Torrents Cause My Modem To Restart - Page 3

jamscones · 09-06-2008, 22:17

Sorry to butt in with my first post, but I have noticed this exact behaviour over the last few weeks, and am now convinced that VM have in some way updated the modem to reboot in certain circumstances.

Background: NTL/VM user since 2002, same CM (NTL Home 100) all this time, been on 20mbit line for over a year now, with no problems other than the quite obvious traffic management (which is a disgrace considering the line costs £38 quid a month). Also a, *cough* bittorrent user, using utorrent for two years. Before you ask, yes, I know how to set it up, and yes, I know not to saturate my connection. No, I'm not a heavy 24/7 abuser or anything like that. The PC is off all day when I'm in work, and I probably shift about 20gb a week in total.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I turned on my PC on a Sat morning and started downloading a well-seeded torrent. Speed went up to 1.3mbytes/s, which is near top-end for my line usually. A few moments later, the speed dropped off sharply, and the CM rebooted itself. The Windows net connection reset, the torrent reconnected, sped up and bang, same thing again. And again. And again.

So, I did the usual, checked all settings, rebooted PC and CM, and tried again. Same thing each time. Experimenting, I found a "sweet spot" for d/l speed of about 700kbytes/s - if I went above this, the CM would eventually reboot. interestingly, this *only* occurred during torrent activity. If I set off a direct HTTP download, it would quite happily speed up and assuming the uploading host was able to provide a fast enough speed, it would max out and complete with no problems.

I posted my problem over at Cablehell, and was told that my CM was too old for a 20mbit line, despite VM's own "Do you need a new modem?" page telling me I was fine, and having used the 20mbit service just fine for a year. Out of laziness, I left it and worked around it, though the problem was still easily repeatable.

So, fast-forward to Sat just gone, and it's late evening. I missed Dr Who, and it's just turned up on A.N. Other popular tracker. I'd been d/l something else during the evening and hit the cap, and been traffic managed. So, I set the u/l speed down to 10kbytes/s to ensure my connection isn't saturated while I browsed, and let it fly. Get up to 300kbytes/s and the CM reboots. Try again - same thing. Reboot all, and try again: the same result. The new sweet spot was 200kbytes/s.

Here's the point - this rebooting behaviour is *following* the traffic management cap, so it *cannot* be related to the CM's capability or capacity, or that it "isn't suitable" for a 20mbit line.

Again, sorry for the rant, but I've had just about enough of VM. For my money each month, and for the years I've been with them, they treat me like a mug.

whydoIneedatech · 09-06-2008, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamscones

Sorry to butt in with my first post, but I have noticed this exact behaviour over the last few weeks, and am now convinced that VM have in some way updated the modem to reboot in certain circumstances.

Background: NTL/VM user since 2002, same CM (NTL Home 100) all this time, been on 20mbit line for over a year now, with no problems other than the quite obvious traffic management (which is a disgrace considering the line costs £38 quid a month). Also a, *cough* bittorrent user, using utorrent for two years. Before you ask, yes, I know how to set it up, and yes, I know not to saturate my connection. No, I'm not a heavy 24/7 abuser or anything like that. The PC is off all day when I'm in work, and I probably shift about 20gb a week in total.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I turned on my PC on a Sat morning and started downloading a well-seeded torrent. Speed went up to 1.3mbytes/s, which is near top-end for my line usually. A few moments later, the speed dropped off sharply, and the CM rebooted itself. The Windows net connection reset, the torrent reconnected, sped up and bang, same thing again. And again. And again.

So, I did the usual, checked all settings, rebooted PC and CM, and tried again. Same thing each time. Experimenting, I found a "sweet spot" for d/l speed of about 700kbytes/s - if I went above this, the CM would eventually reboot. interestingly, this *only* occurred during torrent activity. If I set off a direct HTTP download, it would quite happily speed up and assuming the uploading host was able to provide a fast enough speed, it would max out and complete with no problems.

I posted my problem over at Cablehell, and was told that my CM was too old for a 20mbit line, despite VM's own "Do you need a new modem?" page telling me I was fine, and having used the 20mbit service just fine for a year. Out of laziness, I left it and worked around it, though the problem was still easily repeatable.

So, fast-forward to Sat just gone, and it's late evening. I missed Dr Who, and it's just turned up on A.N. Other popular tracker. I'd been d/l something else during the evening and hit the cap, and been traffic managed. So, I set the u/l speed down to 10kbytes/s to ensure my connection isn't saturated while I browsed, and let it fly. Get up to 300kbytes/s and the CM reboots. Try again - same thing. Reboot all, and try again: the same result. The new sweet spot was 200kbytes/s.

Here's the point - this rebooting behaviour is *following* the traffic management cap, so it *cannot* be related to the CM's capability or capacity, or that it "isn't suitable" for a 20mbit line.

Again, sorry for the rant, but I've had just about enough of VM. For my money each month, and for the years I've been with them, they treat me like a mug.

