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Help me fix my crappy broadband! Or not! Whatever!

ShortyShorty touching the meatIntergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
edited June 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
So, after moving to my new place, I got cable internet, and it blows goats. I've run a few tests on Broadband Reports and discovered that I'm getting some fairly bad latency and a lot of packet loss. I am doing everything within my power not to call Comcast tech support, because screw that, I hate tech support.

Here's what happens: When I browse the web, it will often take me a lot of time to connect to a page. I've tried switching DNS servers and that's a no-go. Downloads will just stop partway through and then pick up again. Games over the net, such as Warcraft III, have lots of lag and packet loss. It's pretty much impossible to play Warcraft, since I get drophacked out of every game.

I'm fairly sure the problem is with the settings either in Windows or my router. Both are nearly brand new and so I'm sure it's not a hardware issue. Or it's Comcast's fault, in which case I'm proper fucked.

One thing I'd like to find is the lease time on my IP. IPConfig shows the lease that my router issues to my computer but not the one issued by the modem to the router. So, if somebody can tell me how to do that, aces.

My router is a Linksys WRT54G with the latest firmware installed. I haven't adjusted any of the settings aside from firmware and setting up a wireless network. Yes, it is secured, and I regularly check to see if any dirty pirates are stealing my bandwidth.

Here are some test results from Broadband Reports:

http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2244471
http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2244493
http://www.dslreports.com/tweakr/block:11b733b?service=cable&speed=6000&os=winXP&via=normal

The first two are line quality tests, the third is a tweak test. I've run the tweak test a few times and only about half the time will it show evidence of packet loss.

So, in short: Help.

Shorty on

Posts

  • khainkhain Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Unplug your router from the modem and leave it unhooked for 10+ seconds and then plug it directly into your computer. You should be able to see whatever you want as well as finding out if the router is the problem or not.

    khain on
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    khain wrote: »
    Unplug your router from the modem and leave it unhooked for 10+ seconds and then plug it directly into your computer. You should be able to see whatever you want as well as finding out if the router is the problem or not.
    Indeed it's all a game of elimination. Hooking up directly will eliminate(or determine that it is) your router. If you're still having problems hook up another PC to the connection, perhaps a friends laptop? Then after that if your still having trouble with the connection you might wanna call up Comcast.

    A while back we had that problem - we'd have internet, slow internet, no internet. I had just gotten a router a week before and figured it was crapping out. Eventually I called Comcast and they had me do all the normal crap. It actually fixed it.. for all of five minutes. Eventually they got a tech out here and it turns out our whole street was getting some faulty signal. So it does happen.

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • RuckusRuckus Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Another possible problem could be large MTU.

    MTU, or Maximum Transmissable Unit, is the maximum size of data packet, in bytes, that a connection can support. By default, most routers are set to automatically determine the MTU, or are set at a static setting of 1492. If you can find the MTU setting in your Router config pages, you can try dropping it down to something like 1400 or even 1200, just to see if that stabalizes your connection.

    If that doesn't help, if you call Comcast, they should be able to check the link between your modem and the local branch router, including signal strength and loss. It could be an infrastructure problem for them, but interference could also be caused by bad cabling in your house or even EMI from electric motors or speakers near any of the network components (cables, routers, modem).

    Ruckus on
  • JHunzJHunz Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Ruckus wrote: »
    If that doesn't help, if you call Comcast, they should be able to check the link between your modem and the local branch router, including signal strength and loss. It could be an infrastructure problem for them, but interference could also be caused by bad cabling in your house or even EMI from electric motors or speakers near any of the network components (cables, routers, modem).
    However, if it is their problem, expect to call them three or four times (that's the average time to get an intelligent support rep) at an hour apiece before they acknowledge that it could be their problem and send a tech out, and don't expect the tech to be competent either.
    The biggest thing when calling Comcast is not to accept bullshit answers. They tried to tell me at one point that my packet loss could be caused by my neighbors cell phones interfering with my wireless connection.

    JHunz on
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  • SushisourceSushisource Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I would suggest doing the above first, but you could also switch to some better firmware than the default linksys junk.

    I use DDWRT for my WRT54G

    Sushisource on
    Some drugee on Kavinsky's 1986
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  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Since you already know about DSLReports.com, check out their forums. See if people in your location are reporting issues, as well. That's how I first found out a few years ago about Adelphia's problems in the Burlington, Vermont area, and how some friends and I got together and reduced our internet cost to zero for a few months while they fixed the problems.

    Shadowfire on
    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • themightypuckthemightypuck MontanaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Man I feel your pain. I've got Charter and a couple weeks ago it went to shit. Two truck rolls. Endless stupid pointless conversations with tech support call center robots. No solution. One of the techs who came out said that my node was saturated and I was screwed until they upgraded but that I didn't hear it from him. Good luck.

    themightypuck on
    “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
    ― Marcus Aurelius

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  • HorusHorus Los AngelesRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I would do is unplug like everyone said but leave it for like 10 minutes. Then plug it back in and wait to see how modem reacts.

    Also if you have to call tech support they will ask you to do tracert on www.yahoo.com to see the packet information, but do it to their site and google. I found out to avoid you more or make them avoid sending out tech. They will ask for one tracert report, and be like "ohh we think its just the website" or other bs story. By sending more than one website proves they are at fault and CC people who are in same situation.

    When you are calling tech support and the machine says if you want to take a survey after your support call, say YES!!! you wont wait long on the phone and the person will make things at your favor. When survey comes hang up.

    Horus on
    “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
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  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    The other thing is when you plug things in, plug them in in the following order:

    Wall jack -> modem
    wait
    Wall jack -> modem -> router (i.e. add the router to the chain)
    wait
    Wall jack -> modem -> router -> powered-down computer
    wait
    turn computer on

    tsmvengy on
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  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Thanks for the help, dudes. I'll try a few things and see what crops up. So far, I've moved the modem itself on the floor to avoid any EMI, and that doesn't help. The router is still on the desk. How far away should it be from any speakers?

    Shorty on
  • RuckusRuckus Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Shorty wrote: »
    Thanks for the help, dudes. I'll try a few things and see what crops up. So far, I've moved the modem itself on the floor to avoid any EMI, and that doesn't help. The router is still on the desk. How far away should it be from any speakers?

    I'd say as long as your speaker isn't rediculously large, 1-3 feet should be enough space, as long as you don't run any of the data cables directly over/around it.

    Ruckus on
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