Question Having random disconnects/packet loss

[Razorninja]

I've been at wits end trying to figure out what's causing this and I need some help. You see, ever since our infrastructure got fixed a month ago after it went out. My internet has been having these moments where it disconnects at random. It mostly occurs when gaming or streaming, but I've witnessed it happen at any moment. I've been running pingplotter over the past few days when it occurs and here's what I found. Whenever the DCs occur, I noticed immense packet loss from the second hop onward as shown in the example. Restarting the router and/or modem alleviates it, but it comes back randomly. I've been debating if it's a modem issue or not, but can anyone help me with this to make sure?

Pingplotter example

 

[bill001g]

It could be the modem but it can also be the wiring to the ISP which is more common. In some cases it is the in house wires but generally that doesn't just all the sudden start to happen.

I assume this is a cable modem ?

It varies a bit between brands but most have a screen that will show you all the signal levels both up and down. The exact recommended values vary a bit depending on the exact type of docsis. You will quickly get hits if you search for it.
The most common one to cause issue is if the upload signal level is too high. This tends to mean the ISP is having issues hearing your modem and telling it to transmit at a higher level. Most times this is outside your control but check that all connections appear tight and do not have dirt or water in them.

Some devices also have logs. Check to see if there are any entries about the time you see problems. Most issues are only things the ISP can fix. If you see the modem rebooting all the time then that could defective hardware most other stuff is some issue with the ISP equipment or maybe some interfering signal from one of your nieghbors if they for example hooked up some equipment incorrectly.

 

[Razorninja]

It could be the modem but it can also be the wiring to the ISP which is more common. In some cases it is the in house wires but generally that doesn't just all the sudden start to happen.

I assume this is a cable modem ?

It varies a bit between brands but most have a screen that will show you all the signal levels both up and down. The exact recommended values vary a bit depending on the exact type of docsis. You will quickly get hits if you search for it.
The most common one to cause issue is if the upload signal level is too high. This tends to mean the ISP is having issues hearing your modem and telling it to transmit at a higher level. Most times this is outside your control but check that all connections appear tight and do not have dirt or water in them.

Some devices also have logs. Check to see if there are any entries about the time you see problems. Most issues are only things the ISP can fix. If you see the modem rebooting all the time then that could defective hardware most other stuff is some issue with the ISP equipment or maybe some interfering signal from one of your nieghbors if they for example hooked up some equipment incorrectly.

Correct, I have a router that's connected to a cable modem. Hop 1 I know is my router and thankfully has no packet loss, so that rules it out. When I look at the modem after resetting it, I sometimes see the up arrow (or upload) blink green when almost all the others are solid. That's what made me deduce the modem could be the problem. Though I'm not ruling out the house wiring either

 

[bill001g]

Hard to say you would have to look up what the lights mean. Could be just a traffic indicator that is normal.

 

[Razorninja]

Wanted to updated on the issue I've been facing and have some goos news and bad news. The good news is my mom and I called our isp and we got our cables changed and our coaxial splitter replaced. The bad news however, is it didn't get rid of the issue. Not long after the repair guy did his work, the sudden disconnect/packet loss came back and it looks like the issue may very well be modem based. With that said I may need some recommendations for new cable modems that are cox compatible.

 

[bill001g]

In general most the arris ones are approved for almost all vendor. I think most linksys ones are also fine.

The problem is exactly which modem can vary even within the same ISP in the same city. Because ISP have purchased each other over time you get different systems in use and they have not upgraded all of them.

So many times you have to use the ISP web site and put in your address and it will give you a list of supported modems. You can in general use a higher end modem, say a docsis 3.1 on a older 3.0 or even 2.0 system you are just wasting money.

There are certain modem with a certain combination of channels that the ISP say is the minimum that will work based on the plan you purchase. You in general get nothing for buying a better modem if you do not plan to upgrade, or the ISP does not offer faster service.

The modems are pretty stupid devices and there is very little difference between brands. The ISP will update the firmware etc even if you own the device which is why you must use ones they say they support.