What can take out a cable modem?

Question

I have replaced my cable modem 4 times in the last 6 months. The last one only lasted a week. I don't have to pay for it (I just take it back to the cable company for replacement), but it is a hassle. The new ones always work fine until they don't. Blinking lights in the front, and no signal out. I've tried unplugging and resetting them, to no avail. I have a splitter between the modem and my TV. Any ideas?

Answer 1

It's possible for too-high voltage to be sent along the coaxial cable itself. I've lived at a place just above maximum standard distance for a cable modem from the street, and the cable guy put in a big electrical amplifier at the entrance to the house. It burned out multiple cable boxes, and I had them replace it repeatedly, until I mentioned it to whichever tech happened to be coming that time, and he realized it was set too high.

In my case, the too-high voltage being sent along the coax cable allowed the modem to work for a little while, then burnt it out.

I don't know how you would test this without specialized equipment. Perhaps the cable modem diagnostics itself could let you know what voltage it was receiving.

In my case, it was not a surge - it's a consistently too high voltage. Different from the previous answer.

Answer 2

It could be any number of things. A poorly made cable modem, a power surge, excessive heat or humidity, static shock, etc, etc.

A definitive answer cant be given without seeing what is wrong. If I had to make a guess, I would lean towards a power surge, as they are the most common.

Surge protectors with coax cable protection are fairly cheap. It definitely wouldnt hurt to purchase one and use it. These devices protect devices from surges from the wall outlet and the cable line.

It might not be a bad idea to contact your cable company and ask if they examined your previous modems to see what is wrong.