I can't figure out what is causing my internet drops

[CFG_101]

Hey everyone, first time here so I apologize if this is the wrong section but,

 

For about 6 months I have been getting periodic internet drops, where it just cuts out for a few hours.  Until recently, it was bearable and didn't affect anything I did, but they last few weeks it have been out nearly all day, and when it comes back its for just a few minutes.  I have tried to diagnose if it was the router/modem/ISP but have had no luck.  Generally, resetting both the router/modem helps, but it hasn't done much the last few days.  Here's what I've noticed, but can't make sense of:  The router will show it's not receiving any signal from the modem via ethernet, but if I hardwire the modem to my Xbox to test, it gets internet immediately, but plugging into my laptop gets no signal as well, so I assumed it was the router.  But then, at times the router will show it's getting signal, but none of my wired or wireless devices have internet access. Then the third scenario is everything has internet, but at roughly 0.5mb/s.  When the internet does come back, I'm getting the fastest speeds I've ever gotten (~150mb/s)  I have contacted cox and they said its a hardware issue on my end, as well as resetting everything, but I am losing my mind trying to figure out what it is.  Is there any tests that I am overlooking to determine which is causing the issue?  I have already tried new cables everywhere and made sure there were no splitters in the way.  If you need any more information, please let me know.

[LiamApex]

hmm. have you a seperate router to try? id start there, then if it doesnt fix it, contact the ISP about getting another Modem. 

 

ISP Equipment is fairly rubish allot of the time, replacing it can often yield brilliant results.

[CFG_101]

28 minutes ago, LiamApex said:

hmm. have you a seperate router to try? id start there, then if it doesnt fix it, contact the ISP about getting another Modem. 

 

ISP Equipment is fairly rubish allot of the time, replacing it can often yield brilliant results.

I have tried another router, and own both router and modem, so would need to purchase another.

[BlackManINC]

@CFG_101

 

 In all likelihood, the router could be the problem. But before simply replacing the router though, you can try using this command line tool below. You'll see that I pinged my modem 30 times, and it all came back clean. You can ping your router as many times as you'd like. If you are getting any packet loss, then you'll know its likely a hardware related issue. It could either be your router, the Ethernet cable itself, or both. If its the router, it doesn't mean its a dud, it could just be the way you have it long with your network interface card for your laptop configured, so I'd check there first before replacing it, assuming you get any negative results. 

 

 

 If that all comes back clean, then another CMD tool you can try is the 'pathping' command. It combines the functions of the ping and trace route tools and allows you to see exactly where packets or frames are being dropped along the entire route to the destination. If it gets passed the first hop without any loss of protocol data units, yet starts dropping units beyond that point, then you'll know with even more certainty that the problem is on their end, not yours. You can then call your ISP and tell them exactly where data is being dropped if they try and redirect the blame back to you again. Preferably, you'll want the entire route to look like mine. 

 

 

 

[CFG_101]

@BlackManINC

I ran both tests multiple times, pinging my router and modem, using pathping for cox.  The ping results had about 15% loss a few times, but was never consistent.  And pathping had some losses at IP's I couldn't identify.

[BlackManINC]

@CFG_101

 

Right, so it looks like your issue is both on your end and on the ISP's end. For your end, just try making some changes in your NIC card and router, and maybe try a different Ethernet cable and see what happens. If the second ping still shows no improvement, I'd just replace the router. You can also call your ISP and tell them exactly where packets and frames are being dropped by giving them the I.P addresses. Don't worry about the last four hops. The "100%" packet loss just means those particular routers aren't excepting any ping requests. As long as no frames are dropped between hops on its way to the next hop (shown under the "This Node/Link" section), its nothing to worry about. What kind of Ethernet cable are you using? Is it Cat5E or Cat6?

 

Link: HOW TO TWEAK YOUR NIC ADAPTER TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NETWORK

[BlackManINC]

@CFG_101

 

 Oh yeah, and I see a shit ton of frames being dropped between hops 5 & 6. A 98% data loss is most certainly an indication of a complete internet dropout. So, while the issue is on your end, its definitely on their end as well. Almost none of your data actually reached its destination. 

[CFG_101]

@BlackManINC

I'll give it a try tomorrow.  Thank you so much for the suggestions!

[BlackManINC]

7 minutes ago, CFG_101 said:

@BlackManINC

I'll give it a try tomorrow.  Thank you so much for the suggestions!

No problem

[fredrichnietze]

besides hardware i would suspect the cables. it sounds like you are consistently having trouble with your laptop but not your xbox and assuming you have dedicated cables for each i would consider replacing literally all of Ethernet cables, but especially the one form your laptop to your router and the router to modem cable.

