Stuttering Internet Problems

[sambrintnall]

This is the first time I am using this site so I apologize ahead of time if I am posting this in the incorrect place. Anyway, throughout the last couple months I have been having issues with my internet.

The problem I am having though is when I go to play games online on my PS4, I lag every 20-30 seconds. To describe the problem better it is more "rubberbanding" or missing 5 seconds of action and then quickly it catches back up to where it was supposed to be.

To start with, when testing my speeds I consistently get 100 mpbs+ down and 20 mpbs+ up. Also, my PS4 is plugged directly in via ethernet. Anyway, my ISP says it is fine, and have been out to the house 3 times to check and replace any splitters, and do any maintenance on their end.

Unfortunately, every time the problem has not gone away after each visit right away. Timeframe wise, I believe this has been happening for over a year, but I have not really noticed until recently because of how I have got into gaming. Within the last year, I would say the first 8 months this problem has occurred. Then randomly for a month, everything was fine and I couldn't have been more satisfied. Then 10th month back to the lag, followed by the 11th month returning to good, and now, the 12th month, we are back to the lag.

I know it isn't the PS4 itself, because I have two and both have experienced the same issues at the same time. I know it isn't the game specifically and the companies servers, because the lag occurs on every game. I also know it isn't my home network being overloaded Could it be the wiring in the house?. Any thoughts would be MUCH APPRECIATED. I am about to lose my mind because it really feels like I cannot do anything to fix this problem.

["Wall of text" divided in to paragraphs by moderator for easier reading]

 

[Ralston18]

Question - this: "Could it be the wiring in the house?"

Does your house have built-in Ethernet wiring with a centrally located patch panel and Ethernet wall jacks?

Or are you using powerline adapters and wall electrical outlets?

I expect that the tech's only swapped cables/connectors on their side of things; i.e., up to and including your modem or modem/router if ISP provided.

Try swapping other cables with known working cables, splitter/filters on your side. That is starting from the first device you own.

What make and model router do you have - may need a firmware update. Check the router's logs if available and enabled.

Do some additional testing. Turn off all devices except the PS4. Play as normal. Then bring on other devices one by one. Watch for some drop in performance. May be hard to discover a particular problem device especially with the lag only occurring intermittently.

I understand that you believe that your network is not "overloaded". However, "load" goes beyond the number of physically connected devices. It only takes one device to continually send out (for whatever reason) packet after packet and degrade network performance.

 

[sambrintnall]

Question - this: "Could it be the wiring in the house?"

Does your house have built-in Ethernet wiring with a centrally located patch panel and Ethernet wall jacks?

Or are you using powerline adapters and wall electrical outlets?

I expect that the tech's only swapped cables/connectors on their side of things; i.e., up to and including your modem or modem/router if ISP provided.

Try swapping other cables with known working cables, splitter/filters on your side. That is starting from the first device you own.

What make and model router do you have - may need a firmware update. Check the router's logs if available and enabled.

Do some additional testing. Turn off all devices except the PS4. Play as normal. Then bring on other devices one by one. Watch for some drop in performance. May be hard to discover a particular problem device especially with the lag only occurring intermittently.

I understand that you believe that your network is not "overloaded". However, "load" goes beyond the number of physically connected devices. It only takes one device to continually send out (for whatever reason) packet after packet and degrade network performance.

Well the house is well over 40 years old and does not have ethernet ports in the wall sockets. So I am going to have to say no. Using Coaxial cables that connects to my modem that the ISP provides.

The model of router I have is a Netgear AC1750. That might be the problem because this might be a whole new problem of and in itself, but I have been unable to connect to my router via ethernet on my desktop to make any changes like port forwarding, DMZ, etc. let alone check and see if an update is needed on my router. I believe it is because it is in bridge mode or due to my modem being a router too.

I have tried playing with just my modem plugged in and having the router disconnected, but the problem was still there. I have a suspicion it could be due to my modem being a router too. I have 3 tivos in my household for 3 different rooms and a main box in the living room. They all connect to my modem's router constantly.

Hopefully this gives you some more information.

 

[Ralston18]

What make and model modem (or modem/router) is provided by your ISP?

If modem only the connections should be as shown on Page 13 of the manual.

If modem/router the modem/router should be connected to your router via a [LAN] <--- Ethernet cable ---> [LAN] connection.

And only one of them (modem/router or router) should be assigning DHCP IP addresses to network devices.

If your connections are different then please provide a diagram.

