Question about ISP routing

Hi,

I recently used BQM to get some latency issues fixed on virgin media, they came out fitted an attenuator and replaced my Hub 3 with the Hub 5

My BQM is now more stable than it's ever been, but what I don't understand is how my general ping numbers have completely changed

For example, for years I have always used speedtest.net and it's always defaulted to their Manchester server, which makes sense I'm in Liverpool.. my idle ping there was typically around 7-10ms

But since they have changed my modem and the IP address has changed, it's now defaulting to either Leeds or Bradford servers

If I manually change to the original server in Manchester I used to always use to bench my connection, my idle ping there is now 22-25

But my ping to the server in Bradford is around 15, can anyone explain what's happened here and how that is possible?

Presumably your ping is going from you to Bradford/Leeds which has been set as your network portal and then back to Manchester so the extra time is due to the distance from Manchester to Leeds/Bradford and back.

You may be able to get a bit more information if you can run a tracert.

Well I noticed in the settings for speedtest they seem to have located my IP address somewhere in newcastle, so I'm guessing over time the geo location will update

I just would have thought that wouldn't be an issue if I manually selected the servers closest to me.. but selecting servers that I know to be closer to me results in much higher pings

You think speedtest ignores my manual selection and still routes based on their incorrect geo location?

Any particular tracert you would like me to run? Am I fussing over nothing or is there potentially an issue here?

In your situation I'd be more worried about whether DCL is fit rather than whether DSL is fit.

I'm more worried about city or real swooping in for Neil Maupay over the summer

Due to the way these networks are set up and interconnected, geographic distance often does not correlate with network distance.

I.e. just because a server is a few miles from you, the route across the Internet is likely to be considerably greater, hence increasing latency

That makes sense but my idle latency to the hyperoptic manchester server that it previously defaulted to was 7ms, it's now 25ms since the IP address changed

The upload latency was 6ms, that's now 35ms

But my BQM is looking great which I'm happy about, it was all over the place previously.. so just not sure if I have a routing issue or if the issue is just related to speedtest.net

I'm trying to setup QoS on my router, but I'm having a hard time trusting the numbers that I'm seeing, my mind is boggled

In reply to a post by danielefc:

That makes sense but my idle latency to the hyperoptic manchester server that it previously defaulted to was 7ms, it's now 25ms since the IP address changed

Its possible since you went from a Hub 3 to a Hub 5, you are now on a DOCSIS 3.1 upload/download that is routed differently to the old DOCSIS 3 upload/download. The Hub 3 is only DOCSIS 3.0 capable, and the 3.1 should just add new RF channels over the coax for additional capacity.

However once your connection reaches the head end (CMTS) in a data centre its converted to a normal network and where VM route you can depend on their capacity movements and decisions.

If you had a traceroute to the BBC from your old connection and then on the new connection you could compare, otherwise we are only guessing.

latency on a web page (e.g. speedtest.net or thinkbroadband) is different to a latency from a ping or traceroute command.

On windows:
tracert bbc.co.uk

Mac or Linux:
traceroute bbc.co.uk

I don't have the old modem unfortunately they took that back, so can only do it on the new hub

Tracing route to bbc.co.uk [151.101.128.81]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 10 ms 9 ms 9 ms 10.53.35.13
3 10 ms 10 ms 9 ms pres-core-2a-xe-2118-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.104.74.89]
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 * * * Request timed out.
6 25 ms 25 ms 26 ms tcl5-ic-7-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.11.198]
7 20 ms 21 ms 22 ms 157.52.127.10
8 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms 151.101.128.81

Trace complete.

2nd hop in the trace is Liverpool CMTS 32. Route to London looks pretty long. When the Hub was changed you'd have received a new IP address which might be routed differently from the previous one.

The DoCSIS version doesn't change the routing but a new IP might.