To anyone getting fluctuating speeds on 50mb whilst using newsgroups to download

[richardc1983]

Join the following newsgroup

virgin.support.broadband.cable

Send a message to the group advising your having fluctuation speeds whilst using newsgroup to download and they will tell you to do run the newsgroups to download and then they will check the modem to see what that is doing.

They have just done this on mine and have raised a ticket to networks to investigate the throughput as something is amiss.

See here:

-------------------------




Hello Richard,

To take this forward we need to run a check against your cable modem at the
same time you are downloading via paid for newsgroups as its quite possible
that your upstream bandwidth may be saturated. Can you advise when you can
do this test and we will arrange via this newsgroup for someone to monitor
your connection whilst you are downloading. Alternatively you can call into
1st line and request that the agent you speak to contacts 2nd Line so that
they can run a service-flow check on your cable modem.


--

Kind Regards

Ray
Virgin Media Technical Support
http://status2.virginmedia.com/

----------------------------------------------



Hi Richard,

I've managed to see the throughput on the CMTS and raised a
ticket to our networks team for them to investigate.

--
Kind regards
Paul
VirginMedia Technical Support
http://status2.virginmedia.com/

[Pontiac]

Out of interest Richard, which newsgroup provider are you using? I'm having fluctuating speeds on Giganews.

[richardc1983]

Yeh sure

I am using astraweb.com which is a bit cheaper than giganews that we were using before.

Our subscription to giganews only ran out a few days ago and both were performing as slow as the other with fluctuations.

It doesnt matter now though cos on the newsgroup readers virgin are admitting theres a problem.

---------- Post added at 21:53 ---------- Previous post was at 21:52 ----------

Further update:



---------------------------------------



My response:



> > Thanks Paul but why has it taken 6 weeks of me having the service and
> > problems and many many hours of wasted phone calls for you guys to
> > take action.
> >
> > I mean the observation tests have been done before whilst running the
> > download but nothing has been taken further.
> >
> > For those customers that don't have use of this contact method with
> > yourselves I feel very sorry for.
> >
> > Its something virgin media need to sort out when they are charging
> > extortionate prices for a service that is not performing very well at
> > all.



-------------------------

There response:



> Hi Richard,
>
> I'm very sorry for these issues. We have been raising these issue with our
> networks team who had advised there was no fault. We have had our manager
> discussing this with various individuals within VM and now how an escalation
> route for pushing these issues further.
>
> I am sorry for the delay but I can assure you that my colleagues on the
> groups are endeavoring to get these issues resolved ASAP.
>
>
> --
> Kind regards
> Paul
> VirginMedia Technical Support
> http://status2.virginmedia.com/


---------------------------------



My Reply:



Please do as this has been raised with the VM complaints team who have
done nothing so it has gone external to the trading standards people.

I know this is not your personal fault but the powers that be above you
but im sure you are getting many complaints about the same thing.

It should not have to get to this level to be taken note of.

If you go on the community forums as I pointed out earlier you will see
the amount of problems and speed issues people are having with the 50mb
service. There are moderators in that forum who never seem to comment
and it needs some backing from VM to accept there is a problem and that
it will be resolved:

Please read here just to see the problems that people are having with
speed issues etc.

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Up-to-50Mb-broadband/bd-p/50mb;jsessionid=113B5C335204A08372EBB8890070097E

Looking forward to your response on this.

Regards
Richard.

_____________________

There reply:

Hi Richard. I understand the situation and I'm sorry that your complaint has passed without action. We have raised these concerns with Networks and they are currently looking into the issues reported. --

Kind regards
Paul
VirginMedia Technical Support
http://status2.virginmedia.com/

[Pontiac]

Damn I'm using Giganews right now and getting very fluctuating speeds. Hovering around 10mb but the dl started fine at 50. Then it SLOWLY crawls back upto 50 again but can drop at any minute.

Do let us know how you get on it seems that this issue affects everybody using usenet with Virgin 50 meg so hopefully when they solve it it will be solved for everyone.

