Random increase in ping and decrease in internet quality

[Markhunter122795]

So I randomly started getting a drastic increase in ping in all the games I've been playing. I usually get a constant 60-70 in League and CS:GO, as well as a constant 40-50 in Rocket League on a west coast server. In the last two or three weeks, the ping has been extremely inconsistent even on a wired connection. The best it gets to since this started is 100. I've run antivirus, malwarebytes, reinstalled drivers for my network adapter, motherboard, and graphics card, I've reinstalled windows, reinstalled steam, reinstalled the games, flushed my DNS as well as manually entered it, released my ipconfig, and reset my modem and router probably 100 times. Is it just my ISP having issues or is there anything else I can try before I contact them?

UPDATE: I just connected directly to my modem and the problem is very evident. Does this mean it is my ISP that is causing the issue?

 

[Ralston18]

ISP could be having problems yes.

But over that length of time my suspect would be a bad, failing, connection somewhere. A loose cable, bad splitter, someone tapping in....

Call your ISP and have them run some tests from their end. Make take two or three calls to "get their attention".

In the meantime go outside and, as safely as you can, inspect the cabling coming into your residence. Look for cracked insulation, bare metal showing, corrosion, rust, hard kinks or cable twists, rodent chews, water/moisture, any physical damage to the cables or connecting "boxes".

And keep documenting the problem. ISP will usually try to say that the problem is on your end.... at least at first.

 

[Markhunter122795]

Unfortunately I live in a complex so I have no idea where to look.

 

[Ralston18]

In that case, I suggest speaking with the manager and seeing if he or she will help you (and perhaps other tenants) look into the matter.

However, you may be able to spot something by just walking around outside and looking at the wires coming into the building, etc.

Or look around in common areas such as storage spaces, laundry rooms. Look for wires, boxes, switches - anything that you can find. Chat with other tenants. See if they have problems.

Could be someone is stealing or otherwise abusing the services being offered/available. Will take some direct effort on your part as I understand the situation.

 

[Markhunter122795]

In that case, I suggest speaking with the manager and seeing if he or she will help you (and perhaps other tenants) look into the matter.

However, you may be able to spot something by just walking around outside and looking at the wires coming into the building, etc.

Or look around in common areas such as storage spaces, laundry rooms. Look for wires, boxes, switches - anything that you can find. Chat with other tenants. See if they have problems.

Could be someone is stealing or otherwise abusing the services being offered/available. Will take some direct effort on your part as I understand the situation.

I've got a technician from my ISP coming tomorrow to check the setup outside. If he doesn't find anything then I'll contact my manager.

 

[Ralston18]

Good plan. Good luck.

But please feel free to post any further questions or concerns.

 

[Markhunter122795]

Good plan. Good luck.

But please feel free to post any further questions or concerns.

So I've called my ISP, they've sent a technician out to inspect the outside, and there has been no change in my problem. But I did notice a trend. When I'm in a game and say I alt tab and look something up on google, my ping spikes drastically to over 1000 in some cases. Does this point to a bandwidth issue?

 

[Ralston18]

It could be bandwidth but it will take some effort to find the possible bottleneck(s).

You could do some testing:

Try changing your DNS Server to Google's website (8.8.8.8 ans 8.8.4.4) if you have not already done so.

(Note: ipconfig /all via the Command prompt will provide the current DNS Server settings.)

And you can run pathping and tracert from your Command prompt to the game's website and also Google's website.

Look for delays along the path.

Run the tests before and after changing the DNS Server.

Try some online speed tests - going to both nearby and distant servers. They may provide some additional insight.

 

[Markhunter122795]

It could be bandwidth but it will take some effort to find the possible bottleneck(s).

You could do some testing:

Try changing your DNS Server to Google's website (8.8.8.8 ans 8.8.4.4) if you have not already done so.

(Note: ipconfig /all via the Command prompt will provide the current DNS Server settings.)

And you can run pathping and tracert from your Command prompt to the game's website and also Google's website.

Look for delays along the path.

Run the tests before and after changing the DNS Server.

Try some online speed tests - going to both nearby and distant servers. They may provide some additional insight.

Thank you so much for your help! I actually figured it out. Something with Panda antivirus or the firewall was causing an issue with my bandwidth. It's uninstalled now and everything works perfectly!