Faulty splitter/cable?

yaztromo · 20-10-2009, 21:58

Hi,

Have had Virgin Media installed for a long time with very few issues, until today.

We have a TV Drive in the main room which has it's own line into the house and this works fine.

However, our kitchen Pace box and broadband share a cable into the house on a splitter. The splitter is in the garage next to the Motorola modem. This arrangement has worked fine for about 2 years until today when I discover the send light on the modem is flashing. Numerous reboots of the modem had no effect.

Clutching at straws I unplugged the splitter and connected the modem directly and it worked. Reconnecting the splitter and it all goes down again. Strangely enough the Pace box is having no issues.

Could the splitter be borked? Or is it likely to be something else? I noticed my upstream power level is very high, but have no idea what it was before it all went to pot.

Downstream SNR: 38db
Downstream power: 6dBmV
Upstream power level: 55dBmV

Peter_ · 20-10-2009, 22:02

If you have send light flashing on a Motorola modem you either need a engineer to fix it or the is an area fault and the quickest way to find out which is to call Tech Support as no one on here can fix it for you.

Tech Support is open 24/7 on 151 from your Virgin Media Phone. It's absolutely free.

Or call 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line.

yaztromo · 20-10-2009, 22:07

Thanks. Yes I have already arranged for an engineer to come, but it will not be for several days.

My post here is not a plea for anyone to come fix my installation. I would just like some technical thoughts on what the problem might be since I doubt an engineer will tell me the straight dope on what is going on, and especially since the broadband connection works without the splitter.

Being armed with knowledge is always useful, and fun.

Peter_ · 20-10-2009, 22:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaztromo

Thanks. Yes I have already arranged for an engineer to come, but it will not be for several days.

My post here is not a plea for anyone to come fix my installation. I would just like some technical thoughts on what the problem might be since I doubt an engineer will tell me the straight dope on what is going on, and especially since the broadband connection works without the splitter.

Being armed with knowledge is always useful, and fun.

If they have sent an engineer it means that the modem has no return path and the issue must be between your property and the green cabinet at the end of the road.

yaztromo · 20-10-2009, 22:16

But can a splitter become faulty over time? I assume the splitter would cause some attenuation of the signal wouldn't it? So an already weak signal becomes too weak?

Like I said, removing the splitter fixes the problem (except now we have no TV in the kitchen

)

Peter_ · 20-10-2009, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaztromo

But can a splitter become faulty over time? I assume the splitter would cause some attenuation of the signal wouldn't it? So an already weak signal becomes too weak?

Like I said, removing the splitter fixes the problem (except now we have no TV in the kitchen

)

It could be the splitter but the engineer will check it and the power levels coming in from the cabinet.

Let us know what he does afterwards.

bomber_g · 21-10-2009, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaztromo

But can a splitter become faulty over time?)

in a word - yes =) their actually a pain as they tend to get knocked and things which ends up damaging them - It could even be the cable going from the splitter to the modem has been damaged - the tech will probably swap both out though to be sure.

If your really interested in finding out what it is, swap the cables over and se if the fault follows the port on the splitter or the cable

Zhadnost · 22-10-2009, 09:03

It could be a million and one things, even the radio kit on the modem could have failed.

People always seem to think that everything will last forever nowadays, and nothing ever does.

yaztromo · 22-10-2009, 17:29

Update:

Well the engineer has been and gone and everything works now.

He said that 55dbmv upstream was too high a level and with the splitter on it would push the level even higher and that was why I was losing connectivity. The signal could have been weakened by lots of factors but his best guess was that someone had been in the green box and moved me around.

The issue was resolved by swapping out the old Motorola modem for a black Virgin modem. Apparently they cope much better with weaker signals, and I saw a corresponding power drop from 55 to 40 as proof. The connection is rock solid now

bomber_g · 23-10-2009, 11:18

I'm genuinely surprised you had a motorola! as far as I know they haven't been used for about 5 - 6 years.

at least the problems fixed now =)

Peter_ · 23-10-2009, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomber_g

I'm genuinely surprised you had a motorola! as far as I know they haven't been used for about 5 - 6 years.

at least the problems fixed now =)

I have seen them issued more recently than that in Telewest areas and the are many older Motorola modems and Scientific Atlanta modems out there.

yaztromo · 23-10-2009, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomber_g

I'm genuinely surprised you had a motorola! as far as I know they haven't been used for about 5 - 6 years.

at least the problems fixed now =)

I was really sad to see it ago. The modem has been in pretty much 24/7 use for about 5 years.