[die5el]

@ richard and Pontiac i use newsgroups and i get no problems are you sure your pc can handle the amount of data connections you are using ? If you are also using the wrn2000 router that has caused me problems in the past

[Pontiac]

I'm sure it's not that as it makes no difference the amount of connections I use, the speed fluctuates whatever.

Sometimes I've found it's rock solid, rare though.

Do you download a large amount from newsgroups? It's difficult to notice a problem unless you keep an eye on the download speed meter.

EDIT: no router, im direct connection via ethernet

[die5el]

Since i have changed back to my old router i no longer need to babysit my connection.. btw i download quite a bit from newsgroups all legal mind you ;)

[richardc1983]

Damn I'm using Giganews right now and getting very fluctuating speeds. Hovering around 10mb but the dl started fine at 50. Then it SLOWLY crawls back upto 50 again but can drop at any minute.

Do let us know how you get on it seems that this issue affects everybody using usenet with Virgin 50 meg so hopefully when they solve it it will be solved for everyone.

You also need to complaining by joining the newsgroup the more people that complain the better.

---------- Post added at 23:47 ---------- Previous post was at 23:45 ----------

Hi Die5el

Its most certainly not the computer thats at fault. As I say worked fine on 10 and 20mb.

We use the WNR router however the same occurs if we use direct connection to the modem via ethernet.

[Pontiac]

You also need to complaining by joining the newsgroup the more people that complain the better.[COLOR="Silver"]



Will do mate. How weird is this, speed is now rock solid on Giganews @ 50mb since that first fluctuation issue? There was some weird error there tho as when it happen the Giganews Accelerator software which I was using was reporting constant dropped connections due to some weird error and it had to keep restarting the connections. "Connection closed - unexpected i/o error handling body. unable to write data to the transfer connection". I got that message about ten times. Always happens when the speed drops. Now that isn't the case and its rock solid for the last hour ? :erm: Annoying

[Ignitionnet]

Richard, could you install Netmeter or similar and see just how much upload your PC is reporting using when you're downloading?

The modem is supposed to reduce the upstream utilisation on the cable by doing some TCP proxying and Ack management so it may not represent the actual value being used but if your PC isn't pushing out at least 1.6Mbps you aren't going to be saturating the upstream on the cable side.

http://www.metal-machine.de/readerror/ for Netmeter.

EDIT: This isn't a substitute of course for the work with VM, just some 'immediate gratification' diagnostics you can do without interaction.

[richardc1983]

Ok will give it a go 2mins!

What do you want me to let you know on here when Im downloading?

---------- Post added at 00:17 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

Ok running a test download and getting 3.34MiB/s on the download and 133.8 KiB/s

[deuse]

I have been getting this now for over 3 weeks when using newsgroups :(

I get full speed(about 4.5Mb) at the start but after 4mins it slows down
to 1.5Mb and stays there.

I did notice that I had T3 time outs when the slow down happens.
I have had two tech guys to my place the first just downloaded a file off a server he loged into got 5.Mb and left
the second guy replaced the modem and downloaded a file off the server again and said " wow nearly 50Mb best I seen all week) and left :mad:

But if I reset my modem all is ok again for a few mins till it slows down.
And here is the part I can't work out, even when the I try other newsgroups and it slows down to 1.5MB

I can still download a file from http://gamefiles.virginmedia.com/blueyondergames at full speed? its doing my head in.

[Russ]

Please can users not post VM employees full names when copying the contents of email or coomunications, thank you.

[Ignitionnet]

Ok will give it a go 2mins!

What do you want me to let you know on here when Im downloading?

---------- Post added at 00:17 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

Ok running a test download and getting 3.34MiB/s on the download and 133.8 KiB/s

Blimey that's a lot of upstream traffic for that download.

OK.

If you're using Windows XP, which most peeps on the techy side of things probably are ;) download this (http://www.dslreports.com/front/DRTCP021.exe) and run it. Go to your network card and change the parameters to match my own which seem to work very well.

TCP Receive Window: 2651328
Window Scaling: Yep
Time Stamping: Nope
Selective Acks: Yep

Leave everything else as is.

Restart networking (Command prompt net stop netman then net start netman)

See what happens.