[BlackManINC]

38 minutes ago, fredrichnietze said:

besides hardware i would suspect the cables. it sounds like you are consistently having trouble with your laptop but not your xbox and assuming you have dedicated cables for each i would consider replacing literally all of Ethernet cables, but especially the one form your laptop to your router and the router to modem cable.

Yeah, he should go no lower than a Category 6 cable, maybe even a Cat6A cable, assuming he finds the cable is the problem. I'm using a Cat6A cable, and I'm very pleased with the results. 

[fredrichnietze]

6a is more better but unless you are going 10gb its overkill. more money for the same results in most use cases, because years down the line when 10gb is more reasonable and affordable you may wish to replace the cables anyways from wear and tear and bending.

[BlackManINC]

32 minutes ago, fredrichnietze said:

6a is more better but unless you are going 10gb its overkill. more money for the same results in most use cases, because years down the line when 10gb is more reasonable and affordable you may wish to replace the cables anyways from wear and tear and bending.

True, but it at least ensures I actually achieve the speed I'm paying for, with little to no chance of any electronic interference since its SSTP/SFTP protected. I definitely see the difference, especially with the tweaks I made in my NIC adapter. My motherboard has a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, so all I need is Comcast's xFi 3rd generation modem to become available that can give me that same throughput and I can actually start using the cable more like its meant to be used. 

 

Link: Overview of Xfinity Gateways

[CFG_101]

On 4/21/2020 at 4:08 PM, fredrichnietze said:

besides hardware i would suspect the cables. it sounds like you are consistently having trouble with your laptop but not your xbox and assuming you have dedicated cables for each i would consider replacing literally all of Ethernet cables, but especially the one form your laptop to your router and the router to modem cable.

Sorry let me clarify: When the internet is down, I plugged my PC, xbox, and laptop one by one directly into the modem via the exact same cable to test if the modem was even receiving signal, and the xbox was the only thing that would get internet.  The PC and laptop would see they were connected, but said "no internet access."   I have also tried multiple cables.

[CFG_101]

On 4/21/2020 at 4:46 PM, BlackManINC said:

Yeah, he should go no lower than a Category 6 cable, maybe even a Cat6A cable, assuming he finds the cable is the problem. I'm using a Cat6A cable, and I'm very pleased with the results. 

I currently have cat 6 and there is way more than enough overhead for the speed I get.

[CFG_101]

@BlackManINC

So I ran a few more tests and even hooked everything up to where the cables come into my house outside, and it still seems like Cox is dropping packets somewhere along the way, though the router has some issues occasionally too. I'll probably show them the results and hopefully get someone out here to fix it.

[fredrichnietze]

4 hours ago, CFG_101 said:

Sorry let me clarify: When the internet is down, I plugged my PC, xbox, and laptop one by one directly into the modem via the exact same cable to test if the modem was even receiving signal, and the xbox was the only thing that would get internet.  The PC and laptop would see they were connected, but said "no internet access."   I have also tried multiple cables.

alright i think you are right about it being on the isp side and assuming you have carte blanche to do whatever i would start tracing the lines going from your house to the demarc. you are looking for damage to the wire and at the connection. ideally you would take photos of the cable connections which may be a 110 block or something more modern. never done low voltage in india before.

 

[BlackManINC]

1 hour ago, CFG_101 said:

@BlackManINC

So I ran a few more tests and even hooked everything up to where the cables come into my house outside, and it still seems like Cox is dropping packets somewhere along the way, though the router has some issues occasionally too. I'll probably show them the results and hopefully get someone out here to fix it.

 

Well, I mean you already pretty much proved to yourself that the issue is mostly on their side using the pathping command. You did have a few dropped packets on your side to your router, but 98% of all your data was dropped on their side too past the first hop which is your modem. You might as well just have them take a look at it and be done with it. I wouldn't even bother trying to mess with the cables from outside. Its their responsibility, so they should be the ones dealing with it.

 

 

[CFG_101]

5 hours ago, BlackManINC said:

 

Well, I mean you already pretty much proved to yourself that the issue is mostly on their side using the pathping command. You did have a few dropped packets on your side to your router, but 98% of all your data was dropped on their side too past the first hop which is your modem. You might as well just have them take a look at it and be done with it. I wouldn't even bother trying to mess with the cables from outside. Its their responsibility, so they should be the ones dealing with it.

 

 

Yeah totally, I was mainly just checking if there were any signal areas between where the cables enter and where the modems were connected, incase it was one of my cables.  Thank you for all the help, I appreciate it!

[BlackManINC]

15 minutes ago, CFG_101 said:

Yeah totally, I was mainly just checking if there were any signal areas between where the cables enter and where the modems were connected, incase it was one of my cables.  Thank you for all the help, I appreciate it!

No problem