
Click to expand...

They don't support third party routers, so it is nice for many that they offer the router/modem combo that is the 2Wire, but for Mac users specifically it is generally more trouble than it is worth. Usually it's a connection problem because of the WEP password, and if that's the case I've founf the best method is to disable the password, and then disable the SSID name broadcast. With a unique name for the network that must be typed in to access, it essentially becomes the password to connect to the network.
 
madog said:
They don't support third party routers, so it is nice for many that they offer the router/modem combo that is the 2Wire, but for Mac users specifically it is generally more trouble than it is worth. Usually it's a connection problem because of the WEP password, and if that's the case I've founf the best method is to disable the password, and then disable the SSID name broadcast. With a unique name for the network that must be typed in to access, it essentially becomes the password to connect to the network.
Click to expand...

Tried that. Didn't help, unfortunately.

Laura
 
llaing said:
Tried that. Didn't help, unfortunately.

Laura
Click to expand...

One thing that helped random disconnect issues for me and my old LinkSys was disabling UPnP. It's an automatic portforwarding protocol (some use NAT I think if not both.). I don't remember if the 2Wire uses that. What I do remember is that 2Wire's had the most awful setup for handling port forwarding when used to an Airport or a Linksys method.
 
llaing said:
Well, I don't have to just live with it, and I've decided to cancel my Comcast subscription if their last fix (a new router/modem) doesn't hold up. But I'm curious, has anyone here ever heard of such a thing? The excuse doesn't make sense to me, since I didn't have connection problems for the first six months I had my Mac. But in February, Comcast switched me to new (better!) servers. I wonder if that's the issue.
Click to expand...
There are a lot of possible reasons why you'd be having connection issues, but don't necessarily believe the ones Comcast gives you. When I moved into my current house I had intermittent connection loss (the cable modem was actually loosing the signal). They told me with fair certainty that their signal was fine and that no one else in the neighborhood was having problems :rolleyes: but after eliminating ALL of my equipment (computer, router, modem, etc., and even new cable all the way up to the poll!) they finally put this little signal filter device on the cable and that fixed the issue immediately. :rolleyes:
 
llaing said:
I don't. I'm using the Comcast router/modem. (I was using their Gateway, but the tech switched that out today.)

Laura
Click to expand...

The reason I asked is I had similar behavior (and other behavior) once I upgraded my AEBS to the newest firmware. It took me quite a while to figure out what happened and after much time on the phone with Time Warner it turned out by rolling back my AEBS firmware the problem was resolved.
 
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