[richardc1983]

Please can users not post VM employees full names when copying the contents of email or coomunications, thank you.

This information is not private, these details are available to anyone on newsgroups and are public forums VM were happy for me to pass this info on.

---------- Post added at 12:23 ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 ----------

Blimey that's a lot of upstream traffic for that download.

OK.

If you're using Windows XP, which most peeps on the techy side of things probably are ;) download this (http://www.dslreports.com/front/DRTCP021.exe) and run it. Go to your network card and change the parameters to match my own which seem to work very well.

TCP Receive Window: 2651328
Window Scaling: Yep
Time Stamping: Nope
Selective Acks: Yep

Leave everything else as is.

Restart networking (Command prompt net stop netman then net start netman)

See what happens.

Im on Windows 7 which runs the same as Vista. Can I still do this as I am told the TCP window does not make any difference as it manages it itself.

[Russ]

This information is not private, these details are available to anyone on newsgroups and are public forums VM were happy for me to pass this info on.


Unless we hear directly from the agents in question, the request remains.

[richardc1983]

Unless we hear directly from the agents in question, the request remains.

Ok fair enough.

[Ignitionnet]

This information is not private, these details are available to anyone on newsgroups and are public forums VM were happy for me to pass this info on.

---------- Post added at 12:23 ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 ----------



Im on Windows 7 which runs the same as Vista. Can I still do this as I am told the TCP window does not make any difference as it manages it itself.

No leave it, 7 manages itself.

Probably the modem being stupid in that case.

http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/bcg/bcgprodcontent.tsp?templateId=6116&navigationId=11893&contentId=4048

[richardc1983]

No leave it, 7 manages itself.

Probably the modem being stupid in that case.

http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/bcg/bcgprodcontent.tsp?templateId=6116&navigationId=11893&contentId=4048

Whats that link about is it something I can install on the modem?

[nomadking]

At this moment I am getting the best speeds I have had in several months. The only problem is that it's when the STM scheme is applied.:confused:

[Ignitionnet]

Whats that link about is it something I can install on the modem?

It's already on the modem, I am positing that it's not working as it should be and that's the cause of the issue.

Hopefully VM will be able to nail it down but certainly there have been a couple of firmware updates so far to address performance and reliability issues.

[richardc1983]

Ah rite I understand now, I thought it was a firmware update or something for the VM router but they wouldnt let us upgrade that would they.

[Ignitionnet]

Ah rite I understand now, I thought it was a firmware update or something for the VM router but they wouldnt let us upgrade that would they.

Oh how I wish they'd let us use our own kit but they do love their control of everything even if it means cheapy cable modems.

[xocemp]

This thread would explain the amount of posts in the groups asking to have their throughput monitored, and from what I gather from the support in the groups its.
1) unneeded for everyone to be monitored.
2) unwanted / uninvited.
3) a drain on their resources.
Are you also the same Richard that's adding to all 50Mbit posts in the groups, spitting venom in each?

[richardc1983]

Yes I am! Its a disgrace and for the customer on the top of the range package with every service possible and 3 V+ boxes its discusting how they treat their customers.

I have got the most sense out of the groups though so far and at least they admit theirs a problem.

[pazor]

Are you having many corrupt files ? I have a 20 connection to my newsgroup it always downloads at my max 50mbs. There are always some of them connections that crawl along and still crawl along when all the others are finished. So it ends that the first few rar files i start to download are still downloading when all the other ones are finished.
Normally the ones that are were slow are also corrupt.
This is why i moved away from rapidshare and onto newsgroups as you get par files.

[richardc1983]

No but some of the connections (there are 20) dont log on because of the speed issues.

[Ignitionnet]

I don't think 20 connections are really necessary, just because they offer them they shouldn't be required to any server in Europe or USA. Would reduce upstream utliisation a touch to drop that number down to 10 or less. I max my 50M with 6 easily.

[richardc1983]

how do you disable how many connections it uses?

[deuse]

Blimey that's a lot of upstream traffic for that download.

OK.

