Super slow network speeds

Also, if you're curious:

System
The data shown in the table below provides information about the system of your cable modem.

Nothing alarming there, could you log in to your account at http://www.cox.com and try running the speed test under Internet Tools and see what speeds you're able to get?

I'm right there with you Brian.  For the past five days or so I've experienced the worst download times that I can ever remember on Cox.  My kids can't play online games because of lag.  Most web pages load about 80% and then just hang there until I get frustrated and try to reload the page.  Usually the same thing happens again.  When I'm at work and my kids call me about this issue I just tell them to reboot the modem and router which sometimes helps.  But not now.  Bought a brand new modem from Cox not that long ago and that was supposed to prevent all of this.  My iPad is useless for surfing the web now.  Just a big paperweight.  I hope they get you fixed.  Hang in there.

MurphDog said:

I'm right there with you Brian.  For the past five days or so I've experienced the worst download times that I can ever remember on Cox.  My kids can't play online games because of lag.  Most web pages load about 80% and then just hang there until I get frustrated and try to reload the page.  Usually the same thing happens again.  When I'm at work and my kids call me about this issue I just tell them to reboot the modem and router which sometimes helps.  But not now.  Bought a brand new modem from Cox not that long ago and that was supposed to prevent all of this.  My iPad is useless for surfing the web now.  Just a big paperweight.  I hope they get you fixed.  Hang in there.

Everything on this end looks great with your connection.  The speed test somebody did today was even 50% over the provisioned rate you're paying for.  Is it just wireless devices you're having trouble with?

Here is what I got.

Your Results Start Cox Net Download Speed Upload Speed   Latency Your IP Address   Cox Market Sat Apr 6 8:58 AM Yes 1 Mbps 1 Mbps 70 millisec 68.2.100.240 Phoenix

This was on my laptop, which I'm connecting via wireless.  I checked on my desktop, which is connecting through a wired connection and the results are comparable.  I just went straight to speedtest.net which is who you guys are using for your speed test tech.

This is no bueno for me.

I'm not seeing your results on your account, could you try logging in and running the test again?  We can't guarantee the speeds to external tests.

Here you go.  This is a wired.  And the exact DL speed was 1.7Mbps.  The summary rounds a bit.  :-)

Your Results Start Cox Net Download Speed Upload Speed   Latency Your IP Address   Cox Market Sat Apr 6 9:55 AM No 2 Mbps 1 Mbps 58 millisec 68.2.100.240 Phoenix

Not much better I see, are you able to try testing again without the router to see if that could be a factor at all?

Glad to hear it was as simple as that at least.

Chris,

I reset the router to factory defaults, re-set up all my security and now I'm pulling >20Mbps.  Not sure what was going on with the router.  I had tried the "unplug it and plug it back in" method already.  Weird.

Anyway, thanks again for all your help. You are indeed a gentleman and a scholar.  :-)

Brian.

What kind of router is it? Or is that allowed here? I know Cox moderators can't go that far but is that a topic of discussion for users?

Customers are free to discuss whatever they like so long as it's consistent with the forum rules:

http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/internet_forum/f/5/t/1436.aspx

Linksys WRT160n.

Well first I am assuming you have hardware version 1 and so I am going by this emulator. http://ui.linksys.com/files/WRT160N/v1/1.01.21/index.htm  I am also assuming most settings are default since you did a factory reset to get the password and have a basic knowledge of networking. These are just my suggestions, if anyone has counter-points, feel free to chime in.  With that said:

1. Wireless

Set Network Mode to G only. Unless you have all N capable devices, I find the "Mixed" is more trouble then its worth. If you do have all N wireless capable devices, then by all means set it to N only.

Network Name (SSID) doesn't matter as long as it's not the default.

Radio Band depends on what you have your network set to. If G only, it locks it down. If you have yours set to N only, I would suggest setting the band to Auto.

Standard Channel, again this depends on the network mode and radio band. If your network is set to N and band is set to Auto, it will also lock the channels. If you have your network set to G only then that gets tricky. The best way is to use a scanner to see what channels are least congested and choose that one. For a simple look try Wifi Stumbler at http://tools.meraki.com/stumbler#q=  which is just a java applet so no download needed.  For something a bit more in-depth try netstumbler or if you really want to go deep try Wireshark. All free.

Then go to Wireless > Wireless Security. This again depends what devices you have on your network. I find this is a good mix

Security Mode: WPA Personal

Encryption: AES

Passphrase: At-least 8 characters. Can be all numbers, all letters, or a mixture of both. I suggest something hard to guess but easy to remember, like the first letter of each word for your favorite movie or book then favorite number.

Key Renewal: Keep this default.

Then go to Applications and Gaming and disable WMM Support. I find it hurts more then it helps with the good neighbor policy.

2. Security

Security > Firewall > Internet Filter and check "Filter Multicast"

Administration > Management > Web Utility via Wireless set to disable. Just remember you did this. And while your here click on "Backup Configuration" AFTER all settings have been set and saved. Will make it easier is you ever have to factory reset again.

3. Log

Administration > Log and set to Enable. 

Status > Local Network > Click DHCP Client Table. Try changing the different sort options. See if you notice any client names or IP you don't recognize. If you do, go back to the logs you have enabled and look at the traffic for that device. That might show you if there is something on your network using bandwidth you don't know about, or even a computer infected with some kind of worm or bot. 

4. Troubleshooting.

If none of that works, try simple isolation. Go hard wired to the router, is it faster? If so, problem is wireless. If not, then problem is wired. Try turning of wired devices one by one until your speed returns to "normal". Remember though that normal is relative so don't look for perfection, just for large bottlenecks. If ALL else fails, you can try a firmware update, but I won't go into that here since that should only be done at your own risk. My only tip on that is to make sure you update it by WIRED connection only. You don't want to brick your router. I have seen it happen.