Beantwoord

My Connectbox keeps dropping Wifi signal 2-3 times a day

  • 1 december 2020
  • 9 reacties
  • 160 keer bekeken

Hello all,

due to the coronacrisis I work from home.

It is a new apartment completed and delivered just last year.

 

During the last month I experienced a lot of wifi dropping connections.

In the router error log I saw a number of logged events of this type:

01-12-2020 11:39:49 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=34:2c:c4:bd:8c:e2;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:91:e6:23;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

 

My splitter POA-01-B is plugged in a wall socket in the woonkamer.

Both the TV and router cables are attached in the output ports.

 

My initial downstream values were as indicated in the first attached photo.

I am not an expert, but by reading this blog I realized that an average power of -4 dBmV is not very good. Having a positive value, ideally of 6 dBmV would be better.

The initial upstream values are not reported in any photo, but believe me the average value was of ~44 dBmV.

 

Then, I performed some experiments:

  1. removing the plastic cap from the splitter POA-01-B. No improvements or changes on down and upstreams values.
  2. unplugging the splitter, and plugging the router directly to the CAI socket (sse photo). This test produced some interesting results, the downstream average power over all channels went up to 0 dBmV (so it increased by 4-5 dBmV), while, the upstream channels power was almost identical. 

In conclusion, I suspect my splitter is not properly working.

Could you inform me on how to fix this issue?

Of course I need to use the splitter to get the TV signal out of the CAI socket.

Could you check if everything is ok on the Ziggo signal sent to my apartment?

Is it possible to receive a visit at home by a technical expert?

With the current problem I cannot work.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

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Best beantwoord door Henno 2 december 2020, 08:11

@Alfonso The modem should be placed in the cupboard, it was sent to you with a brace to hang it to the wall. The brace can be attached to the plywood using some screws (self-tappers) the POA-01 splitter should be placed in the AOP (Abonee Overname Punt = Subscriber Transfer Point), that is the socket in the cupboard. From the POA-01 1 lead goes to the modem, another goes to the existing indoor coax cabling, in this case the existing splitter in the cupboard.

Why all this? Ziggo only supports modem connections fully within 1.5 meter of the AOP, because of signal strength and inhouse cabling issues.

The possible consequence is that you might need UTP cabling to parts of your house or the WIFi might be to week in some spots, this needs to be fixed with additional access-points. 

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Hello @Henno ,

first of all thankjs for your valuable help.

 

I gave a look in the cupboard, and I see a splitter there too:

 

In my apartment, I have 2 CAI sockets for TV and internet in two differet rooms (woonkamer and slaapkamer).

 

Where should I plug the POA-01 splitter in the cupboard?


And… given that there is already one splitter there… 

Is it needed to use a second splitter in the woonkamer CAI socket?

 

Again, excuse me for the naive questions but I am not an expert.

 

Let me know.

 

Regards, Alfonso

Reputatie 7
Badge +8

Hello @Henno ,

 

I see your point.

 

However, as you mentioned, based on my apartment layout positioning the router in the cupboard, could lead to some offices with very low signal. 

Moreover, I would prefer as much as possible to avoid UTP cables placed and visible around the apartment.

 

May I propose one different solution?:

Given that the woonkamer TV/Internet wall socket is roughly 10-15m from the cupboard, one solution to ensure a stronger signal to the router and TV it could be to replace the current cupboard splitter with an amplifier, for example ensuring 4 (or 8) dB at the woonkamer socket.

In this way, plugging the splitter in the woonkamer socket for the TV and router should reduce the signal by 4dB, but still delivering a remaining 0 (or 4) dB to router and TV.

Does it make sense?

Could interferences be still a problem even if an amplifier is used in the cupboard?

 

Regards, Alfonso

 

You know what the word “damping” means. Very good, most people don't know.

Using an amp to boost to the signal is, in practice, not the way forward. Amps have a tendency to do “windows dressing” for a modem. The values of the signals will be good, but the quality of the Docsis data can still be bad. A lot of people come here on the forum with older (9 years or older) installations when it was best practice to put the modem behind a coax amp. 

“Could interferences be still a problem even if an amplifier is used in the cupboard?” 

What interferences do you mean? WiFi channels?

