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Veze1000's avatar
Veze1000
New Contributor
5 years ago

Packet loss and jitter so bad I can't even work from home

This issue seems to be getting worse and worse with time.  It started a few months ago, occasional missed ping/packet, small ping spikes every once in a while, but over time the issue is getting worse.  As I am typing now I am seeing 26% packet loss, and the pings that do come back are for the most part well over 100ms, sometimes even greater than 200.  A few times a day the connection is going down completely for anywhere from 10 min to a half hour at a time.  I'm trying to work from home, but I have to keep refreshing web pages for them to actually load half the time, I can't use my virtual softphone through my desktop to make calls, and I have a very important Zoom call this afternoon which I am confident I won't be able to participate in now.  

For some background, here is my setup and how I have tested.  I am using a desktop PC with a direct wired connection to my router.  Using an SB8200 modem which I just bought 2 weeks ago hoping the modem was the issue (it wasn't).  I have verified the router is not the issue, as I have tested by plugging my PC directly into the modem and rebooting the modem.  Even after the modem boots up and my PC connects to the internet, I still see the abhorrent ping times and packet loss.  I did have a Cox technician come a week ago who was very courteous.  He replaced the coax connections from the modem to the demarcation point as a precaution, despite his tests showing that part of the connection was fine.  However when he ran a test from the box in the street out to a server on the internet, his tool indicated high jitter and packet loss.  He said he would pass the issue up to a higher level engineering team, but I haven't heard back from Cox at all if the issue is being looked at, identified, or addressed.  I know others around me have been having similar issues.  How can I find out if something is going to be fixed if it is at this higher level?  Making it so I can't do my job is a fairly significant impact, and if Cox isn't going to fix this issue, can I at least be allowed to cancel my internet plan without paying a fee?  I need to switch to an ISP with a stable connection. I can't withstand going through the online live chat or phone call support anymore.  They are nice and well-intentioned, but I know they can't help with what is clearly an issue at a higher level.

The link below shows what I am currently seeing with my ping loss, jitter, and the traceroutes I have performed indicating the issue seems to be happening at the neighborhood level.  

https://imgur.com/a/hfwiEC9

10 Replies

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  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor II

    Can you post your signal levels from 192.168.100.1? See here for more info. Also, check your logs around the time of the disconnects. Do you see any T3 or T4 errors? If you post the logs, make sure to edit out your MAC address.

    • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
      WiderMouthOpen
      Esteemed Contributor II

      While most of the packet loss is at hop 2, which is between modem and Cox, some of the pingplotter shows packet loss happening at the router itself. It could just be how your router is handling ICMP packets. Have you tried bypassing the router and connecting direct to the modem and tried streaming then?

      • preops72's avatar
        preops72
        New Contributor III

        I have not but certainly can try and test it! 

        Though mind you these same issues have been occurring on these other 2 routers that I tried using to resolve the issue before the one I now have.

        Router 2: IQrouter – IQRV3 - Link: https://a.co/d/fLycbpf 

        Router 3: TP-Link AC5400 Tri Band WiFi Gaming Router(Archer C5400X) - Link: https://a.co/d/2g0qmUx