ISP Mediacom internet speed issues


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Old 03-11-15, 04:52 PM
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ISP Mediacom internet speed issues

Sorry for the confusing title. I have Mediacom for my ISP. I've had there service for three months now. I've been having download speed issues from day one.

The cable company has been here four times to diagnose the problem, and they keep telling me the problem lies with the apartment complex's cable in the attic, not Mediacom's cable to the building.

The apartment complex has had there electrician out, and he claims the problem lies with Mediacom's cable.

This keeps going round and round, with no one is stepping up to fix the problem.

I did live in a smaller apartment in this same complex, and I had no problems getting a good reasonably fast / same speed as I'm paying for now internet connection.

I have two questions about this......

Is there any chance that my new combo-router is setting to close to my TV / entertainment center, and picking up signal interference from those items ??

Also since no one is wanting to fix this for me, and I need a strong reliable internet connection to supplement my income, do I have the legal right to get satellite internet service, even though the apartment complex doesn't allow them ?? I know the law reads that I have the right to the internet in the state of Iowa, and I feel that this is not being offered to me right now. At least not reliably, hence I'm not getting what I'm paying for....
 
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Old 03-11-15, 05:03 PM
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Your current speed would have to be very bad for satellite to be better. If you have a phone line you might consider DSL.
 
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Old 03-11-15, 05:22 PM
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Most electricians have no way of knowing the capability of a cable and a visual check is not enough. I have to assume the cable company technician came in and measured your signal strength with a test meter.

It sounds like the cable may have been split too many times.
How many apartments are we talking about ?
Have you checked with any neighbors in regards to their service ?
 
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Old 03-11-15, 06:08 PM
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Is satellite internet that bad ??

The complex I live in is capable of getting speeds of at least 35Mbps that I know of. I had those speeds in the first apartment I lived in here.

I'm currently paying for 15Mbps service and am only getting speeds of 6 to 8Mbps. Once in a great while I will get 15Mbps or greater. But those speeds are very intermittent.

Yes the cable company has been here and used there meters to check the service into my apartment each time, and there meter shows limited service. The apartment complex had there electrician check the service with one of there devices at the same time, and he said the service was limited.

Neither one is accepting responsibility for there cable being bad. There playing the game of pass the buck, at my expense.

Most of the other tenants here only use the internet for email, and have Century link. Which only has speeds of 1.5Mbps.....

Supposedly the cable comes into the building into a junction block, then has separate cables running into the individual apartments.
 
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Old 03-11-15, 07:50 PM
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Supposedly the cable comes into the building into a junction block, then has separate cables running into the individual apartments.
If that is the case..... the cable company should be able to increase the level to your unit.
 
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Old 03-11-15, 09:27 PM
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If the cable company is supplying what they advertise to the building then the problem lies within the building. I have all the respect in the world for electricians for what they do but I don't think an electrician is a good person to diagnose a cable problem. They don't have the proper equipment to test the signal to your modem. There could be a stinger some where in the building that doesn't stop the signal but will severely weaken it so your speed will be diminished.

Are you using wireless to access in your apartment? That could be a lot of your problem. All kinds of things can interfere with that plus the speed is slower just because it's wireless. I've gone to the D-Link that uses house wiring to connect everything. It's as fast as the modem can provide at all connections. I'm not in an apartment so I'm not sure about security there but it works great for me. It's probably as secure as a wireless but faster.
 
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Old 03-12-15, 02:17 AM
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I also have a D-Link that I'm using. I have heard about the chances of a weaker connection due to a wireless device, so I have ran many tests going from a wireless connection to a wired connection, and it made no difference.

I have the cable company coming back out on Friday. I'm going to request a written statement from them stating the cable that there responsible for is not the cause of the problem, and that it is the complexes cable that is the issue. If they willingly supply me with that information, then I can hopefully force the complex to make the needed repairs.

I'm also going to print off this post, in hopes that it offers me a little more leverage.
 

Last edited by skooterbum11; 03-12-15 at 02:18 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old 03-12-15, 10:15 AM
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The cable tech should have a tool that can read the signal strength. Low signal strength (or signal-to-noise ratio) causes the modem to have to retry packets, slowing down the whole process. This is why when cable companies install internet in houses, they always run a dedicated new cable run directly to the cable modem.

Have him document what the signal strength is at the demarc point (junction box). After a hundred or so feet of cable, it should be very similar. My guess is that it will be much lower at your apartment.

Older cable (RG-59) worked fine for TV back some years ago, but has been largely replaced by RG-6 cable that's better suited for HD TV and cable modems. Other types may be used for longer runs. Can you tell what type you have running to your apartment now? Also, unfortunately there's no way to tell if it's severely kinked or partially broken somewhere along the way without some heavy duty (pricey) test equipment.

I agree with others, satellite is not the answer. The delay makes everything seem slower, and though downstream bandwidth is often adequate, upstream is often painfully slow. Though to be honest, I don't know much about the offerings nowadays.

How large is the apartment building? Could a new line be run to your apartment outside the building? Have you asked what the cost would be to run a new line?
 