Reputatie 7
Badge +8

Hello @Henno ,

 

I would like to add another comment to my previous post... 

 

Wherever I position the modem, I think it is not optimal to have 2 splitters connected serially, since the TVs, for example, could receive a signal that is reduced by both splitters 2 times and by a total of 7.5-8 dB.

 

This is another reason why I think replacing the cupboard splitter with an amplifier could be beneficial. In this case the signal strenght will be higher since we avoid to reduce the power twice in a row by using 2 splitters…

 

What do you think?

 

Regards, Alfonso

“Wherever I position the modem, I think it is not optimal to have 2 splitters connected serially, since the TVs, for example, could receive a signal that is reduced by both splitters 2 times and by a total of 7.5-8 dB.”

Correct. But you oversimplify the quality of the signal that's needed for Docsis over cable. It's not just the signal free of damping, i.e. value, but also lack of noise because it uses a much more wider range of HF channels on coax in contrast to TV signals. Quality of connectors and connection points is mandatory. 

That's why Ziggo is telling customers to install the modem as close to the AOP as possible, and I hinted at:

“The possible consequence is that you might need UTP cabling to parts of your house or the WIFi might be to week in some spots, this needs to be fixed with additional access-points. “

You might have to consider buying some extra access-points to install in the house at strategic locations and connect these to the Connecbox with UTP, but less is more: the more WiFi transmitters you will install the more the ether is jammed up. Have a peek to see what it's like.

Reputatie 6

@Alfonso Great to read that expert @Henno provides you so much help and care! I also saw that you had contact with us. We have send you the bracket so you can fix the modem to the wall. What is the current status of the connection? Does it work properly? Could you provide us photos of the in home situation? 

Reputatie 7
Badge +8

You should connect the POA-01 splitter at the first connection point in your apartment, there you should see the green Ziggo cable coming in. Usually it is a cupboard where the switchboard of the mains are also located.

Due to cabling and connections the signal in the woonkamer is not of adequate quality.

Reputatie 7
Badge +8

@Alfonso The modem should be placed in the cupboard, it was sent to you with a brace to hang it to the wall. The brace can be attached to the plywood using some screws (self-tappers) the POA-01 splitter should be placed in the AOP (Abonee Overname Punt = Subscriber Transfer Point), that is the socket in the cupboard. From the POA-01 1 lead goes to the modem, another goes to the existing indoor coax cabling, in this case the existing splitter in the cupboard.

Why all this? Ziggo only supports modem connections fully within 1.5 meter of the AOP, because of signal strength and inhouse cabling issues.

The possible consequence is that you might need UTP cabling to parts of your house or the WIFi might be to week in some spots, this needs to be fixed with additional access-points. 

Hello @Henno ,

 

I see your point.

 

However, as you mentioned, based on my apartment layout positioning the router in the cupboard, could lead to some offices with very low signal. 

Moreover, I would prefer as much as possible to avoid UTP cables placed and visible around the apartment.

 

May I propose one different solution?:

Given that the woonkamer TV/Internet wall socket is roughly 10-15m from the cupboard, one solution to ensure a stronger signal to the router and TV it could be to replace the current cupboard splitter with an amplifier, for example ensuring 4 (or 8) dB at the woonkamer socket.

In this way, plugging the splitter in the woonkamer socket for the TV and router should reduce the signal by 4dB, but still delivering a remaining 0 (or 4) dB to router and TV.

Does it make sense?

Could interferences be still a problem even if an amplifier is used in the cupboard?

 

Regards, Alfonso

 

Hello @Henno ,

 

I would like to add another comment to my previous post... 

 

Wherever I position the modem, I think it is not optimal to have 2 splitters connected serially, since the TVs, for example, could receive a signal that is reduced by both splitters 2 times and by a total of 7.5-8 dB.

 

This is another reason why I think replacing the cupboard splitter with an amplifier could be beneficial. In this case the signal strenght will be higher since we avoid to reduce the power twice in a row by using 2 splitters…

 

What do you think?

 

Regards, Alfonso

Hello all,

 

I have a question for the moderators from Ziggo.

 

Today I tried to position my router in the cupboard, unfortunatelly I didn’t find the plastic brace/arm to fix the router to the wall.

 

Could you send me a new brace at my address?

 

Regards, Alfonso

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