Lag Same Time Every Night

[Lavathing]

Starting about 3 weeks ago I've noticed that I get network lag at nearly the same time every night. Between 9:10-9:30pm I get some kind of lag that causes online games, streams, discord, etc to all lag hard for about 10 seconds before returning to normal. I never fully disconnect from everything, it just behaves like extreme packet loss for 10 seconds. I'm using a wired connection. This makes me think this is some kind of network thing with my ISP doing updates/IP renewals or something at that time? Not sure, but is there a way to check exactly what is causing this, and if it is some kind of update/renewal thing, to move it to the middle of the night? Any help is appreciated!

[strange13930]

9 minutes ago, Lavathing said:

Starting about 3 weeks ago I've noticed that I get network lag at nearly the same time every night. Between 9:10-9:30pm I get some kind of lag that causes online games, streams, discord, etc to all lag hard for about 10 seconds before returning to normal. I never fully disconnect from everything, it just behaves like extreme packet loss for 10 seconds. I'm using a wired connection. This makes me think this is some kind of network thing with my ISP doing updates/IP renewals or something at that time? Not sure, but is there a way to check exactly what is causing this, and if it is some kind of update/renewal thing, to move it to the middle of the night? Any help is appreciated!

you can try reseting your router by unplugging it then plugging it back in, but if it's something with ISP the only way to know for sure is to message them.

[YoungBlade]

If it is something your ISP is doing, then the only real way for you to test that would be to get a second ISP and compare them, which is not exactly easy or convenient. I'd recommend just calling them instead to see if they know about the issue instead - much simpler.

[Lavathing]

19 minutes ago, strange13930 said:

you can try reseting your router by unplugging it then plugging it back in, but if it's something with ISP the only way to know for sure is to message them.

Yes, I've tried this. Reset my router and fully unplugged/plugged it back in. Tried different ports on the router, bought a new ethernet cable, all have the same issue. Might give ISP a call tonight, it's just always a long hassle with first tier tech support phone lines.

[Skipple]

When you say 'lag' what exactly are you referring to? Are we talking about latency or bandwidth. 

If it's latency, then you want to provide your ISP with timing information. Run the following command during the timeframe you are indicating to demonstrate increase in response time:

ping 8.8.8.8 -t

(here I'm simply pinging google's primary DNS server, but you can use any IP or domain you would like)

the output will read something like:

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=119

with `time` indicating the response time. If you see an increase in this time reading, you do indeed have a latency discrepancy. 

 

 

If you are experiencing a bandwidth drop, utilize a speed tester such as https://speed.cloudflare.com/ (my personal favorite). Measure before, during and after to demonstrate changes within your specified timeframe. 

 

This test will also indicate if you have any dropped packets, (noted as packet loss) 

[Lavathing]

1 hour ago, Skipple said:

When you say 'lag' what exactly are you referring to? Are we talking about latency or bandwidth. 

If it's latency, then you want to provide your ISP with timing information. Run the following command during the timeframe you are indicating to demonstrate increase in response time:

ping 8.8.8.8 -t

(here I'm simply pinging google's primary DNS server, but you can use any IP or domain you would like)

the output will read something like:

Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=119

with `time` indicating the response time. If you see an increase in this time reading, you do indeed have a latency discrepancy. 

 

 

If you are experiencing a bandwidth drop, utilize a speed tester such as https://speed.cloudflare.com/ (my personal favorite). Measure before, during and after to demonstrate changes within your specified timeframe. 

 

This test will also indicate if you have any dropped packets, (noted as packet loss) 

It would be impossible for me to do a speed test during the event, as I would be unable to reach any website. What I mean by lag is that during this 10 second period that occurs once a day between 9:10-9:30pm local time I get between 80-100% packet loss. I've run a similar command as you during this time and the pings will time out at a rate of 80-100% for about 10 seconds before returning to 0% packet loss until the next event in about 24 hours.

[jmwhite33]

3 minutes ago, Lavathing said:

It would be impossible for me to do a speed test during the event, as I would be unable to reach any website. What I mean by lag is that during this 10 second period that occurs once a day between 9:10-9:30pm local time I get between 80-100% packet loss. I've run a similar command as you during this time and the pings will time out at a rate of 80-100% for about 10 seconds before returning to 0% packet loss until the next event in about 24 hours.

Well what changed on your end 3 weeks ago when this started?

Have you checked to see if your ISP made any changes 3 weeks ago?

What time is your system set to check for updates?

Do you have any "smart" appliances that are phoning home?

How long is the IP lease time from your ISP? should be longer than 24 hours, usually a week to a month.

If you have a home network with other devices attached, what is the IP lease time on your LAN?

just throwing out some ideas.

 

 

 

[OddOod]

Welcome to the forums!

Is it possible that there is some computer doing a backup during this time? 

[KidKid]

2 hours ago, Lavathing said:

Starting about 3 weeks ago I've noticed that I get network lag at nearly the same time every night. Between 9:10-9:30pm I get some kind of lag that causes online games, streams, discord, etc to all lag hard for about 10 seconds before returning to normal. I never fully disconnect from everything, it just behaves like extreme packet loss for 10 seconds. I'm using a wired connection. This makes me think this is some kind of network thing with my ISP doing updates/IP renewals or something at that time? Not sure, but is there a way to check exactly what is causing this, and if it is some kind of update/renewal thing, to move it to the middle of the night? Any help is appreciated!

It seems like something with your internet provider.

[Skipple]

4 hours ago, Lavathing said:

It would be impossible for me to do a speed test during the event, as I would be unable to reach any website. What I mean by lag is that during this 10 second period that occurs once a day between 9:10-9:30pm local time I get between 80-100% packet loss. I've run a similar command as you during this time and the pings will time out at a rate of 80-100% for about 10 seconds before returning to 0% packet loss until the next event in about 24 hours.

 

4 hours ago, jmwhite33 said:

What time is your system set to check for updates?

Do you have any "smart" appliances that are phoning home?

How long is the IP lease time from your ISP? should be longer than 24 hours, usually a week to a month.

If you have a home network with other devices attached, what is the IP lease time on your LAN?

I agree with @jmwhite33 - there is an external variable that you haven't identified yet. I somewhat doubt, given your symptoms, that this issue is related directly to your ISP or IP lease handling, but rather your local networking equipment or a client device that's hammering your system. 

During this timeframe, are you able to ping your gateway IP? What about other local devices?

Are you able to log into your router during this timeframe? If so - is there any information there about client usages? 
Is this experience ubiquitous across your network on all devices or only on your PC?