Run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) from your desktop and post the results.

Do you have the User Guide/Manual for the Netgear AC1750?

If not:

http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R6700/R6700_UM_22July2014.pdf

Confirm your setup per the manual's instructions and guidelines. Reconnect antenna's and angle as recommended.

Check the troubleshooting tips in Chapter 14, Page 168.

Look at the LEDs per Page 169.

Note: Who manages the router? If you do not have the administrative login name and password you will not be able to check the router's configuration or view attached devices (Page 143).

You do have option do a factory reset and start completely over with your network setup.

 

[sambrintnall]

What make and model modem (or modem/router) is provided by your ISP?

If modem only the connections should be as shown on Page 13 of the manual.

If modem/router the modem/router should be connected to your router via a [LAN] <--- Ethernet cable ---> [LAN] connection.

And only one of them (modem/router or router) should be assigning DHCP IP addresses to network devices.

If your connections are different then please provide a diagram.

Run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) from your desktop and post the results.

Do you have the User Guide/Manual for the Netgear AC1750?

If not:

http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R6700/R6700_UM_22July2014.pdf

Confirm your setup per the manual's instructions and guidelines. Reconnect antenna's and angle as recommended.

Check the troubleshooting tips in Chapter 14, Page 168.

Look at the LEDs per Page 169.

Note: Who manages the router? If you do not have the administrative login name and password you will not be able to check the router's configuration or view attached devices (Page 143).

You do have option do a factory reset and start completely over with your network setup.

The model is Technicolor 8717.

I ran the ipconfig/all but what results do you need to see? I can post those specifically just not sure how safe it is to share that info.

I have administrative access to both the modem and the Netgear router that I own. I have also factory reset my router in the past, so I am thinking maybe it is a DHCP problem?

When I game though, I have been connecting directly to the modem (Technicolor 8717) because I can open the necessary ports only through the ISP's modem. I am not able to access my personal Netgear router and open ports, etc because whenever I try to access my router on my desktop, by doing the usually http://192.168.0.1/ it takes me to this link https://mediacom-prod.clearaccess.com/prime-home/control-panel/login?device=705A9E:705A9E504303.

I have figured out how to get by this though, and get to the administrative tools etc. for the ISP's modem/router (Technicolor 87170) and open ports on there.

This is what I use to get past the error page http://192.168.0.1/admin

 

[Ralston18]

Is Mediacom your ISP?

If you enter 192.168.1.1 directly into your browser does that gain you direct access to your Netgear router versus the Mediacom(?) Technicolor 8717 modem/router via/at 192.168.0.1?

If 192.168.1.1 does not work to access your Netgear router, try 192.168.0.2

And it is okay to post the results of "ipconfig /all".

However if there are any names that can personally identify you then do redact the name to just a letter or two.

And you can also the last 2 or 3 parts of the MAC (Physical Address) that identifies your Ethernet Identifier.


You do not want to publish your "Public" IP. That is the IP address assigned to you/your modem by your ISP.

 

[sambrintnall]

Is Mediacom your ISP?

If you enter 192.168.1.1 directly into your browser does that gain you direct access to your Netgear router versus the Mediacom(?) Technicolor 8717 modem/router via/at 192.168.0.1?

If 192.168.1.1 does not work to access your Netgear router, try 192.168.0.2

And it is okay to post the results of "ipconfig /all".

However if there are any names that can personally identify you then do redact the name to just a letter or two.

And you can also the last 2 or 3 parts of the MAC (Physical Address) that identifies your Ethernet Identifier.


You do not want to publish your "Public" IP. That is the IP address assigned to you/your modem by your ISP.

Yes, Mediacom is my ISP.

Thank you for providing me with that other link. I was able to access my router that way and check. There are zero firmware updates available and my router is in access point mode if that means anything.

Here are the results. https://imgur.com/a/YcN5RHL

 

[Ralston18]

"ipconfig /all" indicates that 192.168.0.1 is the DHCP Server. That being the Technicolor 8717.

Is DHCP disabled on the Netgear AC1750 router? What IP address did you assign to the Netgear Router?

Also; is the Ethernet cable connecting the Technicolor 8717 and the AC1750 using LAN ports on both ends?

Using the AC1750 as an Access Point requires that it be configured accordingly.

Start with the following link to verify your configuration settings:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-WiFi-Routers/Access-Point-Mode-on-a-R6700v2/td-p/1338151

Google for additional links and information if necessary.

