Bluecurve connectivity issues, and what I did to troubleshoot

[Pgaiger]

Good day, and a Happy New Year to all. 

I have just spent the last few days attempting to troubleshoot connectivity issues with my new Bluecurve modem, and I have finally come to the solution. I am posting this for others consideration, as problems with hardware can be sometimes elusive. Furthermore, I hope this helps someone solve their very frustrating problem.

Shortly after I received my new modem several months ago, I noticed that the 5 GHz connection was a bit unstable at times. Being busy, and not having the time to actually sit down and diagnose it, I just settled for the less than ideal 2.4 GHz connection. This was fine until two days ago when the connection really began to falter. Eventually, the connection became so poor that I was unable to surf or conduct any business whatsoever reliably and without being disconnected frequently. I set out to troubleshoot it, and the following is a bulleted list of the steps I took, which incidentally resulted in only temporary solutions. The reason for this may become apparent later on:

• Check all connections to the modem (coax, power, LAN);
• Disconnect all LAN connections and Wi-Fi connections, except for one workstation;
• Restart the Bluecurve to reset and clear any potential faults;
• Log in to the gateway and reset the Wi-Fi module and systematically work toward a full reset;
• I ended up doing two pinhole resets which did not solve the issue;
• Changed the coaxial cable from the wall to the modem;
• Relocate the modem to another coaxial outlet;
• Disable band steering;
• Isolate the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz signals by turning them off and running them independently;
• Install a router in front of the modem and put the Bluecurve in bridge mode.

None of my efforts paid off. I resolved myself to having to call tech support. When I called, the automated message informed me that it would be in excess of an hour wait. To me, this is unacceptable. Internet is a very integral part of peoples lives and businesses, and this is where I started to become concerned that support would not be easy for this issue. Recognizing that it is far more efficient for techs to provide support via chat, I opted to contact Shaw that way instead. I will spare you the gory details of being transferred several times and having to start over with a new person, and the frustration of dealing with people who do not really appear to be able to think outside the box and are just reading from a script. This serves to accomplish very little with customers when they are already disappointed that they can't connect. I will say however that the first tech I connected with (I believe her name was Dianna) was sharp, on the ball and very helpful. Unfortunately I lost my connection to her and was unable to reconnect.

All this just to say that unfortunately the support I received was not helpful. I decided that I would have to call and speak to a live voice after all. After 45 minutes of wait time on hold, I was connected to a very nice and humble support person who admitted that, (after I explained my plight), the issue was above her head and that I had already performed everything that she would have instructed me to do. She did not waste my time any further, and opened a ticket for a tech to come to the house and check out the hardware. Unfortunately I would have to wait five days, as Monday is the earliest booking I could get. Due to COVID-19 and the current situation, my child is homeschooled. At this point I had to resolve myself to the fact that we would have to contact her teacher to explain the lateness of her assignments. Inconvenient to say the least. 

I slept on it last night, and decided I would look further into it this morning. I considered that maybe the hardware was faulty due to the environment. Dust, EMI from speakers, TV, electrical wires, etc. And that is when it hit me... heat.

THE SOLUTION STARTS HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MY RAMBLINGS:

I decided that it could very well be that the modem was overheating and thus causing the signal to become very unstable.  As it would turn out, I was right. I shut down the modem for approximately 20 minutes and tried the connection immediately after booting it. My computer connected immediately, and the bandwidth up and down was fast and solid. This was proven on Shaw's speed test page over and over. Until of course, the modem started heating up. As time past, the connection became more unstable, ping rates skyrocketed to over 7 seconds at times, and it was very inconsistent. To replicate the test, I placed the modem in a window sill with 5 degree weather outside so that it would stay cool. 

It has been running now for over an hour. Very stable and reliable. Still not as fast as it could be, but it works. It's a good thing it is wintertime, I guess.

