[george328]

I was hoping someone on this forum could help me out with a diagnosis.

Signal loss when connecting to websites, pages will load halfway and then stop. Cable activity light will blink rapidly. Quitting and restarting browser (netscape, safari) will not work, I just get a no server found message. Usually I have to unplug modem in order to require signal. This isn't an occassional thing, happens all the time.

Occurs on various websites but I've noticed ebay or amazon will trigger the signal loss almost everytime.

Problem has occured on three different computers (2 G4 duals & 17" powerbook), running 9.x & OSX. Plugged into the modem on separate occassions. I've tried switching ethernet cables, no difference.

Cable modem- 3com CMX

Any idea what's causing this, it's driving me mad. Is it hardware or degraded signal?!

[ghporter]

Since you experience the problem with multiple computers and multiple browsers, it isn't your stuff, it's the ISP's stuff that's to blame. Note that eBay and Amazon pages typically contain a lot of content from other servers-popups, ads, and pictures hosted on some server somewhere other than the main page; this can cause havoc with a marginal connection.

There are two major suspects in your case. Either the cable system is experiencing problems (which brings up two separate issues-the cabling itself is having problems, or there are too many users on at the same time for the system to handle), or your modem is goofing up. Since you can reacquire the signal by unpluging the modem for a bit, I'd suspect the modem first.

You should also very carefully check the cabling within your home, too. It's possible that there's a kink, a connector that isn't too well secured, or even a puppy-chewed section that needs attention. Check the cables inside before you call your ISP, but if you can't find anything wrong inside, then it's time for your ISP to work on this problem.

[aaanorton]

I just went through this. I took my modem into my ISP's local office and got a replacement. When it kept happening, I called my ISP (TWC) and in the interim they had started a troube ticket in my neighborhood. I don't know how soon it was repaired, because the next day I left for Hawaii. In fact, I hadn't even thought of it til I read this thread. I'd call your ISP and get a tech to measure your signal.

[george328]

Thanks guys for the input, I'll call my isp tomorrow, the cabling looks fine so I'm guessing the modem. In regards to Amazon/Ebay, I never thought of how many servers may be accessed from just one site, makes a lot of sense now as to why those two sites were giving me the most trouble.