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wildbailey's avatar
wildbailey
New Contributor III
4 years ago

Packet loss: Cox split the node, but it didn't help!?

I'm extremely saddened, disappointed, and heartbroken right now. We've been having extreme packet loss and latency spikes for the last 7 months. I posted about the experience four months ago here: ...
  • wildbailey's avatar
    4 years ago

    This is resolved.

    Cox has informed me that it's normal for them to continue monitoring and making adjustments to the area for up to 14 days after the node split.

    The latency, packet loss, and jitter issues we experienced were remedied by increasing the number of upstream channels in the area. I'm not sure if a node split is a prerequisite to that, but from what I understand, they were planning out and working on this entire upgrade for several months at least.

    Now I have some advice for others with similar issues:

    • Don't focus on packet loss. It seems that Cox's tools for testing their network are far less eager to declare a packet "lost" than most software. If you notice that your packet loss occurs alongside spikes in latency, then emphasize the latency spikes instead.

    • Don't give up if the first technician can't find anything. Have a couple more come out until someone spots it. If possible, try to schedule techs around times that you know the problem occurs most frequently.

    • It seems that Cox does not entirely respect PingPlotter or treat its results with much weight. In fact, 2 of the 3 technicians who visited our residence gave their own unique excuse for why it's not reliable. That said, it's a great tool to identify times of day where the issue occurs most frequently for the purpose of scheduling a technician.

    • Once a technician does finally manage to see the issue, they will open an internal maintenance ticket. At this point, the issue is beyond technicians and you will need to wait (potentially several months or longer) for a resolution. 

    The most frustrating part of this entire situation has been the lack of information. Throughout all of the emails, calls, chats, and technicians, I was unable to get Cox to definitively confirm:

    • If they were aware of our issue.
    • If they were aware of a wider issue with our area.
    • That work was planned or ongoing in the area to address our issue.

    It seems that an informal FCC complaint is the "way to go" for answers like those. I didn't file one while the issue was ongoing due to a neighbor providing us with information.

    Thanks all for the help along the way!