Advice on BQM results

I have a FTC line with Zen and in recent weeks I've noticed the quality of connection for gaming has got worse. I was previously with BT but switched in November, and although the connection was OK it is now becoming frustrating (catch up lag etc).

My BQM is below and I've noticed packet loss and fluctuations in latency I didn't previously experience with BT. My line is only used for my gaming and work - no other devices are connected (I have a seperate Virgin line for everything/everyone else).

My Broadband Ping

Is this normal? Is it just a coincidence that my gaming connection (predominently FIFA) has got worse after switching from BT to Zen?

Many thanks in advance

In reply to a post by MrBlytz673:

I have a FTC line with Zen and in recent weeks I've noticed the quality of connection for gaming has got worse. I was previously with BT but switched in November, and although the connection was OK it is now becoming frustrating (catch up lag etc).

My BQM is below and I've noticed packet loss and fluctuations in latency I didn't previously experience with BT. My line is only used for my gaming and work - no other devices are connected (I have a seperate Virgin line for everything/everyone else).

My Broadband Ping

Is this normal? Is it just a coincidence that my gaming connection (predominently FIFA) has got worse after switching from BT to Zen?

Many thanks in advance

If you check out the top few topics on the Zen board on this Forum you will see that the service offered by Zen has caused and is still causing major problems for many of its customers. The topics principally refer to FTTP connections but there does seem to have been a degradation in both the service and support offered over the last few months. Best of luck if you find any way to resolve your issues.

Edited by GonePostal (Mon 16-Jan-23 12:04:36)

Thanks for replying.

This is disappointing news as the issues don't seem to be improving for many users. Looks like I have to suck it up for the necxt year or so!

Was the BQM recorded using a Fritzbox (the red+white router Zen supply)?

Fritzbox's have a ridiculously low ICMP Ping blocking threshold and are therefore not always suitable for running a BQM.

Some people manage 1 BQM fine with a Fritzbox but a 2nd BQM causes issues.
Others can't run a BQM at all with a Fritzbox without it blocking some of the pings, which shows as red packet loss.

If you are indeed using a Fritzbox then I would recommend swapping it for another router for 24 hours and monitor the BQM at the end of it.

If you're using another type of router then you can ignore all of the above.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Was the BQM recorded using a Fritzbox (the red+white router Zen supply)?

Fritzbox's have a ridiculously low ICMP Ping blocking threshold and are therefore not always suitable for running a BQM.

Some people manage 1 BQM fine with a Fritzbox but a 2nd BQM causes issues.
Others can't run a BQM at all with a Fritzbox without it blocking some of the pings, which shows as red packet loss.

If you are indeed using a Fritzbox then I would recommend swapping it for another router for 24 hours and monitor the BQM at the end of it.

If you're using another type of router then you can ignore all of the above.

Thanks for this advice. I switched back to my Vigor130 + Netgear XR500 setup yesterday (the monitor shows when ) and it has been a bit settled but there was very little activity until 9am this morning.

I was wondering if there is anything i can do to improve things my end. For example, the cable to modem from the socket is 2m and runs past my PC - could that be causing issues? Should I upgrade the basic cable?

Worth checking in your account information on Zen's site to see if an order for a "GEA migration" has appeared on your account coincident with your noticing a reduction in service quality; that would indicate migration from BTW's network to Zen's network behind the scenes. Several of us (albeit on FTTP) had noticed this negatively impact our connections.

Your BQM looks a bit like a Zen GEA connection (when I was on Zen GEA there was a fatter "yellow" line above the green, whereas with Zen on BTW I had almost no yellow line visible).