Phone Tech Support on 151 and take the Broadband Support option and tell them your problem and what modem you have, anything less than a Ambit 200 is not truly capable of 20Mb regardless what you may think, If I took your call then you would get a new modem sent out as a matter of course.

fluke9 · 09-06-2008, 22:28

Thank you for that, I can download from HTTP max with the only problem being the traffic shaping, at night in the wee hours it will sit at max for hours on a HTTP or FTP if they can provide it as quick as I can pull it off of them.

Glad to see it's not just me then.

jamscones · 09-06-2008, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by whydoIneedatech

Phone Tech Support on 151 and take the Broadband Support option and tell them your problem and what modem you have, anything less than a Ambit 200 is not truly capable of 20Mb regardless what you may think

Not having a go at you here, but if it truly isn't capable of a 20mbit line, then could you address why:

a) It's worked fine up until a few weeks ago.
b) The rebooting follows the cap.
c) The rebooting doesn't happen with an HTTP or FTP download.
d) VM's own upgrade page tells me my modem is fine for a 20mbit line

Ninja edit: added d)

G UK · 09-06-2008, 22:42

The problem with torrents though is the number of connections they make, the old 120's are not upto the job. Especially if its on the way out.

I had this exact problem and had my modem replaced with a 256. Problem solved, no more reboots.

fluke9 · 09-06-2008, 22:45

But if I use a patched version of Flashget where I can make 100 seperate connections to a HTTP site it does not make it restart.

fluke9 · 10-06-2008, 00:19

Here is a snap shot of what takes place, in this pic the upload is set to 10kbs and download top limit is 150kbs, and it's a 5 minute grid.

r00t · 10-06-2008, 22:11

Limit the number of connections.
Try 60 or 100 and experiment with the value.

In utorrent you can find these:
Options, preferences, bandwidth, "number of connections"

fluke9 · 10-06-2008, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by r00t

Limit the number of connections.
Try 60 or 100 and experiment with the value.

In utorrent you can find these:
Options, preferences, bandwidth, "number of connections"

Makes no difference.

But after 12.10am this morning I downloaded a 550mb file without a hitch

Tried it this after noon and not a chance, every 5 mins or so modem shuts down and has to resync

So that tells me that some thing is wrong, I had a fan blowing on the modem this afternoon to make sure it was nice and chilled.

I am trying to cover all bases, just makes me glad to be moving soon.

I used to recommend NTL to everyone, now I will make never recommend them.

fluke9 · 11-06-2008, 01:47

Here is tonights pic of the last almost hour of use, download is set to unlimited and upload to 10K and using the recommended settings for Utorrent.

So work that out ???
That's 2 nights running with no probs after midnight.

Click thumbnail below.

desktopcarl · 11-06-2008, 18:04

Ok guys I have been trying to bottom this out with my modem and router SMC) combo as well, there's too many threads zippign around that carry the hallmarks of dropped connections for it to be entirely the users fault?

Had problems running iPlayer today so I wonder if those P2P streams are causing the same probs?

fluke9 · 24-06-2008, 12:42

Well here is an interesting development.

Today I tried to download Vista SP1 from the Microsoft site, Using Flashget with 10 split parts, started at 1100-1200 download then the modem restarted, looks like the 10 meg upgrade has caused other problems.

So techy people what is the solution ??? New modem ???

I am considering staying with VM although not fully decided yet.
If I can get the problem fixed I may stay with them.

ceedee · 24-06-2008, 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluke9

So techy people what is the solution ??? New modem ???
I am considering staying with VM although not fully decided yet.
If I can get the problem fixed I may stay with them.

Given all the tests you've done and the parameters you've adjusted, I'd reckon either your cable modem has an intermittent fault (possibly caused by surge following a power cut, as mentioned by a poster in another CF thread) or something up with your connection that hasn't been apparent from your occasional power readings.

But how you convince someone in VM to let you try a new modem without any empirical evidence, (other than threatening to leave) I don't know...

Best of luck.

desktopcarl · 24-06-2008, 17:38

just for info those are the same patterns I am getting with my fault which I am still trying tease out between the modem and my router.

I am assured by more experienced members that it can't be VM rebooting my modem or otherwise affecting it's DHCP lease, but I am increasingly concerned that I am running out of alternatives.

desktopcarl · 25-06-2008, 09:47

OK, randomly bittorrent now works with an XP machine plugged direct into the modem without dropping (it didn't work last week). It's a bit slow but I think that's probably down to the torrent I used to test it.

So, I think I have to conclude that my router is fundamentally incapable of dealing with the increased traffic? I have done a firmware update and disabled all it's normal firewall type activity to eliminate that, even tried putting the PC out in the DMZ. Still the same problems of rebooting and getting the modem to go for another DHCP lease after about 5 minutes heavy use.

It's an SMC router that is a new addtion to PC World and at £70 not a bad buy (SMCWBR14S-N2).

I'll post something on the networking forum to this effect.