bad review sorry

ok I been quiet for a while giving it a chance.

but here is what is going on with my new cable connection at the moment.

I have pings to bbc.co.uk varying from 10ms to 200ms
my speed is averaging around 1-3mbit to uk hosts.

this is at 10 in the morning on the 20mbit package.

At evening my packet loss goes up to around 30% and speeds are about the same as dual isdn 100kbit'ish a second (approx 12kB/sec).

I thought the congestion at my old address on cable was bad but this makes my poor BT line seem great.

Finally its giving my adsl line a run for its money, the actual cable connection is dropping out on the modem.and now its been down for the last 10 minutes.

Edited by Chrysalis (Tue 30-Mar-10 13:55:33)

ok I managed get the modem online. Is this type of ping known to happen in the morning or it indicate a fault?



C:\Windows\system32>ping -t bbc.co.uk

Pinging bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=132ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=94ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=106ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=108ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=103ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=110ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=111ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=88ms TTL=120
Request timed out.
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=89ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=88ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=77ms TTL=120
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=129ms TTL=120

Ping statistics for 212.58.224.138:
Packets: Sent = 14, Received = 13, Lost = 1 (7% loss)
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 40ms, Maximum = 132ms, Average = 98ms
Control-C

Edited by Chrysalis (Tue 30-Mar-10 11:33:39)

I couldnt resist tryingthisout for myself. My DL speed on a 10 Mb connection with VM is only 9.2 right now but other times of day i regularly get around 9.7 / 9.8Mb



I tried a ping test to the BBC as you did as well and have pasted the results at the bottom of this post.

So, lets try and get to the bottom of this. i can make one or two suggestions but there will be more accomplished experts here who can help more. Without further ado...

1. Are you running your internet connection through a proxy server?
2. Do you have any P2P software such as limewire or any bittorrent software running?
3. Are you using a wired or wireless connection
4. Do you download a lot? Has VM decided to "traffic manage" you for a while?
5. Which firewall software do you use?
6. Are you the only person using your connection?
7. Is your connection a direct link between modem and pc or is there another device in the middle?


try booting in to safemode with networking enabled. run the speed test and ping test again and see if you have better results. use msconfig to disable any prestart p2p software. if using wifi check your connection is secure and that you have a good signal.

You can also play with the registry to alter settings such as rcwin and mtu settings. however, there are many free applications that do that with a single click. try auslogics. find it at download.com

I will leave the rest to the experts.

btw. it may be an idea to view your modem statistics. open a browser window and enter 192.168.100.1 in the address bar, then press enter.




_________________________

Pinging bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118

Ping statistics for 212.58.224.138:
Packets: Sent = 23, Received = 23, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 14ms, Maximum = 19ms, Average = 15ms
Control-C

I get pretty similar pings to zhugeliang albeit on 50meg:

C:\>ping www.bbc.co.uk

Pinging www-fmt.bbc.net.uk [212.58.251.197] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 212.58.251.197: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.251.197: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.251.197: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.251.197: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=119

Ping statistics for 212.58.251.197:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 13ms, Maximum = 16ms, Average = 14ms

I find the easiest way of elimiating any local issues is to get hold of a laptop which you know works fine, plug it straight into the modem, see if the speed/latency/packet loss still occurs. If it does, you know it is a VM issue (which I suspect it is), if not you will need to figure out what is causing the problem with your own setup.

Assuming it is a VM problem, call customer support, explain the problem, find out if there are any issues in your area. If there are, ask for a refund for the period of poor performance and ask for an estimated fix date. Keep calling if this date passes without a fix and get further credit to your account - this usually prompts a chaser to engineers to sort it out. If there are no obvious issues in your area, ask for an engineer visit.

Hope that helps

no proxy on java and pings.

basically its my laptop, I then unplugged the ethernet cable (with ping still running), turned on the wireless which connected it to ukonline adsl and the pings came on a solid 9-10ms.

Later on I plan to move one of my longer ethernet cables in here and try the cable on my main pc.

I did ring VM but they kept telling me to run virus scans etc. just wouldnt listen. Couldnt get a uk bod.

Is worth noting I never signed my contract and and havent even setup a direct debit yet. so no worries from me if it doesnt get fixed I just wont pay for it.

It could be congestion in my area, however the glimmer of hope I guess is the modem dropping which could mean a fault.

to answer the questions specifically.

1. Only on http web browsing, not java speedtest and not the pings.
2. I dont use torrents,
3. The cable modem is using ethernet direct from modem, not unpackaged the router yet.
4. The connection is just a play thing at the moment, my normal net use is on my adsl. I expect I am not even doing a gig per month.
5. Laptop has windows firewall.
6. Yes
7. Direct.

Laptop performs fine on the 2nd internet connection here.

Edited by Chrysalis (Tue 30-Mar-10 13:59:37)

I would suggest calling VM during working hours, as you are more likely to get through to someone in the UK. The best way to get around the usual "virus scan etc" line is to i) use a second computer to verify the problem is not due to computer #1; and ii) refer to the lights on your cable modem. You mentioned the modem was dropping the connection, does this mean the tick light is flashing while it is trying to re-establish the connection? I have found that mentioning these things gets you past the simple suggestions.

On a side note, I wouldn't recommend relying on the fact that you haven't signed your contract or set up a direct debit to avoid paying. Contracts do not need to be signed to be enforceable and an contractual offer can be accepted by a number of different ways, including conduct. If you have been using your internet connection after receiving the contract and have not informed VM that you do not accept the terms, it is certainly arguable that there is a binding contract in place. As such, any failure to pay the bills could result in letters from debt collection companies, a harmed credit rating and potentially even debt collectors at the door......

Per my message in other thread your downstream power level is too high and needs lowering - contact Virgin.

ok I cant say 100% the modem disconnected. The symptons were as follows tho.

1 - the dhcp was renegotiating.
2 - all internet connectivity stuff failed, loading websites, pings etc.
3 - I checked the modem logs and was some stuff in there that indicated it lost connection.
4 - the first time I did get the cycling lights, after that tho I think the connectivity and dhcp dropped but I had to power cycle the modem to bring it back.

I wont mention the contract thing, that was just something I am saying here. Although I could argue that the connection is currently not fit for purpose if it all got serious.

just read it

can my ping and speed issues be caused by that then? or would that just be causing the drops?

I seem to remember a recent post about a solution for somethnig similar from VM which involved holding the shift key. LOL.

actually give me some time because i can try to find a direct contact for you on the support department at vm. You will need to call between 9am and noon and be pretty adamant that you want this person. i will be back in a few minutes if i can find the details.