SURFboard S34 - Can the ISP block features a customer owned S34?

The S34 modem you are considering cannot be controlled by your internet service provider; only users can access its interface and view event logs. Additionally, the S34 is a simple plug-and-play device that requires no configuration.

Thank you for your answer.

Sorry for the long response.

The reason I ask, is that I am currently connected via a NETGEAR CM1200 (since 1G service became available from my ISP).  We used a NETGEAR CM500.  Both worked for years without incident.  The ISP came here last week because our connection was failing hard in the early morning and intermittently after that.  I had notified the ISP that that there is a big tree down on their line and photos of the line holding approximately 5 feet off the ground three weeks ago.  I suggested that the tree should probably be removed and the line and attached equipment be checked.  When there was no action, I followed up, and there remains no action, except our service started failing so as to make it unusable.

A tech then came to our service point, before getting out of her truck, stating the problem is your modem and not our infrastructure.  She said that the tree, approximately a thousand feed from our feed, was downstream, and therefore could have zero effect on our connectivity.  It went downhill from there.  I started capturing the 40 Events the log holds and putting them in a spreadsheet for concatenation later. The events were so frequent that each capture skipped events that occurred while I pasted the previous set into the spreadsheet.  I started sending the data to the central Customer Service organization.

Then two techs came out and attached their test equipment to our line, made some changes, plugged the line back into our modem and left.  The following day, I found that I could not use the 192.168.100.1 modem web server IP address, or any address in that range to see the Event log or to connect to my modem or to even see if the modem is present.  It is, because as you can see, this response comes from my system.  I am concerned that even with the ARRIS brand the ISP sells, they will be able to restrict my personally owned modem.

We live in a rural, mountainous area and this is the only ISP cable connection to broadband available.

So, there must be some way this ISP has stopped local access to our modem.  Can anyone suggest what I can do now?

We understand your situation, and please don’t worry. At times, you may be unable to access the modem’s interface, but there are workaround steps to help you regain access. As mentioned earlier, only the end user can access this interface; internet service providers do not have control over or visibility into the configurations of the S34.