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Old 03-12-15, 12:22 PM
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Mediacom connection

skooterbum11, I work for Mediacom and may be able to help. Generally we should be able to view the signal for the modem and for the whole apartment area from our office and that should give us a basic idea of where the problem exists. From there the local tech should have a signal meter and he can check from the outside pole before the signal comes into the complex, the local connection that exists for the building, and then at your modem. How many apartments are connected in the direct area? I know some areas have individual taps and some share throughout the complex. To know more I would need a bit more information about the local area you are in so I could check some signals. You could always reach out to the social media team at their official Mediacom forums that can be found on their website ( https://forums.mediacomcable.com ) or you could reach out to them directly at their email address socialmediateam@mediacomcc.com and they may be able to help diagnose this problem and work with local management to see if there is anything we can do. If it is the local wiring within the apartment, then we would have to refer to them for that fix since we generally do not do wall fishing for cable lines on internal walls. There are times that we have seen apartment complexes work with us to replace cable, which may be an option. I'd check with a moderator on their forums and they should be able to help in more detail!

Hope this helps,
Chad
 
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Old 03-12-15, 12:29 PM
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MCC_Chad, not the original poster but I was wondering if the original poster gets permission from the apartment manager will you do a direct drop to the apartment?
 
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Old 03-12-15, 12:33 PM
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That would be ideal but it would heavily depend on how the complex is set up, what they allow us to run, and how much load is on the tap already. We would like to, but there are a lot of variables that come in to play so I can't give a 100% answer without knowing more about the area.

Chad
 
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Old 03-12-15, 08:10 PM
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Thanks for all the great information !!!!!!!

Not sure what all you need to know MCC_Chad, but I live in a single story 48 unit apartment complex. The area is generally single family housing. There is a small duplex community near by that consists of maybe 6 units with 12 families. My zip code is 50036 if that helps at all.

I've been told by Mediacom's service tech that the cable in this complex is the older RG-5. He has also seen the attic area in this building, and has stated that there is ample room, and that it would be easy to replace the cable from there junction box, where he claims the internet service reads strong, into my apartment. Basically it's just a matter of running it. Mediacom says it's not there responsibility, and the apartment complex says they will not replace it.

We only have three options for internet service in this area, and the apartment complex doesn't allow the use of one. Century Link, which is the worst of the worst. Mediacom, which has given me the runaround to a certain extent. Then there is the satellite services, which is not allowed.

This is very frustrating for me.
 
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Old 03-12-15, 08:31 PM
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Run TCPOptimizer from speedguide.net
 
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Old 03-12-15, 08:37 PM
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The RG5 has been replaced by RG6. The RG6 has higher bandwidth and can be run longer distance with less loss.

This sounds like a standoff here. Usually the cable company is responsible for the signal right to your premise but that differs in apartment complexes.

I think if it were me I'd try to see if the electrician would consider running the coax on the side.
 
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Old 03-12-15, 09:11 PM
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I'd probably just run it in the attic myself. This forum can help you do that.
 
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Old 03-13-15, 02:26 AM
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Due to physical limitations, I'm no longer able to take on a task like that. I'm sure the complex management will demand to choose the person of there choice to get up in the attic to do the work, even if it is at my own expense. The management is not the kindest, easiest people to work with.

I'm collecting all of this information to confront the apartment management, and the cable company with, in hopes it will give me an edge.......

I greatly appreciate all the input !!
 
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Old 03-13-15, 05:52 AM
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Run TCPOptimizer from speedguide.net
That ^^ might solve all your speed problems.
 
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Old 03-13-15, 06:15 AM
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I just ran the TCPOptimizer, and it did nothing ??

Thanks for the suggestion though !! I'm ready to try anything at this point..........
 
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Old 03-13-15, 07:49 AM
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When is showed the changes & asked for a confirmation, did you click yes or ok?

What version of windows are you using? There are other tweaks available.
 
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Old 03-13-15, 08:30 AM
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Pulpo, yes I did check yes.

The cable company was just here, again, and ran the same checks. I got involved with what he was doing and asked a lot of questions.

He told me that the cable in the attic has to be replaced. The meter they use to check the service with, was showing that my service is testing below the bottom of the acceptable scale. This is the third time they have told me this.

I called his supervisor, and am going to be getting documentation showing what all the service techs findings were on each visit. So I will be able to confront the apartment manager with them. I also asked the cable man if I would be able to get cable TV through the line along with my internet, he said it would be a waste of money, because cable TV would use up half of the bandwidth that I am getting, so it would only compound the problem.

There is an Iowa law stating that everyone has the legal right to these services, and I am being denied them, when other tenants are able to enjoy them. I will see what they have to say then..
 
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Old 03-13-15, 03:35 PM
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Is it a rental property, condo or coop? Is your building owner or managed by Mid America Apartment Communities?

Apartment Complex Owner Makes Cable Service Mandatory In 13 States: "We'll Add the $40 to Your Rent" • Stop the Cap!

There could be a deal like the one described above. If they told you 3 times that the cable in the attic has to be replaced, did you ask for a date when they are going to replace it? I wouldn't show the management anything. Don't show your cards yet. Make no mistake, there is a contract between the cable company & the management You are about to disturb the order of business, possibly dirty business.

I had a similar problem when I was renting space in a gated community in Florida. Comcast had an exclusive contract with the management. That exclusive was supposed to be dropped. Of course, a month or two before that date, it was renewed. It was very clear that someone was paid.

In the meantime, what version of windows are you using?
 
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Old 03-13-15, 04:35 PM
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You haven't answered if your apartment has a AT&T telephone connection. If so you may be able to get "dry loop" DSL or Uvserse DSL only. If you already have phone service you may be able to add DSL to it.
 
 

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