Okay, this is an incredibly strange problem and will take a while to explain, there are no shortcuts in this one, so please bear with me because this is really tough on me.

Days ago my internet stopped working in the other room. The router and the computer stopped getting a connection from the modem. I get a replacement modem and still can't get a working connection. The cable guy shows, says he can't figure out what's wrong, but that the laptop he brought along works fine with the modem. I set up the modem in my room, and it works perfectly connected to my computer.

Then I set up the router in my room... this also does not work here. From here, I connected the modem in the other room and connected it to the computer in my room, and continued to figure out that there was a problem with the cable in there. It was traced to the line that goes directly outside.

The cable guy left a USB ethernet adapter, so I hooked up the first computer to the modem hooked up in my room. This was found not to work. I then attempted to attach the ethernet cable to the computer itself. It began flashing in the corner that a cable was unplugged, then flashed that it was acquiring a connection, and back to unplugged, etc.

I connected the router from that room through ethernet to the computer in my room, and found I was getting speeds at a tiny fraction than normally found, all speed tests ended up vastly different. One even told me 5 kbps download speed.

So here's the problem: All at once, the router and computer stop getting connections. The cable connected to the modem begins to perform poorly by a huge amount, and the new modem works perfectly fine in a different room connected to a different system with a different cable.

My father seems to think the cable company might have sent an energy spike through to check for an illegal set up (which there obviously wasn't) which he thinks would account for this.

Can anyone shed some light on this situation? I had two cable guys here today stumped at this system.

...but that the laptop he brought along works fine with the modem. I set up the modem in my room, and it works perfectly connected to my computer.

Then I set up the router in my room... this also does not work here.

Sounds like your router may be the problem. Or part of it.

My father seems to think the cable company might have sent an energy spike through to check for an illegal set up (which there obviously wasn't) which he thinks would account for this.

This isn't likely. They would have connected to the modem remotely, which is basically the same thing as one PC connecting to another within a network. This involves data transfer, not transfer of pure electrical energy....which everybody knows isn't good for electronic equipment.

It is however possible there was a lightening strike in your area or another cause for a power surge up your line. However, something like that would affect others as well since you're not the only cable connected to their network. You might check with some of your neighbours if you know some who have service from the same provider to see if they're having similar problems.

As I said, the router and the computer as well as the cable itself are the problem. Everything seems to have stopped working. I currently have the modem hooked up in my room, which is obviously working perfectly. I don't know anyone in the area with Charter as their ISP, and there have been no reported problems with service in the area.

If there was a power surge, would this just knock out networking capabilities of the systems? As everything else works perfectly. In fact, even the USB ethernet adapter does not work on that system.

Also, my father used to work for a law office and knew of companies in California that did similar surges for such a purpose. I haven't heard thunder this year I believe, and this set up has worked perfectly for years.