Internet speed halp! Any network gurus?

doogle! · May 2016

Gents and Gents posing as ladies,

I have a peculiar problem my ISP and I have been trying to figure out for awhile. About a month ago, I started lagging unexpectedly after 5:45pm or so. I'd go from 50ms ping to 250ms ping in game. Various other applications such as AAPG, Rocket League, League of Legends, YouTube, and "other" streaming services are rendered virtually useless.

ISP says everything looks great on their end, and I'm only using about 20-25% of my bandwidth from what they can tell. I pay for 100 Mbps D/L and 10 Mbps U/L speeds with Time Warner Cable.

The odd thing is, depending on what speed test site I use, I get extremely different results.

I'll run speed tests on 3 separate sites as I type this so you see what I mean.

www.speedtest.net
117 Mbps / 11.9 Mbps

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/speed-test.html
24.84 Mbps / 10.96 Mbps

testmy.net
7.6 Mpbs / 9 Mbps

--break--

Let me just make clear that I'm not using WiFi, and I'm not downloading anything. I've used multiple devices, computers and laptops and had the same results. The only times my connection goes to crap is in the evening time. If I run speed tests at 3pm, I'm 110 Mbps+ on all 3 websites above.

I'm man infinite complainer. Techs are replacing the coax line in my backyard tomorrow. I'm not convinced the issue is a physical one, considering the connection works fine from 1am - 5pm.

Any ideas?

Keebler750 · May 2016

And they're saying they are not throttling?

Sounds like someone nearby on your node is hogging bandwidth. I'd ask them to check for bottlenecks in the system at the time in question. I mean....they absolutely have the data right in front of them. In fact...you could be on the line with them when it happen to confirm.

I'd get Ping Plotter, learn how to use it, and set up a few test addresses and routes, and watch the route pings change. Then you have something to tell the guy.

It's even possible some of your ISPs hardware takes a dive at that time and with Ping Plotter you can tell them the IP address of the router that craps out etc.

Either way, good luck!

ddra- · May 2016

Do you live in a single family home, or a condo? Condos typically share the coaxial line with other neighboring condos. If one of those users is doing something that's using a large amount of bandwidth, it would definitely affect you. The fact that it begins after work hours leads me to think someone near you is getting home and engaging in some heavy use.

doogle! · May 2016

ISP says they are not throttling me. Single family home, internet only customer. They said they checked usage in the area and it's good. The fact that the guys can't see anything remotely boggles my mind. I have 10+ screen captures of speed tests w/ time/date stamps to prove to the techs I'm having issues.

Once they replace cable tomorrow, I can start complaining again. I'm 90% positive it's not going to resolve the issue. The technician I saw today thinks maybe there's some exposed copper or something somewhere in the line, but that doesn't explain why the connection is only [TOS Violation] in the evening time.

K!Dz.applePIE · May 2016

Try to do ping tests instead of bandwidth tests as suggested. Pick a server and do a traceroute when everything is working normal and do the same when you have problems than compare it. You can have bad routing even with high bandwidth.

Keebler750 · May 2016

^^ Good point, Apple. I didn't even clue to that. Bandwidth tests can be important if you know where you're getting the file from. That's not often the case.

Ping tests, however, can often show bad routes from hardware to hardware as you traverse the internet. You can quite literally say "It's happening between HERE and HERE."

Keebler750 · May 2016

I noticed you said you're not using wifi. Do you have a router with wifi on it though? Is it locked down?

Could you trace your hardware path for us?

So, what does your network look like ...

Cable Modem
Router (often people are just plugged into the modem now...)
PC1, PC2
etc..?

iNv|roKis- · May 2016

Oh this should be good.

There is not a chance in [TOS Violation] someone is hogging your node. Despite cable connections being a share-able line compared to fiber or dsl. They have very sophisticated infrastructure and I have never seen anyone lag because of too many people on at once. It is peak time however.

Alright, so power all devices down, connect you computer straight into the modem and go at it. See if your ping is drastically worse as well as your speeds.

Eliminate the probability that your router, and other devices may be causing the speed to drop.
If without the router you're still having issues, have the TWC change your modem. If it continues, make them come out at that time so they can test the line quality at that hour.

It seems like it's an indoor thing. Possibly even someone getting onto your wifi and just taking all the bandwidth they can.

xtopherus · May 2016

TWC has a history of throttling and has been in a couple of law suits over it, so I wouldn't be surprised. Normally it happens when the local routing station (One close to your house) is being overloaded during peak times. They have filters to limit the total amount of data that transfers through the local routing stations. This is one of the main reasons back in the early 2000's they phased out shared cable modems because it was terrible during peak. When a tech "tests" your line, all they do is do a small ping test in order to get a "green light" on there screen.

