Modems & Throttling

Lately I’ve noticed that my IpVanish VPN has been shutting down as the Safety Dot has been turning red. I use my IP provider’s modem. Many say that we shouldn’t use providers modems with at least one of the reasons being the throttling issue I believe. So I have looked at modems to purchase and one with a good price is the Arris brand. However, they use to be a brand that Spectrum used and possibly still does in some markets. So, my question is, if I purchased the Arris independently, is it possible that Spectrum might still have the capability to throttle or otherwise affect this modem. And probably I should have asked earlier herein, is Spectrum the cause of the Safety Dot turning red, if not what else would? Any thoughts will be much appreciated.

I dont know why you would buy a modem outside the one your isp gives… i wouldnt do that.

Ipvanish and safety dot have issues, you dont get throttled for using a vpn, infact you use a vpn to avoid any isp throttling, which is technically illgeal, isp are not suppose to do it.

If you think you are being throttled, use a vpn always to encrypted your internet traffic. Also it wouldnt matter what modem you buy, the isp can control your internet restrictions regardless.

Your isp has nothing to do with safety dot. Whats happening is your vpn is lossing its internet connection and disconnecting, its not cuased by your isp doing it manually.

Suggestions:

Do speed tests with vpn on and off.
Check all cords run tests on wifi and wired.
Its possible your line is busy and you need to change channels. (That’s done on the modems configuration) call your isp for that.
Call your isp and check for flaps and line congestion.
Make sure ipvanish is configured properly for safety dot.
Restart your modem and try again

If your speed is faster with the vpn on that typically indicates speed throttle.

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Hey @Wkraw25 Couple of things…your ISP can see your modem on their computers regardless if it’s theirs or yours…they just type in your account & they can see your TX/RX/signal to noise ratios & many other parameters. LIke Dracoo stated…if they wanted to “throttle” you down, they would/could do it, regardless of which modem is connected to your account. As far as using their equipment or yours…you have to do the math & see which is cheaper/easier for you over a 2-3 yr period…I’ve always bought my own equipment…others just rent theirs. Arris equipment…they bought out a division of Motorola about 10 yrs ago & changed the name of the modems & gateways…still excellent equipment for the most part and what I’ve always used…before & after buyout. Friend of mine has a Spectrum gateway w/phone (in NC) with its wifi turned off & she uses her own router for her home network…seems to work quite well for her. Guessing your disconnecting problem is due to your VPN…if Dracoo’s suggestions don’t pan out…mine would be to uninstall it & reinstall it…if that doesn’t do anything…I’d get with IPV support & quiz them.
GL2U :cowboy_hat_face:

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Sorry I’m late to respond but I wanted to thank you both for clearing up my concerns, it was very helpful and appreciate the time you took to respond.

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But just FYI, Spectrum (and I suspect other ISPs) don’t update firmware on privately purchased modems, only the modems they provide. This is good and bad. With the ISP modem, you may get firmware updates to correct any issues with the manufacturers original firmware. With your own modem, the ISP won’t do this and you may not be able to get firmware issues fixed.

You can always update any modem or router you own as you have access to the settings GUI.

Another option is a router independant of the modem. You could then easily change your dns settings and increase your speed/connection. Also changing vpn settings might help out.

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True, but few Motorola/Arris retail modems (the most commonly encountered in the US) have firmware updates available from the manufacturer while their ISP equivalents do.

I wouldn’t know about the U.S. that certainly hasn’t been my experience in both Canada and Mexico. Any router/modem I have admin access to I can update and modify as needed.

Pretty sure firmware updates are make, model & O/S specific…regardless of who owns the devices. You can buy retail the same gateways the ISPs use…they just buy in bulk.

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Go to the Motorola or Arris websites and try to find any firmware files for their modems - ain’t gonna happen. Whereas ISPs will update these modems with their firmware patches as necessary. Believe me, I’ve been through this many times. Try to use a Shentel or RCN Arris modem, once its been used and updated, with a Spectrum internet service (or vice versa) - no way!

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