Exx0dus's dashboard

Exx0dus,
Email me your account info. This can be a few different things, but will require a deep dive into this. The first step will be some simple tests that I will run on your modem. Included in this will be tests to determine packet loss within the Comcast Network. For this I will need account info. If from there we are unable to determine the trouble, we will do some traceroutes to determine where the drop are occurring. From that information we may be able to find the cause and correct it for you. Since I know what you have been dealing with, please email me directly.

I apologize for the trouble, but we will figure it out!

Thank you!
Frank Eliason
frank_eliason@cable.comcast.com

Update.
So I have tried the call to comcast support again. I end up getting frustrated on the phone because they only go back to the same ol' line of is it your router or cable or etc.... could be your cable and oh you replaced your cable then it might be the connections on the cable. They will not believe that there is a problem and now I am about to do the last and final step by renting a new modem from them. If this does not fix the issue of the dropped packets they said I would have to call in to have a basic tech come onsite again and do the same tests that the other one did and then they might once again find something wrong with my cables. As comcast states we don't drop packets. Our outside lines are big and sturdy so it must be your house causing your issue that we can't see. It is sad to say but I will be forced to drop my cable internet for the first time since I started back in 1998 with the @home service. My only other option in this area is a sad 1.5 dsl from Qwest.

Just one more line. I said, "...62ms to 215ms is probably okay. Packets aren't considered lost until somewhere over 1000ms has passed..." -- this doesn't mean that 1000ms is okay, nor is 216ms okay -- especially if you're a gamer. :-) – Robb Topolski, on June 30, 2008 02:33

Great job, Exx0dus! Based on everything that youv'e said here, the problem is not your hardware and it is not your router (since you earlier said you tested without your router).

The next logical test is one that you cannot complete -- it has to be done by a technician on a truck.

62ms to 215ms is probably okay. Packets aren't considered lost until somewhere over 1000ms has passed, and MS's version of ping can count these as found well beyond that if they do eventually reply. So your problem is not delayed packets, it is lost packets.

The technician should perform two tests. One is to ping various points up the "traceroute" chain to discover whether or not the loss is on the DOCSIS side of your connection or on the IP side of it. I'd tell you to do this yourself, but no matter what the results are, the tech is not going to trust them unless he's performed them himself (several reasons for this, most of them legitimate).

Secondly, assuming the cause is on the DOCSIS side, someone has to connect a cable modem to the wire at the curb or pole -- and progressively upstream -- until they can find the point of ingress/egress of the signal. While your signal strength is fine, 6% to 15% loss is deep into the unacceptable range.

There is no such thing as a recreational Internet connection. I already hate the word "residential" -- a word that Comcast likes to use to describe its services -- but consider that you use your residential telephone for plenty of non-recreational uses -- including complaining to Comcast. A residential line does not mean recreational and that word ought to be dropped from their vocabulary immediately!

Good job, Exx0dus. I hate to turn you back on them -- if some of this seems Greek to you, just print it off and show the tech. They will know how to interpret it. – Robb Topolski, on June 30, 2008 02:30

Hey Robb,

I have done the test and I get random amount of drops each time. Amounts range from 6% loss to 15% loss to google. I get a spread of time from 62ms to 214ms. I have followed the suggestions of Comcast. I have changed every cable in the house and have connected my computer directly to the modem with no splitters. Dropped any running software (firewalls, etc..) It happens on all four of my computers so its not a computer issue. I can not play any kind of online game on the computer or the Wii (Mario Kart). My downloads will stop and start (ftp server, Http downloads, etc..) I have tried streaming video and it pauses way to much. Example: Lost on ABC.com in High def will require a constant 2mb connections which I was able to do anytime of the day until the middle of May. I do not have an issue with the bandwith just the inability comcast has in keeping a constant connection. I hope someone can understand why I am frustrated as comcast will only state it is only a recreational account and my signals all look fine. LOL – Exx0dus, on June 30, 2008 00:30

Silvervein's problem and resolution shows this to be a problem with Netgear's router and not the Comcast service. When DNS Relay fails, DNS queries often fail. When this happens, established connections do not suffer. SpicyLemon suggests a "ping" test which is a good way to test this. ping -n 100 www.google.com should not show any packet loss for silvervein's problem, but instead it may or may not indicate that it can resolve www.google.com (due to the intermittant DNS).

I hope that helps someone. – Robb Topolski, on June 29, 2008 20:37

Did you run the test that SpicyLemon suggested?

ping -n 100 www.google.com

After 100 seconds, you will get a 4 line summary report. It should tell us a lot.





– Robb Topolski, on June 29, 2008 20:31

sounds like I have the same issue as you SpicyLemon. I have never been treated so badly by a company when I call comcasts tech support line. They keep telling me its my hardware or router. I have replaced every wire in my house and direct connected the modem. All I get are Comcast reps saying that my signal strenght looks find and that my account is just a recreational account. I can not sit at home waiting for a tech to come every 5 days. I can not play online PC games, stream video, play the Wii online, or even have a nice browsing experience. Of course i have a recreational account. I just wish comcast was not the only provider in town.