Forum Discussion

Raskie's avatar
Raskie
New Contributor III
4 years ago

Poor signal when it rains

I have a recurring problem every time it rains. When it is raining, my downstream power levels go from their normal of about -6 dBmV to about -14 dBmV and the SNR drops from its normal 43 dB down to the mid to upper twenties. At the same time my Event Log shows an MDD Message Timeout about every 10 seconds and occasional T3 Timeouts. Obviously my modem stability and my speeds take a hit during rainstorms.

After the rain stops and things dry out, everything returns to normal and I have a reliable connection once again.

I’m afraid that if I scheduled a tech visit, the tech would most likely come when it was not raining, would check my signal levels, say they all looked excellent, and that would be the end of it.

Modem is a Netgear CM1200, there are no splitters coming into the house, and I’ve checked the junction box outside my house and it is not leaking any water.

Any suggestions?

       

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    4 years ago

    As soon as it starts to rain, you get signal issues or does it takes some time?

    • Raskie's avatar
      Raskie
      New Contributor III
      4 years ago

      It definitely takes some time.  After its been raining for 30 min or so, problems start to show up.  It takes several hours after the rain has stopped and things have dried out before things return to normal.

  • Allan's avatar
    Allan
    Moderator
    4 years ago
    @Raskie, I recommend sending us an email with your full name, address, and a brief description of this concern to cox.help@cox.com. -Allan, Cox Support Forums Moderator.
  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    4 years ago

    Yuck on taking some time because it could be an underground cable.  Maybe not.

    A junction box (NID) wouldn't need to leak water to cause signal interference.  After it rains, open it and check for dampness, loose connections, exposed shielding, damage, etc.  Then find your neighborhood node and check for open panels, cracks, holes, damage, etc.

    If you found nothing, it could be your underground cable.  On the other hand, it could be a neighbor's NID or underground cable getting soaked.  I suppose you'd need to rule out your cable first.  Got a lawn sprinkler?

    • Raskie's avatar
      Raskie
      New Contributor III
      4 years ago

      Thanks for the ideas, Bruce, but I live in an older section of town.  No underground cable here.  Only a drop coming to a plastic box on the outside of the house (Pretty well protected from the rain.) and then a short run of coax into the house.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        4 years ago

        This is good to know.  If you don't feel it's your NID or cabling, I'd email Cox as per Allan's recommendation.  Cox could check their runs.