 

[sambrintnall]

"ipconfig /all" indicates that 192.168.0.1 is the DHCP Server. That being the Technicolor 8717.

Is DHCP disabled on the Netgear AC1750 router? What IP address did you assign to the Netgear Router?

Also; is the Ethernet cable connecting the Technicolor 8717 and the AC1750 using LAN ports on both ends?

Using the AC1750 as an Access Point requires that it be configured accordingly.

Start with the following link to verify your configuration settings:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-WiFi-Routers/Access-Point-Mode-on-a-R6700v2/td-p/1338151

Google for additional links and information if necessary.

I have a cable connecting to the Netgear port labeled 'wan" and have that plugged into ethernet port 2 on my technicolor.

According to my LAN port, it says DHCP is on. Here the picture

http://

 

[Ralston18]

Technicolor router to Netgear router should be LAN to LAN.

Disable DHCP on the Netgear router. Assign the Netgear router a Static IP, 192.168.0.2 and ensure that that IP address is outside of the DHCP IP address range allowed to the Technicolor router.

The following link should help:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Wireless-N-Routers/Make-a-router-just-a-wireless-access-point/td-p/1319626

 

[sambrintnall]

Technicolor router to Netgear router should be LAN to LAN.

Disable DHCP on the Netgear router. Assign the Netgear router a Static IP, 192.168.0.2 and ensure that that IP address is outside of the DHCP IP address range allowed to the Technicolor router.

The following link should help:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Wireless-N-Routers/Make-a-router-just-a-wireless-access-point/td-p/1319626

Alright, I will do that. Do you think that could be causing some interference or problems? Should or could I just plug the cable from the ethernet on the modem to a port on the netgear router?

 

[Ralston18]

With the Netgear AC1750 being an Access Point then the Ethernet connection between it and the Technicolor 8717 should be LAN to LAN.

No harm, per se, in just correcting the physical connection.

If unsuccessful, move on to re-configuring the IP addresses, etc..

However, let's make sure that we are not mixing up terminology:

https://www.blacknovadesigns.co.uk/blog/wireless-access-points-vs-wireless-repeaters

I am thinking Access Point. You may be doing Range Extender, Repeater, Booster.

Do need to ensure I have not gone off track.

 

[sambrintnall]

http://

 

[sambrintnall]

With the Netgear AC1750 being an Access Point then the Ethernet connection between it and the Technicolor 8717 should be LAN to LAN.

No harm, per se, in just correcting the physical connection.

If unsuccessful, move on to re-configuring the IP addresses, etc..

However, let's make sure that we are not mixing up terminology:

https://www.blacknovadesigns.co.uk/blog/wireless-access-points-vs-wireless-repeaters

I am thinking Access Point. You may be doing Range Extender, Repeater, Booster.

Do need to ensure I have not gone off track.

Here I will provide you a pictures of my current set up before I turn dhcp off and do anything else. I think it will help us both understand. Because I am not using a range extender. The name of the mode the router is automatically in due to my modem is caled "access point mode"

Here are some pictures

http://


I was looking at some other stuff too, and this seems to be a problem I keep running into. No matter what I do, I cannot gain the ability to go into the lan settings. This link describes my problem exactly.

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-WiFi-Routers/Cannot-disable-DHCP/td-p/1474316


Ignore the bolded stuff above. I believe I have got my router out of access point mode and I am able to disable DHCP. My problem now is, I cannot access my router again.. I am looking at my technicolor's administrative stuff and my router is not even connected it says... so I have no idea now how I am supposed to access my router if I wanted to change the password or something like that. Please help. I keep getting this page https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/routerlogin.html

 

[Ralston18]

The pictures are very helpful. Thank you.

The yellow cable connected to the Technicolor should connect to a LAN port on the router.

It appears that you have two LAN ports on the technicolor connected to the router. One being the yellow cable [2] and the other being the flat black cable [1]

There should only be one Ethernet cable connection from the Technicolor 8717 to the Netgear AC1750. And LAN to LAN. Ensure that the LAN ports being used are configured to be LAN and not WAN.

The other thing that I see are those flat black "Ethernet" (?) cables. Where did they come from?

Use twisted pair Cat 5e cables for all Ethernet cables and ensure that they all have the same pinouts. E.g., 568B - should be printed on the insulation.

Someone else is likely to spot another issue or two and add further comment. Fine with me.

 

[sambrintnall]

The pictures are very helpful. Thank you.

