shux
08-10-2008, 23:18
I'm based in Oldham, Manchester and on Virgin Media.
I have the Virgin Media 255 Cable Modem http://www.ambitbroadband.co.uk/Images/255%20HQ%20micro.JPG.
I'm on the 20mbit service.
Right. I couldn't give a flying pig about downloading or download speeds. I do watch BBCi and 4OD before I go to bed, and occasionally download Linux distro's and iTunes music, but that's few and far between.
I do however, care a lot about my latency. I play Unreal Tournament 1999 and Counter-Strike Source. The last few months I've been having a dier time on VM with lag and ping times. I'm guessing it's down to traffic shaping.
[EDIT]
I thought I'd add my modem stats:
Downstream
Downstream Frequency : 586750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM64
Downstream Symbol Rate : 6952 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps12Increment17
Downstream Receive Power Level : 0.9 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 37.1 dB
Upstream
Upstream Channel ID : 2
Upstream Frequency : 22200000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QPSK
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 49.0 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2
Ping [n -50] to news.bbc.co.uk
Pinging newswww.bbc.net.uk [212.58.226.77] with 32 bytes o
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=58ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=57ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=24ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=49ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=46ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=93ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=67ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=62ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=69ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=23ms TTL=54
Ping statistics for 212.58.226.77:
Packets: Sent = 50, Received = 50, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 14ms, Maximum = 93ms, Average = 33ms
Tracert to news.bbc.co.uk
Tracing route to newswww.bbc.net.uk [212.58.226.77]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 9 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 11 ms 12 ms 13 ms 10.87.112.1
3 30 ms 10 ms 9 ms oldh-t2cam1-b-ge94.network.virginmedia.net [80.5.164.137]
4 29 ms 6 ms 14 ms manc-t3core-1b-ae2-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.180.41]
5 28 ms 9 ms 10 ms man-bb-b-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.242.245]
6 62 ms 30 ms 8 ms man-bb-a-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.187.177]
7 33 ms 53 ms 23 ms gfd-bb-b-so-200-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.252.192.94]
8 16 ms 15 ms 53 ms redb-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.78]
9 89 ms 224 ms 335 ms 212.58.239.249
10 39 ms 26 ms 24 ms 212.58.238.149
11 18 ms 57 ms 79 ms 212.58.239.62
12 98 ms 14 ms 21 ms newslb307.telhc.bbc.co.uk [212.58.226.77]
A popular game server I play on, which I previously had excellent latency of around 15ms - 25ms ping on, is a Multiplay.co.uk UT Deathmatch server...
Tracert to opt05.multiplay.co.uk
Tracing route to opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 13 ms 9 ms 32 ms 10.87.112.1
3 39 ms 9 ms 11 ms oldh-t2cam1-b-ge94.network.virginmedia.net [80.5.164.137]
4 9 ms 25 ms 18 ms manc-t3core-1b-ae2-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.180.41]
5 11 ms 12 ms 35 ms man-bb-b-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.242.245]
6 37 ms 26 ms 69 ms pop-bb-a-as4-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.43.162.85]
7 23 ms 16 ms 67 ms pop-bb-b-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.174.230]
8 16 ms 39 ms 15 ms tele-ic-2-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.184.6]
9 19 ms 29 ms 47 ms 212.250.14.114
10 35 ms 40 ms 37 ms multiplay-gw.inx.datahop.net [195.72.129.14]
11 27 ms 35 ms 19 ms opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4]
Trace complete.
Ping [n -15] to opt05.multiplay.co.uk
Pinging opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4] with 32 bytes
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=54ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=42ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=49ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=45ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=119
Ping statistics for 85.236.100.4:
Packets: Sent = 15, Received = 15, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 16ms, Maximum = 54ms, Average = 33ms
Which ever server I tracert, ping, and most importantly - play on, I get frustrating erratic latency. It's like the National Lottery of ping times, 'Pick a number, any number, between 15 and 100, and there you have it.
Sometimes I can pull my aim off, if I catch a good ping, others I'll be watching myself teleport to my gaming grave and sigh as I respawn.
I contacted Virgin Media, and the initial customer support was attrocious, I was sent around in circles. Various questions, all script based, were being thrown at me. Questions with no relevance to latency. Questions I knew for a fact was just general, 'ask everybody' questions. I got rather frustrated and asked him if he knew about latency, he simply hesitated and persisted to send me around in circles, telling me to turn off my AV, my Firewall, check my windows processes, boot in to Safe Mode, unplug my router, etc etc.
I've got a degree in computer science, I work as a C# programmer, and before I made the phone call I'd turned off all background services and directly ethernet'd my modem up to my PC.
After a while of pointlessly trying to explain to the chap that my problem was nothing to do with 'Download Speed', which is in fact spot on - 980Kbytes per second, and was latency - which he'd never heard of, I demanded to be put through to VM cancellations.
Upon speaking to somebody I could understand much better, they asked me why I wanted to leave, I explained, and they put me through to somebody who was actually knowledgable on the subject and most certainly knew about latency. Though, and I respect him for this, he openly admitted Traffic Shaping and equipment in my local area and contention were all to blame for my latency issues.
They placed me on the 20mb service for the price of the 10mb service for the next 6 months (2 months have passed since this conversation), in the hope that 'things will get better'.
So far, things are only getting worse, and my latency is making me want to pack up my bags and head for PlusNet, an ADSL provider who prioritise their gaming packets, and from friends who are on PlusNet, they are unbelievably happy with pings between 15ms and 30ms consistently.
Though, I'd rather not have to pay installation, £13 for BT Line rental and £20 a month at the moment, but if I can't get this fixed, I will be doing :o:
Is there anything I can do before I decide to leave, or am I best doing so?
