Packet Loss Mystery- Low Ping, Random Packet Loss

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Nox31

Honorable
Jun 7, 2013
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10,510
Hey guys, hopefully someone can give me some insight as to how I can go about fixing my network issues. I've been having these issues off and on for months now, and it's finally getting on my nerves.

As of right now, whenever I ping a server, my ping is beautiful, staying under 20ms for the most part. But, I will randomly have a "Request timed out" message, obviously denoting that the packet never made it. This sporadic packet loss is causing all kinds of hell when I try to talk/ listen to chat in TeamSpeak and when playing online games.

My ISP is Comcast, who I have called numerous times, always saying that everything is good on their end. I have checked my modem info countless times and the levels are always in a good range, and the logs are never flooded with t3 and t4 timeouts, something my modem model ( Motorola SB 6121) has been notorious for doing.

Right now I'm connected directly through the modem via Ethernet cord and I have tried a long list of simple networking techniques to atleast try to give me some insight as to what's going on. I just got off the phone with Comcast and they're telling me I need a new modem, even though this modem is only a year old and it's running DOCSIS 3.0. Even with the joys of downstream/upstream channel bonding, this packet loss is making it pointless to play anything that needs a steady reliable connection.

*****************************************************************
Things I have tried:

Hardwired directly into the modem

Countless power cycles of both modem and router

Pingtest.com to numerous servers. Sometimes I get 0% packet loss, sometimes i get 2-3% packet loss

Pinging servers via command prompt. Everything looks fine and then boom "Request timed out."

Changed Ethernet cords and splitters

Updated firmware in router. Modem firmware looks like it updates automatically so that's up to date as well.
*****************************************************************

Like I said, the issue is so random, but I almost always have at least 1-2 dropped packets within a 1 min time interval, and what makes no sense is that my pings are so low, yet that occasional dropped packet is just ruining any online game I try to play.

I'm about to go out and buy a new modem tonight just to see if it fixes the issue since, even hardwired into the modem, the issue is still there. I'm looking at the SB 6141, and I can always return it if the issue is still there. I can't imagine it being anything on my computer since this issue happens on all computers and the one I am currently on is fairly new.

If anyone has anything they can suggest I would greatly appreciate the help.
 
i would check if there are any firmware updates for your modem before buying a new one.

also check that the coax socket in your house and that the cable coming into it is connected properly and there is no corrosion on the connection.
 
I would test continuous ping to the first ISP connection. If you are directly attached to the modem this will be your default gateway. If you see no issues you have verified your modem is good and the connection to your house is good. If you get errors then you do what you propose and replace the modem. If still errors there is not a lot left beside the connection to your house and the ISP router or whatever you are pinging.
 
Thanks guys, I bought a replacement modem last night. Unfortunately I won't be able to get around to getting it set up until tomorrow after noon when I get off work. I'll go ahead and double check my splitters and cables again, but I had a tech out here a few months ago who replaced a few cables, put new heads on some of the coaxes, and put new splitters in.

I'll ping my default gateway and see where that gets me. Then, if needed, ill active this new modem and see if the problem remains.

I just find it amazing that my ping can be so low and then I get one dropped packet. Sometimes I drop a packet, have a few good pings, then drop another. Other times I can send 100 packets and only drop one. I'm gonna use ping plotter as well so I can at least get a visual representation of what's going on.

I'll check back tomorrow when I do a little more work and report my findings.
 
I downloaded pingplotter today to find out exactly where the packet loss is occurring. I am running a separate router and modem set up. When I have this set up, I to a quick trace to www.google.com. Hop 1 which is my router/default gateway is perfect. Hop 2 is where the sporadic packet loss randomly occurs. I'm not quite sure if hop 2 is my modem or not. When I do a ping test using command prompt I get the exact same results. Low pings across the board but random "Request Time Out." The new modem will be installed tomorrow, I didn't have the time to get it done today before work. Hopefully that fixes the issue.
 
*****Update*****

Installed my new Motorola SB 6141 today, got it all set up with Comcast. I was pretty happy for the fact that I'm now bonded downstream to 8 channels and bonded to 3 upstream. Thought my issue was fixed until I started playing Arma 3. Mid way through playing, even though the in game system told me my ping with the server was less than 20ms at any given time I checked, I decided to run a ping to google.com just to see if my connection wasn't dropping packets.

Unfortunately, the packet drop still occurred, and I checked ping plotter to confirm. Packet loss is occurring at Hop 2 which I'm assuming again is my modem (right now I'm running on my router and modem set up). The packet loss was only 10% at hop 2, yet when I mouse over the red bar on the graph it tells me 100% packet loss.