The yellow cable connected to the Technicolor should connect to a LAN port on the router.

It appears that you have two LAN ports on the technicolor connected to the router. One being the yellow cable [2] and the other being the flat black cable [1]

There should only be one Ethernet cable connection from the Technicolor 8717 to the Netgear AC1750. And LAN to LAN. Ensure that the LAN ports being used are configured to be LAN and not WAN.

The other thing that I see are those flat black "Ethernet" (?) cables. Where did they come from?

Use twisted pair Cat 5e cables for all Ethernet cables and ensure that they all have the same pinouts. E.g., 568B - should be printed on the insulation.

Someone else is likely to spot another issue or two and add further comment. Fine with me.

Alright so the yellow cable I plugged into a lan port on router instead of the prior where I had it plugged into the "yellow WAN" port and now I am unable to find my netgear genie or able to access my router's settings. Does the router not have an assigned IP now since I plugged the router to the modem via lan port now? If so, how would I change the password if I wanted to or change the name of the wifi?

I am sorry to confuse you with the black ethernet cord in the picture. That black ethernet is a Cat 5 I believe and connects to my PS4 (the console where I am experiencing the lag)

I would also like to note that I am still experiencing stutters while gaming... I have even checked and opened up the wall sockets to make sure the connectors/cables are not bent in an odd way and I am still experiencing this stutter... I have no idea what the problem is at this point.

 

[Ralston18]

As a reference guide:

https://kb.netgear.com/20927/How-do-I-change-my-NETGEAR-router-to-AP-mode-after-I-ve-already-run-setup

And do try some other Ethernet "twisted pair" Cat 5e cables versus those flat black "made as cheaply as possible" cables.

The flat black cables may have worked for awhile but overtime have degraded - plug terminations may be working loose.

You should be able to connect the Netgear router directly to a computer using a known working Ethernet cable.

Then access the Netgear router via the computer's browser using the router's default IP address versus "Netgear's website.

Reconfigure the AC1750 as an access point and then unplug the Ethernet connection from the computer and plug into the Technicolor modem/router. Do remember to save your configuration settings on the Netgear Router (now an Access Point).

 

[sambrintnall]

As a reference guide:

https://kb.netgear.com/20927/How-do-I-change-my-NETGEAR-router-to-AP-mode-after-I-ve-already-run-setup

And do try some other Ethernet "twisted pair" Cat 5e cables versus those flat black "made as cheaply as possible" cables.

The flat black cables may have worked for awhile but overtime have degraded - plug terminations may be working loose.

You should be able to connect the Netgear router directly to a computer using a known working Ethernet cable.

Then access the Netgear router via the computer's browser using the router's default IP address versus "Netgear's website.

Reconfigure the AC1750 as an access point and then unplug the Ethernet connection from the computer and plug into the Technicolor modem/router. Do remember to save your configuration settings on the Netgear Router (now an Access Point).

Thank you for the info! I will try this! So it is worth going out and buying new ethernets? I have 3 black ethernets just like the pictures, two of them being 5 foot and used for my pc and ps4 and the last one being 50 ft. that goes to another side of the basement for my other entertainment set up. The 50 ft is the newest being 6 months old at max. The other two 5 foot ethernets are about 1 year old. Should I invest money into these other twisted ethernets instead?

 

[Ralston18]

Personally, I would get rid of the black Ethernet cables right from the start.

I had an "included" Cat 5e cable a couple of years ago that turned out to be slowing my network down. The difference was noticeable.

However, as we still do not know what the problem is per se then we must (as always) keep the troubleshooting methodical and controlled. Take nothing for granted.

If you can easily obtain Cat 5e Ethernet cables, then just purchase a couple of them. Maybe 10 feet or so. (Having some extra length available never hurts.)

If "going out" involves lots of time and travel (based on your determination) then no harm in picking up a full set of replacements. Again, having a few extra feet per cable can turn out to be quite handy.

Optionally, you may even borrow some cables from family or friends. Especially if they are "techie". We tend to end up with a box or drawer of full of cables somewhere about..... Key is Cat 5e and known to be working.

Connect the Ethernet cables but do so in controlled manner. E.g. Modem to router, router to a single PC, PC to Access Point. Ensure that the Ethernet cable is working and that the connection is stable.

 

[sambrintnall]

Personally, I would get rid of the black Ethernet cables right from the start.

I had an "included" Cat 5e cable a couple of years ago that turned out to be slowing my network down. The difference was noticeable.

