Bad ping and speeds

[fugu]

Hi,

Over the past couple of weeks my 10meg internet has been getting worst and worst, and for the past few 5 days i can no longer play online games from about 3pm-1am (main use of my bb) due to loosing connection to servers. After jumping through the hoops for tech support they told me that there was a problem in the area (after initially telling me the area was ok) and to call back in 2 days if its still bad....sounded like a fob off.

At this time (9:30am) i can dl at full speed, and pings are not too bad ~45 to a gameserver which was used to be ~35 a month ago.

my UBR is Client Host Name: cpc2-port2-0-0-cust***.cos2.cable.ntl.com

last night between 9:30pm-10pm i done some traceroutes, downloads and pings:

Pinging http://gamefiles.virginmedia.com [208.69.34.132] with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=61ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=118ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=81ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 208.69.34.132:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 3, Lost = 1 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 61ms, Maximum = 118ms, Average = 86ms

Pinging http://gamefiles.virginmedia.com [208.69.34.132] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=77ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=159ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 208.69.34.132:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 26ms, Maximum = 159ms, Average = 73ms

Tracing route to www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.251.195]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.0.1
2 275 ms 28 ms 21 ms 10.72.164.1
3 98 ms 161 ms 66 ms cosh-t2cam1-b-v110.network.virginmedia.net [80.3.162.177]
4 118 ms 217 ms 259 ms cosh-t2core-b-ge-wan81.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.182.5]
5 59 ms * 25 ms gfd-bb-b-so-700-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.188.253]
6 130 ms 80 ms * redb-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.78]
7 160 ms 216 ms 197 ms 212.58.239.249
8 80 ms 46 ms 96 ms 212.58.238.149
9 24 ms 96 ms 100 ms 212.58.239.62
10 25 ms 163 ms 97 ms www-vip.telhc.bbc.co.uk [212.58.251.195]

Trace complete.

and downloaded a 461mb demo from gamefiles at ~300KB/s

Modem Config:

Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 4
Downstream Frequency : 586750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM64
Downstream Symbol Rate : 6952 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps12Increment17
Downstream Receive Power Level : -5.2 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 33.2 dB

Upstream Lock : Locked
Upstream Channel ID : 2
Upstream Frequency : 22200000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QPSK
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 59.0 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2

e2a: its a foxconn 256 modem

i think the upstream power level is high? but would this only effect it during in busy times? as it seems ok at the moment

cheers
fugu

[Broadbandings]

Portsmouth is getting some capacity upgrade this week, or was anyway, maybe it went a bit wrong.

If it's capacity VM might be able to fix it with a couple of config changes, your upstream transmit power is high though.

Something worth noting is that upstream transmit power can increase during busy times due to increased noise on the network, it might be maxing - please post the upstream power when you're suffering the performance issues.

Cheers.

[Axegrinder]

Pinging http://gamefiles.virginmedia.com [208.69.34.132] with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=61ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=118ms TTL=53
Reply from 208.69.34.132: bytes=32 time=81ms TTL=53

The reason why the pings are abit high is that your pinging the OpenDNS non existant domain server. Not the gamefiles server. See below.

Server: resolver1.opendns.com
Address: 208.67.222.222

Name: hit-nxdomain.opendns.com
Address: 208.69.34.132

[fugu]

The reason why the pings are abit high is that your pinging the OpenDNS non existant domain server. Not the gamefiles server. See below.

Didint see that,
Pings are still bad to gameservers i use, just connected to a uk server and its totally unplayable at 2pm! its as if im playing with utorrent running.
also a ping to the BBC

Pinging www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.251.195] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 212.58.251.195: bytes=32 time=116ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.251.195: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.251.195: bytes=32 time=239ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.251.195: bytes=32 time=92ms TTL=118

Ping statistics for 212.58.251.195:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 29ms, Maximum = 239ms, Average = 119ms

Something worth noting is that upstream transmit power can increase during busy times due to increased noise on the network, it might be maxing - please post the upstream power when you're suffering the performance issues.

just looked now and its Upstream transmit Power Level : 59.5 dBmV gone up by 0.5

thanks for the replys

[Axegrinder]

Ah well the upstream power going up that high, is going to cause problems. below 55 is ideal for a stable connection.