On the other hand, a faulty modem or cat5 cable could cause your spkies that sound like possible packets loss. I would start with the cable and then the modem. If both are changed out and you are still having the problem, it could be the line from your house to the local routing station. They would have to send a line tech to test it and if that "checks" out.. I would say its TWC throttling you...

iNv|roKis- · May 2016

TWL|xtopherus wrote: »

TWC has a history of throttling and has been in a couple of law suits over it, so I wouldn't be surprised. Normally it happens when the local routing station (One close to your house) is being overloaded during peak times. They have filters to limit the total amount of data that transfers through the local routing stations. This is one of the main reasons back in the early 2000's they phased out shared cable modems because it was terrible during peak. When a tech "tests" your line, all they do is do a small ping test in order to get a "green light" on there screen.

On the other hand, a faulty modem or cat5 cable could cause your spkies that sound like possible packets loss. I would start with the cable and then the modem. If both are changed out and you are still having the problem, it could be the line from your house to the local routing station. They would have to send a line tech to test it and if that "checks" out.. I would say its TWC throttling you...

Throttling would not cause his issues. The game is more than capable of running on 50% of his connection capacity. Ping spikes would be due to routing. [TOS Violation] even 25ms with a 10% packet loss would cause havoc. But that's not the issue either. Since it happens in a time frame everyday, you can rule out a cable. Honestly router is the first to check. Straight to the cable modem see if that has an issue. Plug back to router see if issue persists. If issue clears, maybe router is having trouble managing everyone who is at home? who knows.

doogle! · May 2016

Any specific commands I should run to show my hops?

I tried looking at the Ping Plotter but the results were a little confusing to me. Sometimes I'd show some packet loss at the first major router, sometimes I'd have packet loss on my local host IP.

I have an Arris TG1672 that acts as both a router and modem. WiFi is completely locked down, but I even tried disabling both channels and testing again. I checked the clients connected last night on both ethernet and WiFi connections to make sure there were no rogue devices.. I shut down wifi completely and unplugged my home security system from the modem as well and still had the slow speeds.

doogle! · May 2016

I found an option on the router to disable routing entirely, which I guess makes the physical device simply a modem. Speeds are now normal.

Very weird. I don't know enough about routing, but why the heck would my router work fine prior to peak hours? Before disabling routing, I double checked all configs to make sure nothing looked like =IK=Wonks. Everything was good but speeds still bad. I then reset it to factory settings but it still was bad. Disabling routing is the only thing that brought joy back into my world.

doogle! · May 2016

Chat Conversation Start
SUN 9:50PM
********* is my phone #. Service is currently degraded, hopefully you can run some sort of network tool to see where the bottle neck is.

I'm unable to detect any definite problems from here. As this has been a repeat issue, it will require another trouble call. In this case, it will be flagged as a repeat and have more eyes checking on the issue. Would you like to get first available scheduled, now? - Tim K

Already have a tech coming out tomorrow to replace the coax in my backyard tomorrow. I don't think my line is the issue however, because I get 110 Mbps down during the day. Two separate calls to tech support and 2 techs have been at my house, no resolution just yet.

ti would be best to wait until after that is complete to continue troubleshooting. - Tim K

Technician could not replace wire due to neighbors dog being loose in the neighbors backyard. I disabled routing on my device and it fixed the problem. How do I go about getting compensated for the month of degraded service? I also need to get this modem/router swapped out.

Are you connecting directly to the modem or through a stand alone router?-Adam

I'm connecting through the Arris TG1672 that TWC provided. I disabled routing this evening just to see if theissue was the router, and everything works like a charm. I reset router to factory settings to turn routing back on, and speeds were >25 Mbps. I disabled routing again, and I'm getting 110Mbps again.

Does the modem currently have routing enabled?^AS

Nope, disabled

Can you please check again for any changes in connectivity. -Adam

22 Mbps D/L speed again.
upload speed is fine

[

b]Can you check again please while I look into placing an adjustment on the account for you. -Adam[/b]

Running two tests. First was 20.67 Mbps. Second is 24.35 Mbps. Both tests have upload speed over 10 Mbps

Not simultaneously, ran them one after another
I'm going to disable it one more time and let the connection reset for one final test with routing disabled
Disabled routing again, now i'm pulling 115.54 Mbps

I was hoping making a few adjustments would help but it does not appear this can be fixed remotely. If you would like to exchange the modem at a local store you can do that at anytime free of charge. -Adam

Thanks. I'm going to have to do that. Ive had 2 technicians come out and no one ever looked at the router itself. They wanted to replace the coaxial and dig up my yard, but I knew there was no way it was a cable issue. The odd thing is the speed drop only happens after 5:30pm or so
Even with routing enabled at 12pm, I get 100 Mbps +.
There are no other devices connected in the house even when it runs slow
Just really odd. Ive never seen routing issues that related to time. Is it possible for routing paths to change depending on usage

It is odd. If this was only a router issue I would expect it to occur all the time however if you would like to exchange the modem and see if this resolves the issue before having the line replaced that is not a problem. I have submitted a adjustment for the account for $39.99. -Adam

Can I ask where the $39.99 figure came from? I pay nearly 100 a month and this has had a significant impact on our evening usage for weeks. I also had to take off of work twice for someone to come out and tell me it's first a trap on my line, then a bad cable underground

This is for 2 weeks of service. The first notes I am showing regarding a speed issue is from 4/27. -Adam

The notes don't say I reported experiencing the issues for weeks during that phone call?