Now.... When i closed out of Arma and ran another ping test using ping plotter, everything looks solid for about 30 seconds and then I get a random jump in latency for literally 1 packet, or that one packet is lost, just like before.

Looks like the modem did nothing, so I will be calling Comcast to get a tech out here. I've also replaced my Ethernet cables and double checked every connection I can possibly find within my house. Everything checks out okay from what I can see but I'm no cable expert.

The funny thing I see packet loss all along the route when I watch ping plotter and nothing adds up. When I see 10% packet loss on hop 2, I see no packet loss anywhere else until like hop 8.

Pinging google.com [74.125.228.104] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=55
Request timed out.
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Request timed out.
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=24ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=55
Reply from 74.125.228.104: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=55

Ping statistics for 74.125.228.104:
Packets: Sent = 97, Received = 95, Lost = 2 (2% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 13ms, Maximum = 408ms, Average = 19ms

I just cut and pasted a brief section the show what my issue is, hence why the end numbers don't add up.

10 mins after this test I ran another test of another 100 packets and didn't lose a single packet.

I don't know where else to go in troubleshooting this issue haha.

Edit: If anyone knows any other software that may help me pinpoint this issue feel free. I use ping plotter but I'd like to know if there's anything else out there that may help out. Thanks
 
did you do those test connected directly to the modem and not through a router?

if its throught a router then your router could be faulty as hop 2 would be your router to your modem.

if its directly to the modem then hop 2 is your modem to the services cabinet in the street.
if its this then the problem is either your cable to your house or the accumulator in your street.
 
You really should only have 1 hop inside your house if you running the recommended install. If you have 2 hops both your router and your modem are doing NAT. You want to run the modem only as a modem not as a router. You want to set it to bridge mode. When it is in bridge mode it is completely transparent from a computer viewpoint. it will not show in traceroute or other tools.
 
2% packet loss is huge. You should be able it use a web based utility like DNSstuff to ping your modem's IP address. If it drops then it's upstream and Comcast whill be on the hook to fix it. The problem with Comcast is finding someone there that knows their a$$ from a hole in the ground in tech support....And Yes I've dealt with them and know thier business model, it's horrible...yet when they iron out the problems Comcast is a great service.

Your trouble shooting should start from the outside going in....
You need an objective observation and everything disconnected from your modem
 
The tests you see were ran while connected to the router an, d the modem. During this set up, hop 1 is the standard 192.168.1.1 ip address, and hop 2 is some other weird ip address that I can't even remember, but ping plotter says that the hop 2 ip is comcast related. I'm assuming this is to the connection ports that are outside because when I directly ping that ip, its not like pining my router where its <1ms everytime. Instead it ranges from 5-10ms. Before replacing the modem, I tried directly hooking to the modem and my issues were EXACTLY the same as what I'm experiencing now.

Tomorrow, I will go ahead and connect directly to the modem and see what kind of results I get, although I'm already anticipating to yield the same results.

What pisses me off was before I left for work, which was about 20 mins after my previous post, I ran 3 tests pinging google.com again with 100 packets, since the problem will usually show itself within that area. All three tests there was 0% packet loss......

I'll give DNSstuff a try as well and see if anything drops and go from there.

Thank you guys for you're help, I really appreciate it.

Edit1: My modem should already be in "bridge mode" since this is just a modem, not a modem/router combo. As I recall, when I go into my modem page I can't change any setting at all, just watch signal levels, check logs, etc. Unless I have to go through some other device manager to make changes to the internal settings. But the IP on hop 2 isn't even a 192.168.x.x. ip, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that hop 2 is prolly the node in the street. Therefore my issue lies in the "last mile" from my house to the node outside my house. Hopefully I can find a knowledgeable tech to help fix this.
 


I would like to know what has transpired.......Best of luck!!!
 
Did you ever resolve this? I have been having the exact same problem, I've been on the phone with Comcast 3 times with no luck.
 
I did end up having a tech come out and take a look at things. He said the signal strength coming into the house was strong, but I was able to show him my packet loss logs I had saved. He said there was a good chance it was an underlying issue within the main line in my neighborhood. I haven't really noticed the problem much anymore but take that with a grain of salt as I have not been gaming a whole lot these past few months due to other priorities taking over. Gaming was when the issue revealed itself the most, but when I do get the extra time to game I don't see the 'rubber banding' occurring anymore.

Best of luck to you mplorentz. Hopefully it with resolve itself, or greatly improve over time.

Thank you everyone for your posts, replies, and answers I really appreciate it!
 


I had a similar problem,I used an old cable wire (coaxial) had corrosion ,i just cleaned all ends of coaxial,even the one coming in from the pole to my house with sand paper a paper towel.now i have zero packet loss.and eliminate any unnecessary spltiters.
 
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