However, as we still do not know what the problem is per se then we must (as always) keep the troubleshooting methodical and controlled. Take nothing for granted.

If you can easily obtain Cat 5e Ethernet cables, then just purchase a couple of them. Maybe 10 feet or so. (Having some extra length available never hurts.)

If "going out" involves lots of time and travel (based on your determination) then no harm in picking up a full set of replacements. Again, having a few extra feet per cable can turn out to be quite handy.

Optionally, you may even borrow some cables from family or friends. Especially if they are "techie". We tend to end up with a box or drawer of full of cables somewhere about..... Key is Cat 5e and known to be working.

Connect the Ethernet cables but do so in controlled manner. E.g. Modem to router, router to a single PC, PC to Access Point. Ensure that the Ethernet cable is working and that the connection is stable.

Alright, thank you so much for all of the help you have given me. I really appreciate it!

 

[Ralston18]

You are welcome.

Please feel free to continue posting if things do not work out.

Someone else may spot something I have missed by error of omission or commission.

No problem with that on my end.

 

[sambrintnall]

You are welcome.

Please feel free to continue posting if things do not work out.

Someone else may spot something I have missed by error of omission or commission.

No problem with that on my end.

I think I may have figured it out. I believe it is my router overwhelming my network. I cannot connect to online servers, login to a website, or load a page at it's normal speed with my router plugged in. As soon as turned it off everything went back to normal instantaneously. Any tips? Advice? I believe I have had this router for over 3 months so I am not sure if I can return it?

 

[Ralston18]

The router could be the problem provided there is some malfunction or failure therein: hardware, firmware, configuration....

I would (and do) still suspect some misconfiguration issue with respect to the modem and router's respective configurations.

When both are turned on and trying to do the same thing: e.g., assign DHCP IP addresses then all of the network devices and the network performance suffers.

Get everything working again (which does seem to be the case) with respect to the Technicolor modem/router as the only router. I.e., the Netgear router is completely off the network.

Do a factory reset on the Netgear router and start over from the beginning to set up the Netgear router as an Access Point. Check Netgear's website to ensure that there are no pending firmware updates for your Netgear AC1750.

The original configuration efforts may have failed especially if the original black "LAN" cables were causing communication problems.

Use the "How to" link provided in my May 7th post.

https://kb.netgear.com/20927/How-do-I-change-my-NETGEAR-router-to-AP-mode-after-I-ve-already-run-setup

 

[sambrintnall]

The router could be the problem provided there is some malfunction or failure therein: hardware, firmware, configuration....

I would (and do) still suspect some misconfiguration issue with respect to the modem and router's respective configurations.

When both are turned on and trying to do the same thing: e.g., assign DHCP IP addresses then all of the network devices and the network performance suffers.

Get everything working again (which does seem to be the case) with respect to the Technicolor modem/router as the only router. I.e., the Netgear router is completely off the network.

Do a factory reset on the Netgear router and start over from the beginning to set up the Netgear router as an Access Point. Check Netgear's website to ensure that there are no pending firmware updates for your Netgear AC1750.

The original configuration efforts may have failed especially if the original black "LAN" cables were causing communication problems.

Use the "How to" link provided in my May 7th post.

https://kb.netgear.com/20927/How-do-I-change-my-NETGEAR-router-to-AP-mode-after-I-ve-already-run-setup

Well, I've officially done everything possible equipment-wise and am still having this lag. I have the modem and router set up perfectly the way they should (even disabling wireless from my modem so there is no chance of interference with my Netgear) I replaced the coax cable connecting to my modem with a newer one that my ISP gave me so I know that shouldn't be the problem. My only thought left is that it is the wiring potentially in my house or some problem that is out of my control and has to do with my ISP.

 

[Ralston18]

For the moment the only thing I can think of to suggest is to go outside and look at as much of the incoming coax feed from your ISP as you safely can. No climbing poles or up on roofs, etc..

Look of signs of cable damage, corrosion, rodent chews, nail or staple punches, bare metal showing. Especially check any splitters that are present. If there are any unused coax ports ensure that the ports are properly terminated versus just a dust cap.

Reference:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-F-Connector-Terminator-Caps-4-per-Pack-85-073/206810399

Splitters tend to become problematic as they age. Especially if outside in the weather.

You may find a barrel connector somewhere along the way where the tech's simple added a coax extension versus running a full new cable.

Sometimes disconnecting, cleaning, and reconnecting exterior coax connections can resolve issues.