[fugu]

Originally Posted by Axegrinder

Ah well the upstream power going up that high, is going to cause problems. below 55 is ideal for a stable connection.

how would i go about getting it changed? Guess it wont be as easy as a call to Tech support?

[Axegrinder]

Check the coax cable is tight both ends, if that dosnt lower it, im afraid you will have to phone tech support.

Originally Posted by fugu

how would i go about getting it changed? Guess it wont be as easy as a call to Tech support?

You will need to call Tech Support who should send an Engineer out to adjust the Upstream power level on your Ambit 256 modem.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tech Support is open 24/7 on the numbers below.

For help with your TV or Phone and for Broadband Technical Support:

Call Product Support/Faults on 151 option 3 from your Virgin Media Phone. It's absolutely free.

Or call 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[fugu]

ARGGGH!

after phoning tech support once again i was told that my area is oversubscribed and nothing would be done until january at the earliest. But i can give you £10 credit to your account....

So i turned it down and thought i would just cancel it and head over to be*. When calling to cancel, the guy i spoke to said theres nothing wrong with my area (contradicting what tech support just told me). I then mentioned the upstream being too high on my modem, to which he put me on hold and went to ask tech support to look at it, when he returned he told me my modem was fine, there was nothing he could do. So i said i would like to cancel my contract and he replied that he cant do that as im in a 12 month contract, leaving me with unusable internet (for gaming which is what i mainly use it for). I carryed on explaining how my service has changed over the last month and he went on telling me there was nothing he could do. So i ask to speak to his supervisor, who will call me back tonight (i doubt)

is there any way to get out of the contract? when they are providing me with less than 1/2 the speed advertised most nights?

[chickendippers]

Post your signal levels on the virginmedia.support.broadband.cable newgroup and they'll have an engineer out to you next week. http://www.virginmedia.com/customers/newsgroups/

[Noggo]

Originally Posted by fugu

is there any way to get out of the contract?

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/int...celled/spoken/
Ofcom's advice on your next step
Problems with your internet service - Internet service bill and contract issues

If your Internet Service Provider refuses to resolve your concerns - or says there is nothing it can do - then please make a formal complaint to the company. You should find details of how to do this on your Internet Service Provider’s website. If you can’t find these details, the company’s customer service staff will tell you how to make a formal complaint.


Basically it boils down to you proving that the product you pay a monthly charge for is not living up to the purpose it's purchased for. And as `multi-player gaming' is listed as one the uses of the internet in the code of practice. Make a formal complaint first and see what comes back, then if you don't like what VM come back with you start getting Ofcom involved or the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) middleman to see what they can do for you.

section 4.1 - The Internet
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/...f_practice.pdf


Hope this helps.

[Lee_wolves]

I feel your pain ..

I too have posted to VM several times , Called Support 50+ times , now resulted to using the Newsgroup support to help get a fix on the exactly same problem.

My connection dies and i cant game between 6pm and 10pm (approx)

All i get is Fonejacker guy telling me to "Unplug your modem sir " or " Reboot your pc sir" total waste of time..

I know 3 online gamers close to were i live and also my bro-in-law who all suffer the same and at the same times ..

[Noggo]

There's only one way to fix oversubscription and that's with the capacity upgrade to the UBR to increase its throughput.

Sorry two, kick some customers off the network who shouldn't have been signed up in the first place. But the extra income out ways the compensation, hassle and loosing face admitting it was your fault in the first place.

Sorry three, get rid of the modem clones off the network.

Sorry four, please feel free to continue the list as the footies just about to start, comon England and well done the U21's last night .

If you're been told that your area is oversubscribed, the only thing I can suggest is to find out what card on the UBR you're on (should look something like this: ubr02abcd 2/0) and ask on newsgroup support if there's any work planned on it for capacity. Remembering that any dates given are `subject to change' and boy do they change a lot or was it a carrot dangling in front of me to make me stay.

It took me 4 months to find out I was in an oversubscribed area and further 8 for the problem to be resolved (sort of, still dodgy sometimes peak times).

If you're out of contract and you find out the dates not to your satisfaction switch to an DSL ISP or if the date is OKish I definitely wouldn't pay any where near fully price for the service and if you're still in contract you're got to prove it's not fit for purpose and ask to leave.

Laters,

[CrowmanUK]

Dont hold your breath on a manager calling you back, I think it was about 3 weeks I waited then I left.