I do see that notated however without it being reported and documented during that time we are not able to adjust the account for this time. -Adam

So just to clarify: It's on the customer, who solved his own problem after speaking with 6 different technicians, to prove to the ISP that I did not receive the services I pay $85/month for.

While I was out of the country, other residents lacked the confidence and tech language to contact TWC themselves, and also believed they wouldn't receive support since the account wasn't in their name. What this comes down to is a matter of principle. It's not even a half way attempt at making a customer happy to comp 40 bucks . I'm just over 3 years on this account which I think means something especially when you consider there are other ISPs that service my area.

In order to be able to place an adjustment on the account we would need to be notified that the issue is occurring. We cannot credit the account when we are not aware of the is issue. Since we were notified on 4/27 this would be the date the services would be dated from. -Adam

Maybe AT&T will make me a sweet promotional offer considering I already use them for TV. I'll call tomorrow to speak to someone in a supervisory role, and if that's the best TWC can do I'll take my $85 elsewhere.

I am sorry you feel that way. If there is anything I can do to assist you in the future please feel free to reach out to me. You can also contact us using the chat feature on the My TWC app, by going to http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/contact-us.html or by calling 1-800-892-4357-Adam

And I also didn't ask for your help troubleshooting when you allowed yourself in to my router, I asked about compensation

The account has been adjusted correctly as you requested. -Adam

Lol, alright. Are you trolling me right now?

(no response)

What!!! lol.

It's a bluff, but I hope to gain some traction. AT&T only offers 45 Mbps in my area. What would you fellas do. The principle of this just pisses me off.

iNv|roKis- · May 2016

You're using TWC man, huge [TOS Violation] monopoly. Just get your tickets escalated. I remember working for VZW and 3 tickets in that ticket was being seen by the upper management and possibly the CEO. You make a large enough fuss they'll take care of you as best as they can. But You know, TWC is Comcast and there is a problem since they have the worse support on the planet.

doogle! · May 2016

Unforunately, it's the only high speed provider for my neighborhood. AT&T offers services, but it's only 45 Mbps plus there's a data limit of 250 GB / month. I move in January to location unknown, so I'm hoping I get somewhere with Grande Communication.

iNv|roKis- · May 2016

Cap, i've been hearing about that. That's absolutely insane. In NJ we are glad to have a nice heavy FIOS competition with Cablevision and Comcast.

Although Cablevision and comcast never directly compete(one will be in areas the other is not). Howerver Verizon does directly compete on their market.

=IK=Doba= · May 2016

Im capped at 200/month.. I dont come close.. not once have I received my 75% usage warning.. and I stream every movie under the sun.. used to warch HD hockey on other monitor while i play.. soo not sure why you'd need more

iNv|roKis- · May 2016

It's just wrong. 200GB DL, what about upload?

So lost has 121 episodes. If I download them in one day that's 200GB+ if they are 1080p. So I would have to be smart and spread them out, which in turn would keep me away from the cap. The point is, why [mod edit] is there a cap? To charge heavy users more? This is why competition is good.
If there is an upload cap and I run a server out of my house? Gone in a heart beat. So yeah....not a fan.

=IK=Wonkss · May 2016

your internet sounds saturated I had the same issue. they rewired from poll to my home and inside and out said there is nothing wrong we checked our side everything looks good for months. Then finally they found my internet was saturated and added a new nod and its be good since. takes a lot for them to admit to it being saturated.

=IK=Juggernaut · May 2016

If you haven't already, go to pingtest.net and run a test when you're having these issues. It'll give you a reading on ping, jitter, and packet loss.

.dcG-Colts^ · May 2016

=IK=Doba= wrote: »

Im capped at 200/month.. I dont come close.. not once have I received my 75% usage warning.. and I stream every movie under the sun.. used to warch HD hockey on other monitor while i play.. soo not sure why you'd need more

i got 250gb and its enough but more would be nice Im always slowing down at the end of month making sure I don't go over. I download a lot of tv shows and movies.

iNv|roKis- wrote: »

It's just wrong. 200GB DL, what about upload?

So lost has 121 episodes. If I download them in one day that's 200GB+ if they are 1080p. So I would have to be smart and spread them out, which in turn would keep me away from the cap. The point is, why [mod edit] is there a cap? To charge heavy users more? This is why competition is good.
If there is an upload cap and I run a server out of my house? Gone in a heart beat. So yeah....not a fan.

200gb would be upload and download combined. Atleast that's how my 250gb is. An extra 10$ gets me 400gb limit with 150/10 speeds instead of 100/10 or an extra 10$ can get me unlimited bandwitdh with 100/10 speeds.

Internet speed halp! Any network gurus?

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