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Cable Modem Troubleshooting Tips

Angel B.
  • Updated
Problem Solution
I cannot access the Internet. What should I do first?
  • Make sure that your cable modem's MAC address is registered with your cable provider. When your provider's representative or setup software asks for your MAC address, you can find the CM MAC (or RF MAC) address on the cable modem's label. If you are having a problem, you may need to check with your cable service provider to make sure the service provider set up its system properly for your cable modem.
  • Check your cable modem's Ethernet and coaxial cable connections. Make sure the coaxial cable is tightly connected. If a computer is plugged into an Ethernet port, make sure that the cable is plugged in all the way on both ends.
  • If you are using wireless, check that your wireless connection is functioning correctly. Check the section below, “I am having trouble connecting my computer or other device wirelessly to the cable modem/router."
  • Power off your modem for at least 10 seconds and then power it back on.
  • Restart your computer or other devices connected to the cable modem. This ensures that they receive a correct IP address from the modem.
I cannot access my Internet service or send or receive email and my Online, Upstream, Downstream, and Power lights are correct on the front panel.
  • You may need to register your modem's MAC address with your cable provider. When your provider asks for your MAC address tell them the CM MAC (or RF MAC) address on the cable modem's label.
  • Restart your computer or other devices connected to the cable modem. This ensures that they receive a correct IP address from the modem.
I cannot access the Internet. My Power light is on, my Downstream and Upstream lights are on or blinking, and my Online light is on.
  • If you are using your computer's Ethernet port, check that there is a good connection between your computer and the modem's Ethernet port. Check that the light for that port is on or flashing.
  • If you are using wireless, check that your wireless connection is functioning correctly. Check the section below, "I am having trouble connecting my computer or other device wirelessly to the cable modem/router."
I cannot access the Internet. My Power light is on, and my Downstream and Upstream lights are on or blinking. My Online light won't stay on.
  • Check to see that your cable TV is working. If it isn't, contact your cable service provider. There may be a bad connection to the cable to your home or location.
  • Check with your cable service provider to make sure that your cable data service is available and running.
  • In some cases, the cable signal may be weak or noisy. If possible, see if the cable modem works better when it's connected as near as possible to where the coaxial cable comes into your home.
  • If you have a splitter between the cable modem and the wall, remove the splitter and connect the cable modem directly to the wall. A splitter is a small device that has a single coax cable on one side and 2 coax cables on the other side. If bypassing the splitter fixes the problem, you should probably get a better splitter. The splitter should at least support frequencies up to 1000 MHz. (This may be identified as 5 MHz to 1 GHz or 5-1000 MHz.)  Supporting up to 2.3 GHz (2300 MHz) is even better if you ever want to use MoCA adapters, which can carry a router signal from one part of your home to another over the coaxial cable. Coax splitters typically have one female IN jack and two or more female OUT jacks. If the problem persists, you may need to ask your cable service provider to check the signal quality on your cable connection.
I am having trouble connecting my computer or other device wirelessly to the cable modem/router. Try the following:
  • Verify that you can access the Internet with a computer or other device connected through an Ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports of your cable modem/router.

    If you cannot, try the steps outlined in the previous troubleshooting tips.

    If the wired computer can access the Internet, reboot the wireless device (this will allow the device to release and renew its IP address) and try to access the Internet again.

    If you still cannot connect to the Internet wirelessly, continue below.
  • Check the wireless security settings on the wireless device and verify that your device is using the same wireless security and password as the cable modem/router. The Wireless Default Settings can be found on the label of the cable modem/router. The settings on your computer, phone, or other device must match the modem settings – either the default settings or some new settings you made.
  • Check the signal strength of your wireless connection. Most wireless adapters have some type of signal strength meter that shows how strong your wireless signal is. Windows users, click the Wireless icon in your system tray to check signal strength. If your signal strength is not strong enough, try reorienting the antennas on the cable modem.
  • Change the wireless channel. To do that, follow these steps:
    1. Open the Motorola Configuration Manager by entering the following in your Web browser's address bar: http://192.168.0.1
    2. In the Login dialog box, type the following User Name and Password in lower case, and then click Login.
      User Name: admin
      Password: motorola
    3. Click Wireless on the menu tab to open the Wireless page.

      For Motorola Models MG7540 and MG7550:

      On the Radio page, under the Select 2.4 or 5 GHz option:

      If you chose to use 2.4 GHz, then go from the Channel drop-down menu, select a channel that is 5 channels away from the current channel you are using. You may need to switch the Sideband for Control Channel setting from lower to upper to access the higher channels.

      If you chose to use 5 GHz, then go from the Channel Specification drop-down menu, select a different channel.

      For Motorola Models MG7310 and MG7315:

      On the Radio page, go to the Control Channel drop-down menu, select a channel that is 5 channels away from the current channel you are using. You may need to switch the Sideband for Control Channel setting from lower to upper to access the higher channels.

    4. Be sure to click Apply after you change the channel. All devices connecting wirelessly will automatically switch to the new channel.
  • If changing the wireless channel did not help, you should reduce the amount of Bandwidth your wireless connection is using from 40 Mhz to 20 Mhz on the same Radio page.
  • Move the device trying to access the cable modem/router to a different location, ideally closer to the cable modem.
  • If possible, move the cable modem/router to a new location, ideally closer to the wireless device.
  • For some computers and some tablets, try deleting the old network settings including the SSID and password/pre-shared key. After you do that, use the new settings. Normally the new settings should be the modem/router's default settings as discussed above.
  • Refer to your computer's or other device's documentation if necessary.
I followed the instructions for connecting the cable modem/router and entered http://192.168.0.1 in my web browser's address bar, but I cannot access the modem/router. (The Logon page does not appear). Try the following:
  • Verify that power is on to the modem/router and that the Ethernet cable is plugged between your modem/router and your computer's Ethernet (LAN) port.
  • The computer connected to the modem/router must have it's TCP/IP parameters set up to use DHCP (also called Dynamic IP). Check that your computer is set up to use DHCP.
I don't know my cable modem/router's SSID or Password. The default values are printed on the label of the modem/router. Use these unless you changed them.

If you changed the default SSID and password, connect a computer to any Ethernet port of the modem/router, open the computer's Web browser, enter http://192.168.0.1 into the browser's address bar, and press ENTER to go to that address. When the modem/router's user interface comes up, enter the username and password for the user interface and click Login. (These are admin and motorola unless you changed them.) Go to the Wireless section and then click on Basic in the menu on your left. A new page will come up with the Network Name (SSID) and Wireless Security Key (wireless password) shown.
What if I'm told that my Motorola cable modem isn't approved for my cable modem service? Motorola cable modems have been certified by CableLabs®, the cable service provider's primary test lab. However, some cable service providers have their own certification process (click here for more information). To see whether your Motorola model is certified by your cable service provider, you should be able to check your service provider's Web site or to speak with someone from your service provider.

 

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