Netgear CG3000dv2 N450 Router failing activation

Question

I am trying to get my new Netgear CG3000dv2 N450 modem to activate on the Comcast network.  Comcast activation team worked to activate it during 2 lengthy sessions this week while talking to me over the phone.  An onsite visit by a Comcast technician was not successful either.  The technician found that our cable connectivity is well within normal parameters.  Our old Motorola Surfboard SB5101 is currently functional on the starter performance package (6 down/1up).  Numerous attempts have been made including resetting the Netgear to factory defaults and re-adding the device to our account.  The Netgear locks fine on the upstream & downstream channels and the power levels and SNR are nearly perfect as viewed on the Netgear admin interface's Connection status.  The cabling is a home run all the way from the router to where the Comcast cable enters our cabin.  I have attempted adding a splitter to see if the signal was too good but this made no difference. I could see difference in the power level and SNR though as viewed on the Netgear admin interface.  The Internet light does not go solid and activation is unsuccessful.  The Comcast activation page was seen on our PC during one of the early troubleshooting sessions.  The CG3000dv2 N450 was recently purchased in March and was working perfectly for 2 months on the Cox network at our winter home in Arizona.  I believe the device is functioning properly.  The CG3000dv2 N450 is on the "approved" list of Comcast (and Cox) devices but is fairly new with the retail version release this year.  Troubleshooting with Netgear is underway.  The Netgear is currently running firmware version 1.03.03.  This may have been an update provided by Cox as the initial release is 1.02.10.  I'm attempting to roll back the firmware (tftp client procedure using a PC) but would like to confirm the supported firmware on the Comcast network for this device.  The Comcast activation team stated that they don't have access to this information but escalated the question to 2nd level support as of last evening.  I'm waiting to hear back.  Netgear claims the CG3000dv2 works just fine on the Comcast network.  The device log indicates IPv6 connectivity on the Comcast network but a critical error SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire QAM/QPSK symbol timing is reported.  Their only reasonable suggestion so far is that there might be an incompatibility in this version of firmware on the Comcast network.   Does anyone have the CG3000dv2 N450 running on the Comcast network?  What version of the firmware is it running?  Does Comcast push down new firmware versions and what is the current version for this model?  The Comcast tech stated the Internet light should go solid even if the Netgear isn't the primary on our account and is just plugged into the cable (our Motorola is primary currently).  Can anyone confirm this? 

Answer 1

Three weeks of troubleshooting failed to find a solution to provision the Netgear CG3000Dv2 N450 on the Comcast network. The Netgear was able to successfully connect on 2 occasions but failed repeatedly most of the time making the configuration unworkable and unstable. This Netgear worked flawlessly for 2 months on the Cox network at our winter home in Arizona but could not be made to function at our summer cabin in Washington State on the Comcast network. Fortunately, our old Motorola SB5101 (end-of-life) and Linksys WRT54G router (vintage 2001) remained working perfectly on the Comcast network during this frustrating experience. Some observations and a wee bit of advice: I strongly suggest not buying a Netgear modem if using the Comcast network! However, I might consider it if using Cox. The Cox service is outstanding in that they have a short list of "Preferred Devices" and another longer list of "Additional Cox Recommended Devices" on their web site. The CG3000Dv2 N450 is on the Cox "Preferred" list and it seems they rent the commercial version so they're very familiar with it. The N450 worked flawlessly on their network and I believe that Cox updated the firmware on my device. Don't bother contacting the modem vendor technical support (i.e. Netgear). Save yourself a frustrating and fruitless experience. Return the modem immediately if the cable company technician isn't able to make it work during the 1st on-site visit. Return it, choose another brand modem and try again.Netgear refused to answer basic questions after repeated attempts. Such questions as "What is the most current firmware version?, "Can customer owners upgrade/downgrade the firmware on the CG3000Dv2?", "Why does Netgear provide the initial release firmware on the web site if there is no ability to update it?", "What should the indicator lights be upon plugging in the Netgear before activation is initiated?" and "Has Netgear seen a problem like mine before?" I received conflicting answers to the customer firmware upgrade question. One 1st tier "expert" said I could downgrade to the version available on their web site and provided the documented TFTP procedure. However, the next analyst repeatedly said this wasn't possible. There was a Netgear web site problem (404) when attempting to pull down the firmware version. I reported it but was told to try again from another PC. We did a couple rounds like this and the web site was finally repaired over the weekend allowing me to get the firmware. It was a long shot to downgrad the firmware that Cox likely pushed down but it seemed worth a try.  To Netgear's credit, I was eventually put in touch with 2nd tier technical support in the Philippines and got a promise to escalate the case to their engineering department. However, nothing came of this after I provided a copious amount of data and my questions remained unanswered to this day even after repeating them yet again. Expect to run the version of firmware that is on the cable modem at purchase with no upgrades during the life of your customer owned device. Some cable companies (e.g. Comcast per a 2nd tier technical support analyst) do not push down firmware to customer owned equipment. Some modem vendors (e.g. Netgear) apparently do not provide firmware upgrades to customers or incorporate the required tool to do so (e.g. no firmware upgrade option on the CG3000Dv2 N450 web interface). Netgear apparently only provides firmware to ISPs hoping or assuming the ISP will push it down to the customer modem. It seems this is a false hope at least when it comes to Comcast. Don't buy a combo unit that has both the cable modem and wireless router in one package. It is simpler and less expensive to replace just the modem if it is defective, breaks after the warrantee expires, or is incompatible with the cable provider network. The cost for 2 devices over one is very insignificant considering the flexibility. Plus the wireless router's firmware can be upgraded by the owner. The combo unit was a desire in that our plan was to take it between AZ and WA. This purchase was a big mistake. Comcast should, but is probably unlikely to, improve their service based on Cox's business model. Troubleshooting ran the gambit including being told at one point that the Netgear wasn't a supported device.It seems reasonable, from my customer perspective, to provide a short list of modems and/or combo devices that are "preferred", i.e. known to work reliably on the Comcast network and are very familiar to the technical staff. The onsite Comcast technician had never seen a CG3000Dv2 N450 but did his best to activate it. I suppose a short list isn't something a company would do if the goal is to rent equipment to customers. Comcast tier 1 support was unable to answer basic questions such as "Does Comcast update firmware on customer owned devices?", "What modem does Comcast prefer and is known to work on their network if the Netgear isn't a supported device? However, Comcast 2nd tier was most helpful which was greatly appreciated. To their credit, Comcast did attempt to activate the Netgear on 5 occasions including an on-site technician visit. There were no issues found with our cabling and power/SNR were well within optimal range. The Comcast technician said Netgear's Internet light should go solid even if the Netgear modem isn't the primary device on the account. This proved to be true during those 2 brief occasions when the Netgear modem was able to establish connectivity. I found a post from another Comcast customer that described a problem possibly similar to mine. He suggested there might be an issue somewhere in the network affecting my home but this might be darn near impossible to find.  He suggested other modem gear such as the Zoom 5341J is better able to handle issues of this nature. I purchased the Zoom 5341J and a Western Digital My Net N900 wireless router (for both it was only ~$10 more than the CG3000Dv2 N450). I plugged the cable into the Zoom modem and it immediately locked the 8 downstream channels and 4 upstream. Several reboots and a 24 hour burn-in period indicated the Zoom was stable and functional so worthy of going online. Activation by Comcast was completed without any problems. The WD N900 is a feature rich, dual band wireless router. This unit is far superior to the Netgear that only has basic functionality. So far the network using the new gear has been reliable and from all indications is working well. I hope my findings will help others in provisioning their Comcast Internet service and avoid a most frustrating experience.  Good luck!