If you're using Windows XP, which most peeps on the techy side of things probably are ;) download this (http://www.dslreports.com/front/DRTCP021.exe) and run it. Go to your network card and change the parameters to match my own which seem to work very well.

TCP Receive Window: 2651328
Window Scaling: Yep
Time Stamping: Nope
Selective Acks: Yep

Leave everything else as is.

Restart networking (Command prompt net stop netman then net start netman)

See what happens.

I have just tried that in XP and Net Meter says 4.5Mbs(down) and 135KiBs up

anything else I could try?

[Ignitionnet]

I have just tried that in XP and Net Meter says 4.5Mbs(down) and 135KiBs up

anything else I could try?

Not using 20 connections just because your NNTP provider says you can is good too :)

Use as few as possible without impacting throughput.

---------- Post added at 17:02 ---------- Previous post was at 17:00 ----------

how do you disable how many connections it uses?

Depends on your client but is usually in server options. Shouldn't be hard to find. With Newsleecher just edit server. You would have set it to 20 originally.

[richardc1983]

I don't think 20 connections are really necessary, just because they offer them they shouldn't be required to any server in Europe or USA. Would reduce upstream utliisation a touch to drop that number down to 10 or less. I max my 50M with 6 easily.

Managed to turn off some of the other connections so now have 6 running.

Does exactly the same.

[deuse]

Managed to turn off some of the other connections so now have 6 running.

Does exactly the same.

Same here.

[pazor]

Only way i can get 50mps is by running 20 connections. I tried less but there so slow get less than 1000kps

[deuse]

Not using 20 connections just because your NNTP provider says you can is good too :)

Use as few as possible without impacting throughput.[COLOR="Silver"]

I have tried using 6-10 it still happens. My upload speed is still high 4.5Mb up 130-145Kbs up.
untill it slows down to 1.5Mb
Is there anyway to slow the upload down(if you know what I mean :) )

[Pontiac]

Very weird last night I had about two hours of solid 50mb on Giganews then out of nowhere dropped to around 500 k/s then took about 30 minutes to crawl back up to 50 again. This really baffles me seems there's no rhymne or reason to it :rolleyes:

[Ignitionnet]

I have tried using 6-10 it still happens. My upload speed is still high 4.5Mb up 130-145Kbs up.
untill it slows down to 1.5Mb
Is there anyway to slow the upload down(if you know what I mean :) )

Not really if it's not reduced by dropping number of connections. I wouldn't want to start suggesting you do serious messing with your TCP stack.

[deuse]

So maybe a firmware update is in order?

[Ignitionnet]

Probably.

If the service really is sucking that badly that your leeching needs aren't being catered for I would consider leaving. This is a quite intermittent and tricky to nail down issue that has been running for quite a while now.

[deuse]

Probably.

If the service really is sucking that badly that your leeching needs aren't being catered for I would consider leaving. This is a quite intermittent and tricky to nail down issue that has been running for quite a while now.


Oh The old chestnut leave if you are not happy that your not getting what you pay for because we can get away with it ;)

And if I maybe so bold to say it's nothing about leeching at all.
I found a problem and I want it put right. And VM better up their game as I have heard
that if the tories get in they will do the same to them what they did to BT.

[Ignitionnet]

I don't work for Virgin, and given the issue is specifically related to leeching that is why my reference to that. I am merely being pragmatic.

The Conservatives cannot 'do the same to them what they did to BT' as VM isn't publically owned. Hard to privatise something that isn't publically owned. The Conservatives tend to favour lighter touch regulation and free markets.

[richardc1983]

Heres an update guys:

Hope your all well:

Following on from my complaint raised to VM it appears VM are no longer associating themselves or supporting external newsgroup providers on the 50mb service.

Therefore there passing the book as they are not able to find a problem on their side.

I have suggested that it is the modem software that is at fault as that is the only hardware that has changed on the network. TO prove this I have suggested them trying a 20mb connection on the 50mb modem and seeing the performance.

They dont want to do this so I am going to downgrade to the 20mb connection and seeing how this performs myself.

If I get a poor newsgroup performance again via the 20mb connection then this proves that its the modem software stopping the newsgroup performing at speed.

