Intermittent network lag when hard-wired, intermittent "request timed out" pings

Question

I am running Windows 7 x64 SP1.

I have been experiencing intermittent network latency issues over the past week or so.

I most often experience the problem with web page delays and timeouts during gaming...

and intermittent "request timed out"s when pinging various servers.

The problem persists, whether I am wireless or hard-wired.

Right now, I am hard wired to the modem.

I have updated drivers, reset all hardware, and restarted the PC many times.

Both my modem (and router) are three months old.

Here are the results of a few ping tests:

Pinging etrade.com [12.153.224.22] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Reply from 12.250.158.14: Destination net unreachable.
Reply from 12.250.158.14: Destination net unreachable.
Reply from 12.250.158.14: Destination net unreachable.

Ping statistics for 12.153.224.22:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 3, Lost = 1 (25% loss),


Pinging comcast.net [69.252.80.75] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 69.252.80.75: bytes=32 time=42ms TTL=57
Reply from 69.252.80.75: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=57
Reply from 69.252.80.75: bytes=32 time=75ms TTL=57
Reply from 69.252.80.75: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=57

Ping statistics for 69.252.80.75:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 38ms, Maximum = 75ms, Average = 49ms






Pinging ua.com [96.45.82.161] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 96.45.82.161:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),






Pinging logmein.com [13.91.40.166] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 13.91.40.166:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),





Pinging ccomcast.net [172.98.192.37] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Reply from 172.98.192.37: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=53
Reply from 172.98.192.37: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=53
Reply from 172.98.192.37: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 172.98.192.37:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 3, Lost = 1 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 32ms, Maximum = 33ms, Average = 32ms






Windows Network Diagnostics:

Troubleshooting has successfully completed

Problems found:

Your computer appears to be correctly configured, but the device or resource 

(192.168.10.1) is not responding



Modem Diagnostics 192.168.100.1:

Status
The statuses listed show the connection state of the cable modem. They are used by 

your service provider to evaluate the operation of the cable modem.

Startup Procedure
Procedure   Status  Comment
Acquire Downstream Channel      Locked
Connectivity State  OK  Operational
Boot State  OK  Operational
Configuration File  OK  
Security    Enabled BPI+
DOCSIS Network Access Enabled   Allowed 



Downstream Bonded Channels
Channel Lock Status Modulation  Channel ID  Frequency   Power   SNR 

Corrected   Uncorrectables
1   Locked  QAM256  4   501000000 Hz    8.3 dBmV    40.3 dB 0   0
2   Locked  QAM256  1   483000000 Hz    8.5 dBmV    40.6 dB 0   0
3   Locked  QAM256  2   489000000 Hz    9.2 dBmV    40.9 dB 0   0
4   Locked  QAM256  3   495000000 Hz    8.8 dBmV    40.6 dB 0   0
5   Locked  QAM256  8   525000000 Hz    8.5 dBmV    40.6 dB 0   0
6   Locked  QAM256  9   531000000 Hz    6.8 dBmV    40.1 dB 0   0
7   Locked  QAM256  10  537000000 Hz    8.6 dBmV    40.4 dB 0   0
8   Locked  QAM256  15  567000000 Hz    2.9 dBmV    38.6 dB 0   0
9   Locked  QAM256  16  573000000 Hz    5.9 dBmV    39.7 dB 0   0
10  Locked  QAM256  17  579000000 Hz    6.4 dBmV    39.8 dB 0   0
11  Locked  QAM256  18  585000000 Hz    6.4 dBmV    39.9 dB 0   0
12  Locked  QAM256  19  591000000 Hz    6.5 dBmV    39.7 dB 0   0
13  Locked  QAM256  20  597000000 Hz    7.8 dBmV    40.0 dB 0   0
14  Locked  QAM256  22  609000000 Hz    6.3 dBmV    39.7 dB 0   0
15  Locked  QAM256  23  615000000 Hz    6.5 dBmV    39.7 dB 0   0
16  Locked  QAM256  24  621000000 Hz    6.1 dBmV    39.7 dB 0   0




Upstream Bonded Channels
Channel Lock Status US Channel Type Channel ID  Symbol Rate Frequency   

Power
1   Locked  ATDMA   61  5120 Ksym/sec   35800000 Hz 43.8 dBmV
2   Locked  ATDMA   62  5120 Ksym/sec   29400000 Hz 42.0 dBmV
3   Locked  ATDMA   63  5120 Ksym/sec   23000000 Hz 40.3 dBmV
4   Locked  ATDMA   64  5120 Ksym/sec   16600000 Hz 39.0 dBmV


Current System Time: Mon May 07 10:11:37 2018

I have a service call appointment with my ISP tech this week, but is there something else that I can try?