I guess my disappointment comes from having to spend over 5 hours troubleshooting this, with very little help from Shaw, to determine the solution myself. It is one of those cases that would have been well served by tiered support, and by escalating the call quickly if it is beyond the scope or the skills of the customer service agent. It has left me with broken sense of what type of support I will really ever get from my provider. 

Now, I have to go buy a small fan or figure out another way of keeping this modem cool for the next 5 days. It would be nice if Shaw just sent the tech by my house at some point to just drop off a new modem; which I would install myself. The alternative is keeping the window open and freezing out my family. ‌😋‌
Internet, or warm house.... decisions, decisions.

Pete

[rstra]

@Pgaiger Did that modem look to be a re-furb? I wonder if the internal fan was no longer working?

[Pgaiger]

@rstra I'm not sure. It seemed to have all of the factory "scratch" stickers on it. I wish I had paid attention from the start if I could hear the fan, but it never really crossed my mind. Have we seen issues with refurbs in the past?

[rstra]

@Pgaiger The couple of years before I left Shaw, the XB6 seemed quite reliable, but people have posted about having to to get them replaced. Most complaints are about range, features, or the noisy fan. Anyway, you should get that one replaced, if you are in Calgary, you could ask for the XB7.

[mdk]

@Pgaiger -- my new Bluecurve modem --- heat

There Is a thread on this forum with multiple complaints about the excessive noise produced by the fan inside the BlueCurve. Some contributors report that they have TWICE replaced the modem.  So, if you're not "hearing" the fan, that is unusual, and an indication that the fan has failed.

> I have to go buy a small fan or figure out another way of keeping this modem cool for the next 5 days.

Suggestion: access the web-site of one of those "big box" consumer electronics stores, e.g., Best Buy, and search for "laptop cooling", to get results like:

$29.99 -- aluratek slim laptop cooling pad

$39.99 -  Insignia laptop cooling mat

On Best Buy's site, remember to select "BB only", to see what they have in stock, rather than getting your order fulfilled, in a few days, by a partner that lists on the BB web-site.

You'll find 4 to 7 fans, and maybe "adjustable speed". If needed, add a $5 USB brick (such as used to recharge an iPhone) to provide power via USB.

[Pgaiger]

Thanks @mdk .  I have a large fan from an old 1000 watt power supply. I'm rigging something up with some arduino parts. 

The real problem is the 5 day wait, and that a customer shouldn't have to go through all I this just to have internet. 

[mdk]

@Pgaiger --  a customer shouldn't have to go through all I this just to have internet. 

Indeed.

Some Shaw Residential customers in Calgary are getting the newer "XB7" cable-modem, which is alleged to be quieter.

Also, current Shaw Business customers get a fan-less HITRON Gigabit-capable cable-modem, with 4 Ethernet ports & WiFi. Quiet!

[Pgaiger]

Unfortunately I'm not in a major centre. Sometimes I feel as though we get second run and recycled equipment. I'm not holding out hope that I have the best, nor will I get the best hardware. 

[nanuuk]

I've had the XB6 for a couple of years now and it is very quiet. I believe there were two iterations of the XB6, one being manufactured by Arris and the other by Technicolour. The Technicolour one is supposed to be less problematic.

Still, I suffered from signal strength issues in my two story house. Something that I thought the XB6 would fix over my old Hitron modem/router. I considered ordering Shaw Wifi pods to improve that situation, but the more I thought about it the more it bothered me to have to pay Shaw a monthly rental to get speeds as advertised. An inconvenient truth when Shaw tries to upsell its internet service is that your home could have dead spots due to construction materials and if you don't have the latest and greatest computers you won't get those speeds in any event.

Long story short, I received an Eero 6 mesh system for Christmas and bridged my modem. Consider me a happy camper now. Next up is to upgrade my old MacBook Air (2010) so that I can actually get more than 35 kbps out of my wifi.

[gordonbrow]

I gave up on poor reception and installed Ethernet Power Adapters.  Most of my critical stuff (including TV) is now hard wired to the modem.