Ok call to cust services and downgraded to 20mb:

Heres a screen grab to prove this as it took effect within a matter of minutes after a modem reboot:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/4029101225_0fa73f7eed_o.jpg

I then did a download via newsgroup on the same client and setup as the 50mb, so no settings have changed on the computer, and guess what speeds were back to how they were on the 20mb, nice consistent, non fluctuating connection. Here attached is a screen print:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/4029079653_02060d379c_o.jpg

So this leads me to believe it is not the modem that is at fault as the modem remained the same 50mb modem but VM 50mb platform.

Here is a screen print of the behaviour of the 50mb connection:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4014413577_828bcaaa3b_o.jpg

So what next if Vm are saying they are not gonna support it, the area manager told me it was costing too much and they do not want to be associated with it!

There are people in other countries using faster than 50mb connection also happily using newsgroups, however virgin cannot fix or trace the issue on their own network.

This is not a problem with the modem but the network.

Just rang them back 20mins ago to be put back on 50mb as I don't want the traffic management but it clearly is there network and not the modem as the modem is the same 50mb modem so the firmware/software is not a problem.

The service has changed back to 50mb with speedtests of 50mb see screen print of the modem page but the download speeds on newsgroups are all over the place again.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/4029886780_7295e2ab38_o.jpg

This is a test VM should have done.

A quick search on google for newsgroups virgin 50mb slow returns many many results!

its a problem and not unique to one newsgroup provider, yet VM don't want to resolve.

Their words were that its illegal as some people are downloading films.

Cheers.

[HSp8]

think I might be getting the same problem (on Astraweb - Brighton area)

started yestedray morning

happily doing my downloads at about 6am - speeds of 50mb, and then 5 minutes later drops to about 5mb - and stayed on that speed when I tried last night

this morning at 6am again, started off with top speeds, and then dropped again to 5mb

surely if Virgin provide their own newsgroup service (admittedly via a reseller), then they have to give support and sort it out?

I do hope it gets sorted soon, as I don't really want to go back to 20mb package with STM

[richardc1983]

mine doesnt stay at that speed it drops to 1 and can be anywhere upto 5 all the time fluctuating.

[pazor]

Unfortunately virgin media don’t care about the problems there customers are having. We have two options put up with there sub standard service or leave and since no over provider can give me 50mb with no throttling i am stuck with them. Where else can a company take money from there customers but not give them what they are paying for it is disgusting.

[bomber_g]

how do you disable how many connections it uses?

It depends on the newsreader your using, try looking in the help files

[pazor]

Hope this is a temp problem, started to download some large files last night on newsgroups it was flying at around 5836kps for about 5 mins then all the connections slowed and it stayed at 486kps for hours until i noticed and restarted my modem. After the modem it did the same again so i called it a night and turned of. This morning i have tryed again and it did the same started of fast and then slowed to exactley the same speed 486kps. I tried speedtest.net and it was flying at top speed. This to me sounds like VM throttling newsgroups.

[richardc1983]

An update

This seemed to resolve itself over xmas and full speeds were achieved however the last week getting time outs saying I have too many connections and then poor speeds, I think its astraweb.

Can anyone reccomend another cheap but decent provider?

[Sirius]

An update

This seemed to resolve itself over xmas and full speeds were achieved however the last week getting time outs saying I have too many connections and then poor speeds, I think its astraweb.

Can anyone reccomend another cheap but decent provider?

I intend to sign up with these next week.

http://www.supernews.com/superspecial.html


I think zingle already has.

[richardc1983]

I intend to sign up with these next week.

http://www.supernews.com/superspecial.html


I think zingle already has.


Yes I have been reading a few posts with them on it, they look good.

[Ignitionnet]

As I think already posted they are a Giganews reseller so should be ok.

[richardc1983]

As I think already posted they are a Giganews reseller so should be ok.

Thanks for this info, I wonder how they do it so cheap then!

I will join them as I have just cancelled with astraweb. I contacted support and they said to do a tracerouted to their servers when downloading!

OF course speeds are fine today though! Sods law!