Strange Network Occurances

Sikarian

I've been having problems, intermittently, with my network and I have been unable to determine the source.

Every so often I get random spikes in latency to games, webpages stop loading, etc.

Here is a ping 192.168.1.1 -t readout, which is my wireless router.

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=64
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=112ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=77ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=123ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=623ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2022ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=399ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=999ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=299ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=299ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=198ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

But then again, sometomes I'll go for hours with just this:

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=634ms TTL=
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64

I've gone through multiple wireless routers ranging from the little netgear white box ones to D-Link routers, to Linksys WRT54gs (2 of these), now running on a Linksys/Cisco E1000 wireless N.

My computer is upstairs, almost directly above the router. I wanna say probably 15 feet or so through 1 standard wood joist floor. I've gone through multiple Wireless NICs on this machine, again ranging from Netgear PCI cards to Linksys USB cards. Right now I'm using a Linksys/Cisco AE1000 Wireless-N USB adapter.

Being that the ping spikes are going just simply from my machine to my router, I know it's not my ISP. However going through so many different brands of routers, I don't believe it's my router. I've got a laptop in the same room that's got a standard wireless G built in card that has the same problem.

The interesting part is that it's spikes seem to co-incide basically with the desktop PC's ping spikes. When the desktop is runnin around <1ms or so, the laptop is. When the desktop spikes or timesout, the laptop does.

I've done the Multimedia Class scheduler disable trick (both are running Windows 7 Home Premium) with no changes.

Since both machines are doing it, and I've gone through multiple routers and multiple NICs on the desktop, it leads me to believe it's something in the house that's causing interference. Unfortunately I don't have any software to do any true signal testing, all I see is that Win 7 network is reporting 4 bars, 144.0 Mbps on the Desktop and 5 bars of signal, 100Mbps on the laptop.


There's no other electronic devices (save computer monitor/LCD television to the left of the computer) in the area. No halogen lights, no telephones. No in-home alarm system. I've got a CyberPower 550VA battery backup system sitting a foot or two to the left of the Desktop, but the laptop has this problem anywhere in my room.



After I wrote this I took the laptop downstairs and let it sit, no ping spikes at all. A second desktop PC I have downstairs also has no ping spikes. It only seems to be when it's upstairs in my room. However I've had this problem when I lived at 2 other locations as well. The only common denominator I can see is that Battery Backup. It seems unlikely, but is it possible that the backup is intermittently putting out enough EM interference to fog up the wireless signal and cause these kinds of problems? Anyone have any insight into the matter?

wmelon

I'd recommend trying a couple of the different channels. I went through all of them before i found one that wasn't getting enough interference to get that same kind of behavior.

vonPoonBurGer

So both devices are wireless, right? If so, it's almost certainly interference. Could be a microwave in your house, or a microwave or 2.4GHz phone in a neighbour's house. When someone's on the cordless phone, or microwaving something, you get interference that leads to packet transmit errors, which in turn leads to latency spikes or dropped packets. Different channels may help, but it depends a lot on the nature of the interference.

Eeveelution

I'd go with phone interference. Such as the older erickson phones, would fuzz out speakers before they got any form of data.

I know my blackberry makes things hiccup at times, such as when it is thinking and sending out it's signal. So see if they go hand and hand for you as well.

Sikarian

We have no land-line phones in the house, everyone uses cell-phone.

There are no neighbors, live on a rural farm. Closest microwave is 2 rooms away on the other side of the house and not in use.

I'm going through the process of trying different channels now and seeing what kinda results I get out of it.


I'm also going to try getting rid of this battery backup system. I've had it for about 8 years and I always have problems with it. The battery functions intermittently, it'll randomly kick off and start beeping... it's gotten water spilled into the plugs before and is in general poor disarray.