Recurring severe packet loss

[#1]

For the last couple weeks I have been getting extreme levels of packet loss every 30 or so seconds, Ive been it touch with plusnet's support but to no avail, any ideas?

[#2]

Hi @jchurch2911 and welcome to the forums!

Please accept my apologies for the issue with your broadband service.

After testing the line, it appears to be banded to 35Mbps. This could be due to a recent network event where DLM hasn't increased it to the maximum for your provisioned product. I have sent a request to remove this banding and it will take effect in the next 48 working hours.

Your account connection profile wasn't matching your current sync rate, this has now been adjust as it has been known to cause packet loss issues.

The next time the issue occurs could you ensure you are connected by Ethernet cable and run a trace route. You can do this by following the guide below.

1) Press the Windows key+R
2) Type cmd and hit enter

3) Type into the command prompt tracert pingbox1.thinkboardband.com

4) Take a screenshot and attach it to this thread

Thank you.

[#3]

I copy pasted the command and noticed you accidentally wrote boardband instead of broadband xD

[#4]

Don't worry @jchurch2911.

I've ensured that @Jubby's received a swift backhander to the back of the head for his error!

Please keep the (correct) traceroute command handy for if the issue occurs again and let us all know how you get on once @Jubby's changes take effect.

[#5]

So I gave it a week to let any changes happen and settle, but I'm still getting the packet loss, this tracert is taken as my packet loss begins, it only lasts a couple seconds but happens multiple times in a minute. For standard use it would barely be noticeable but for gaming purposes it is highly annoying. 

[#6]

Hi @jchurch2911,

I'm sorry to hear that you're still experiencing this issue. Having tested your line today, everything appears to be working fine from our end of things and we're not seeing what might be causing this packet loss for you, though I would ask at this stage if you're connecting via Ethernet cable when gaming? If not, I would recommend doing so as it is able to provide a more stable and constant connection than the Wi-Fi can. If possible, a direct connection from the router would be the best way to connect, although you could also look at 3rd party devices such as powerline adapters to extend the range of an Ethernet connection through the property.

[#7]

I have connected via Ethernet, my router is in the test socket and i have no extensions on any filters so there is nothing interfering with the line.

[#8]

Hi @jchurch2911, thanks for getting back to us. If you weren't already on a wired connection when gaming then wireless interference could have very well been behind the intermittent packet loss and performance issues you were experiencing. Let us know if the issue persists in this current set-up.

[#9]

Sorry I meant I have been connected to Ethernet. I connected a couple weeks ago when the issue first began to see if it would help

[#10]

Ah, if you've been connected into the test socket and have been using a Ethernet connection and are still seeing performance issues then can I ask, during the times you are experiencing performance issues are there any other devices or applications heavily using the bandwidth?
The trace routes you've sent should to us all look spot on in regards to ping as they display ms under 30 which is ideal for gaming. The timed out hops on 2,3 and 6 are expected and something we see often and wouldn't highlight a reperformance issue. Have you experienced issues on multiple games or has i just been one? If so, which game?

[#11]

I disconnected every device except my own and still experienced these issues, I also tested it with only the 1 micro filter for the router and the phone, (tried multiple filters). The packet loss is across every game I play and on voice servers such as teamspeak and discord, the traceroute may not be accurate with the packet loss as the packet loss only happens for around 1-2seconds so the traceroute is started as soon as I get any packet loss warning, so it probably ends before the traceroute gets properly underway, I also reset my router back to factory settings to see if any changed that had been made was affecting anything but to no avail. 

I have attached a gif of one of the packet loss spikes within a game.

[#12]

Also, I continuously ran tracerts till i managed to catch packet loss in the middle of it, this is the result

[#13]

Hi @jchurch2911, the animated gif and trace route you've provided us are perfect thank you. The above trace route shows a higher than expected ping however does so on hop 8 which is external to our network. Can I ask, have you noticed other spikes in trace routes occur on or around the same hop or? If not sure, then I'd recommend trying to capture further high latency/ping issues and seeing if they occur around a consistent point or if they look to be randomly occurring. This will help us highlight if there's a specific problem within our or the location you are looking to trace routes network or if there's a intermittent underlying issue with your connection that when flaring up is causing random latency/ping issues.
Just to fully make sure it's not something in your internal network can I ask, Is your PC conencted straight to the rotuer with Ethernet or does it go through power line adapters?

[#14]

It is a direct connection from the router to my pc, I haven't noticed anything else in any traceroutes as I haven't been able to catch the packet loss during a traceroute

Is there a command to loop the traceroute?

[#15]

Apparently a message I posted yesterday never posted,

Never mind the last reply about looping the tracert I just manually did it for about half an hour.
This is what I got

1 1 ms 2 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 12 ms 24 ms 12 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 26 ms 195.99.125.140
6 13 ms 13 ms 13 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 13 ms 13 ms 12 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 63 ms 41 ms 14 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 18 ms 12 ms 13 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 2 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * 12 ms 12 ms 133.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.133]
4 13 ms 12 ms 12 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 195.99.125.140
6 12 ms 13 ms 25 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 12 ms 13 ms 31 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 13 ms 12 ms 13 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 59 ms 19 ms 12 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * 34 ms 12 ms 133.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.133]
4 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 11 ms 195.99.125.140
6 15 ms 25 ms 38 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 50 ms 209 ms 268 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 13 ms 12 ms 13 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 13 ms 13 ms 12 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 195.99.125.140
6 13 ms 12 ms 12 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 280 ms 13 ms 378 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 13 ms 13 ms 13 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 13 ms 13 ms 12 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 21 ms 19 ms 21 ms 133.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.133]
4 93 ms 93 ms 21 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 88 ms 119 ms 195.99.125.140
6 12 ms 13 ms 13 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 13 ms 13 ms 15 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 12 ms 13 ms 12 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 13 ms 13 ms 12 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * 12 ms 12 ms 133.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.133]
4 13 ms 12 ms 13 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 195.99.125.140
6 19 ms 18 ms 23 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 13 ms 128 ms 13 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 14 ms 13 ms 13 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 13 ms 12 ms 13 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms PNHUB1 [192.168.1.254]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 * 13 ms 13 ms 132.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.132]
5 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 195.99.125.140
6 13 ms 12 ms 13 ms peer7-et-4-1-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.72.16.134]
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 62 ms 13 ms 13 ms te2-1-9.star10g.bdr-rt3.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.17]
9 14 ms 13 ms 14 ms po4-31.core-rs2.thdo.ncuk.net [80.249.97.85]
10 13 ms 12 ms 12 ms pingbox1.thinkbroadband.com [80.249.99.164]

It also appears that hop 8 goes to around 30-40ms which I haven't shown here as it wasnt much of a variation but it was usually 8 and occaisonally 6
It does seem to be mainly 8, there is one instance on 4 and 5 but I haven't seen it since

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Original post released from Spam Filter and subsequently removed.