Thanks very much in advance.

Eriq

Solution 1

A couple things I learned from working with a Comcast contractor over a couple summers.

1. New modems and set-top boxes had a high defective rate. It was about 1 in 10, so there is a chance it's defective out if the box.

2. Even new equipment was susceptible to bad/improper grounding at the homes/apt demarc & splitters.

3. Old & bad splitters can cause severe signal loss, and should be replaced. (Throw away any of the generic "gold" splitters you find.)

4. Some of the Arris gateways, and other bridge type cable modems will go into a boot loop trying to lock onto the carrier signal. The front LEDs are the only indication of this happening, because you can't reach the web gui while it's in this loop.

Your upstream and downstream signal to noise ratios are on the higher end of what is acceptable.

Ask the visiting tech to replace the connectors at the incoming line, (demarc & street tap). They are supposed to anyway on a visit, but don't always.

Disconnect all splitters in the house for troubleshooting. Make sure that the modem has a straight line to the incomming aerial or underground cable coming to your house.

If you can no longer recreate the issue you have a problem with your inside wiring, or splitters in the house.

Check the modem logs, looking for critical errors, and T3 timeouts.

T3 timeouts usually indicate a problem at the street level, and usually has to do with water in a repeater box, a source of interference on the feeder line etc.

If you see excessive reboots/power loss in the log, this is an indication of the unit being defective.

When you see the tech, make sure to mention you disconnected all splitters and set-top boxes. (Creating a home-run to the modem).

Solution 2

Given that your modem ping times out, there are only a limited amount of things that can be bad:

• Modem is dying and thus is dropping your pings (ICMP packets)
• Your computer is hogging the full connection and modem is discarding the packets. This can be due to a virus and given that you're hardwired to the modem with a SP1 Win7, this is not a small chance. This can also be you running higher priority traffic in volume from your machine (bittorrent) too but less likely.
• Modem has been taken over by hacker. It may sound like a joke but this is more and more common as IoT devices are being used to generate DDoS attacks or cryptocurrency. You can only be more likely sure of this when other problems are discarded as invalid.
• Your cable is bad and/or too long. I've seen this happen with self-made cables, cables that are run too far for their rating, and cables that are near high-voltage equipment. I'd put this as medium likelyhood but would be the first thing I would try to change.

Comments

[djsmiley2kStaysInside]

Try running a constant ping to your local gateway, I presume from your question that's 192.168.10.1. If this starts timing out at the same time as other things, the router/switch you're using is at fault or maybe your local PC- test with another machine confirm. If this continues to respond ok, it's something further upsteam (i.e. your ISP)

[Eriq Triumph]

Thanks for the quick reply. Continuous ping to 192.168.10.1 times out (I am currently hardwired, with the router not in use) . Unfortunately, I don't have another machine to test out. The modem is only 3 months old. Are you suggesting that it is having issues? Beyond my own equipment, this PC does connect fine via the local WiFi.

[Eriq Triumph]

Thanks for those suggestions. I've tried a few of them already, but I will repeat them to make sure. I doubt that it's the modem, but I'll go buy a new one just to make sure. To be continued....

[Eriq Triumph]

Very helpful info, thank you! Yes, unfortunately, I've had a little too much experience with Comcast. I was having issues last fall after Hurricane Irma and it took three months, 13 visits, and 2 escalations to finally get to the source of the problem. At that time, a line engineer finally found some kind of regulator on the line which was causing issues for the neighborhood.

[Eriq Triumph]

During all of that troubleshooting, all of the inside wiring, outside wiring, and taps were replaced. Everything has been ok since then until last week. I have no splitters, no set-top boxes. My TV isn't even hooked up.

[Eriq Triumph]

I've swapped out the ethernet cable.. I'm running three different AV programs to ensure there's no virus present.. but I will continue to monitor the modem logs (BTW, the modem is an Arris SB1683) and perhaps swap it out.

[Eriq Triumph]

Throughout the morning, the continuous pings to my modem sometimes run and sometimes time out.

[Tim_Stewart]

Check the SNR readings when it's working, and when it's intermittent. Compare the two, if they are the same, it's most likely a modem problem. If they are dramatically different, it means there is a problem with a repeater at the street level. Good luck!