Mike
I have the Virgin Media 255 Cable Modem http://www.ambitbroadband.co.uk/Images/255%20HQ%20micro.JPG.
I'm on the 20mbit service.
Right. I couldn't give a flying pig about downloading or download speeds. I do watch BBCi and 4OD before I go to bed, and occasionally download Linux distro's and iTunes music, but that's few and far between.
I do however, care a lot about my latency. I play Unreal Tournament 1999 and Counter-Strike Source. The last few months I've been having a dier time on VM with lag and ping times. I'm guessing it's down to traffic shaping.
[EDIT]
I thought I'd add my modem stats:
Downstream
Downstream Frequency : 586750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM64
Downstream Symbol Rate : 6952 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps12Increment17
Downstream Receive Power Level : 0.9 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 37.1 dB
Upstream
Upstream Channel ID : 2
Upstream Frequency : 22200000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QPSK
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 49.0 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2
Ping [n -50] to news.bbc.co.uk
Pinging newswww.bbc.net.uk [212.58.226.77] with 32 bytes o
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=58ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=57ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=24ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=49ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=46ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=93ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=67ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=62ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=69ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=54
Reply from 212.58.226.77: bytes=32 time=23ms TTL=54
Ping statistics for 212.58.226.77:
Packets: Sent = 50, Received = 50, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 14ms, Maximum = 93ms, Average = 33ms
Tracert to news.bbc.co.uk
Tracing route to newswww.bbc.net.uk [212.58.226.77]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 9 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 11 ms 12 ms 13 ms 10.87.112.1
3 30 ms 10 ms 9 ms oldh-t2cam1-b-ge94.network.virginmedia.net [80.5.164.137]
4 29 ms 6 ms 14 ms manc-t3core-1b-ae2-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.180.41]
5 28 ms 9 ms 10 ms man-bb-b-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.242.245]
6 62 ms 30 ms 8 ms man-bb-a-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.187.177]
7 33 ms 53 ms 23 ms gfd-bb-b-so-200-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.252.192.94]
8 16 ms 15 ms 53 ms redb-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.78]
9 89 ms 224 ms 335 ms 212.58.239.249
10 39 ms 26 ms 24 ms 212.58.238.149
11 18 ms 57 ms 79 ms 212.58.239.62
12 98 ms 14 ms 21 ms newslb307.telhc.bbc.co.uk [212.58.226.77]
A popular game server I play on, which I previously had excellent latency of around 15ms - 25ms ping on, is a Multiplay.co.uk UT Deathmatch server...
Tracert to opt05.multiplay.co.uk
Tracing route to opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 13 ms 9 ms 32 ms 10.87.112.1
3 39 ms 9 ms 11 ms oldh-t2cam1-b-ge94.network.virginmedia.net [80.5.164.137]
4 9 ms 25 ms 18 ms manc-t3core-1b-ae2-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.180.41]
5 11 ms 12 ms 35 ms man-bb-b-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.242.245]
6 37 ms 26 ms 69 ms pop-bb-a-as4-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.43.162.85]
7 23 ms 16 ms 67 ms pop-bb-b-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.174.230]
8 16 ms 39 ms 15 ms tele-ic-2-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.184.6]
9 19 ms 29 ms 47 ms 212.250.14.114
10 35 ms 40 ms 37 ms multiplay-gw.inx.datahop.net [195.72.129.14]
11 27 ms 35 ms 19 ms opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4]
Trace complete.
Ping [n -15] to opt05.multiplay.co.uk
Pinging opt05.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.4] with 32 bytes
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=54ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=42ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=49ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=45ms TTL=119
Reply from 85.236.100.4: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=119
Ping statistics for 85.236.100.4:
Packets: Sent = 15, Received = 15, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 16ms, Maximum = 54ms, Average = 33ms
Which ever server I tracert, ping, and most importantly - play on, I get frustrating erratic latency. It's like the National Lottery of ping times, 'Pick a number, any number, between 15 and 100, and there you have it.
Sometimes I can pull my aim off, if I catch a good ping, others I'll be watching myself teleport to my gaming grave and sigh as I respawn.
I contacted Virgin Media, and the initial customer support was attrocious, I was sent around in circles. Various questions, all script based, were being thrown at me. Questions with no relevance to latency. Questions I knew for a fact was just general, 'ask everybody' questions. I got rather frustrated and asked him if he knew about latency, he simply hesitated and persisted to send me around in circles, telling me to turn off my AV, my Firewall, check my windows processes, boot in to Safe Mode, unplug my router, etc etc.
I've got a degree in computer science, I work as a C# programmer, and before I made the phone call I'd turned off all background services and directly ethernet'd my modem up to my PC.
After a while of pointlessly trying to explain to the chap that my problem was nothing to do with 'Download Speed', which is in fact spot on - 980Kbytes per second, and was latency - which he'd never heard of, I demanded to be put through to VM cancellations.
Upon speaking to somebody I could understand much better, they asked me why I wanted to leave, I explained, and they put me through to somebody who was actually knowledgable on the subject and most certainly knew about latency. Though, and I respect him for this, he openly admitted Traffic Shaping and equipment in my local area and contention were all to blame for my latency issues.
They placed me on the 20mb service for the price of the 10mb service for the next 6 months (2 months have passed since this conversation), in the hope that 'things will get better'.
So far, things are only getting worse, and my latency is making me want to pack up my bags and head for PlusNet, an ADSL provider who prioritise their gaming packets, and from friends who are on PlusNet, they are unbelievably happy with pings between 15ms and 30ms consistently.
Though, I'd rather not have to pay installation, £13 for BT Line rental and £20 a month at the moment, but if I can't get this fixed, I will be doing :o:
Is there anything I can do before I decide to leave, or am I best doing so?
Mike