So frustrating!
I use my computer daily (dare I say hourly??). Keeping up with technology is a lot of work! Maybe I will devise a list for monthly and annual tasks because these things take me by surprise.
One of my little people asked me the other day why my router was blinking amber instead of being green. WHAT? I never even look at the router or the modem. I guess I expect that the company who manufactured them and asked me to register them, would send me an email if something needed updated. Like firmware. Thank goodness kids notice these things!
Of course, I had to go online to find out what the blinking amber light meant and how to update the firmware (via computer). It's an Apple Airport and they make things pretty easy for the end user (but still, they could have emailed me). When I told the kidults wifi would be down for a bit while I did this task, they both said they had been getting kicked off between midnight and 4am (don't ask ... night owls) so were glad I figured out we needed updated firmware. Ha! Did I feel good getting that accomplished.
The next morning the kidults said they were still knocked off. Sir Google to the rescue. After a bit of searching, it seems my modem needed updating also. The BAD news there is you need an ethernet cable to hook it up to your computer to go to the manufacturer's website to get the download. Of course I couldn't find one to save my soul!
Since I was going to order one from Amazon, I invested a little more time on maybe getting a better (faster) modem. Who knew? Things are just now changing to a newer DOCSIS. Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-bandwidth data transfer to an existing cable television (CATV) system.
DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 are just version numbers. The exact differences between them basically boils down to speed and the number of simultaneous channels. The bottom line is that if your ISP offers internet speeds of more than 1 gigabit (1,000 Mbps, or megabits per second), a DOCSIS 3.1 router is a better investment.
Thank you Amazon, everything arrived the next day. Now to get down on the ground, unplug all three cords and toss out the old one. Hopefully install the new items myself without having to call Comcast to "approve" anything.
I'll keep you posted. If I don't blog for a while .....
I didn't know modems and routers ever needed updating! Learn something new every day. I hate that kind of technical stuff about computers. Wish they'd quit changing things.
ReplyDeleteIF you rent yours thru your cable company, I'm assuming they update them for you. Every once in a while you should call them and say you are noticing slow uploads and is everything up to date. I got tired of renting at $5 or $10 a month ....
DeleteYou did so well in solving the problems. I rely on my oldest son to handle my computer problems, it becomes very complicated, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for Google! I can find an answer there every time. I also learned that most companies (including cable) do work on their servers and that sometimes slows things down.
DeleteLucky you have a son to keep you running smoothly!