VERY High Ping, need help urgent!

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orannis
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VERY High Ping, need help urgent!

Post by orannis »

Hi, as the title suggests I'm having severe problems with my ping over the past month and was hoping some brain box out there could help as I know very little on the topic.

My ISP is Virgin and am currently using bundle 1, which is speeds up to 10mb with no download limit.

Here are the results from a ping test and tracert to yahoo.com

Ping Test:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\James>ping http://www.yahoo.com

Pinging http://www.yahoo-ht3.akadns.net [209.191.93.52] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 209.191.93.52: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=56
Request timed out.
Reply from 209.191.93.52: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=55
Reply from 209.191.93.52: bytes=32 time=363ms TTL=55

Ping statistics for 209.191.93.52:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 3, Lost = 1 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 363ms, Maximum = 366ms, Average = 365ms

C:\Documents and Settings\James>

Tracert:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\James>tracert http://www.yahoo.com

Tracing route to http://www.yahoo-ht3.akadns.net [209.191.93.52]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 42 ms 99 ms 99 ms speedtouch.lan [192.168.1.254]
2 238 ms 228 ms * glfd-bam-1.inet.ntl.com [194.145.148.4]
3 226 ms 225 ms 226 ms glfd-t2core-a-ge-wan71.inet.ntl.com [62.254.207.
57]
4 226 ms * * gfd-bb-a-so-730-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.174.153]

5 238 ms 228 ms 219 ms gfd-bb-b-ge-000-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.6]
6 227 ms 231 ms 226 ms tele-ic-1-so-110-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.78]

7 404 ms 379 ms 376 ms 213.228.222.182
8 369 ms 372 ms 383 ms so-1-0-0.pat2.dax.yahoo.com [216.115.101.135]
9 372 ms 367 ms 371 ms ge-1-1-0-p101.msr1.mud.yahoo.com [216.115.104.10
7]
10 375 ms * 374 ms te-9-1.bas-c1.mud.yahoo.com [68.142.193.9]
11 380 ms * 374 ms f1.http://www.vip.mud.yahoo.com [209.191.93.52]

Trace complete.

Thanks for any help you can give me!
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Sava700
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Post by Sava700 »

call your ISP have them check out your connection at the house.. remove any splitters you have in the line etc
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

I spoke to my ISP earlier today. They told me all the usual junk about making sure I havn't got any P2P software going etc etc.

One thing they did mention though, was that I could apparently call BT to turn off a service called "interleaving", this would apparently slow my download speed by about 10% but improve my latency by around 40ms.

Is this service worth doing? considering my ping is 365 on average?!

I have also ensured I have no splitters in my line and the problem is as bad as ever.

Is there anything else anyone can do to help restore my ping? I can post anymore information if it is required?

Thanks.
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YARDofSTUF
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Post by YARDofSTUF »

Are you behind a router? Have you run scans for adware/spyware/viruses?
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

Yes I connect to the net through a Thompson SpeedTouch 780 WL. This was supplied to me when I switched ISP to Virgin.

I have fully scanned my PC using F-Secure, Adaware SE and Spybot. No Adaware/Malware/Spyware/Virus detected.
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

orannis wrote: 1 42 ms 99 ms 99 ms speedtouch.lan [192.168.1.254]
2 238 ms 228 ms * glfd-bam-1.inet.ntl.com [194.145.xxx.xxx]
3 226 ms 225 ms 226 ms glfd-t2core-a-ge-wan71.inet.ntl.com [62.254.207.57]
4 226 ms * * gfd-bb-a-so-730-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.174.153]
5 238 ms 228 ms 219 ms gfd-bb-b-ge-000-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.6]
6 227 ms 231 ms 226 ms tele-ic-1-so-110-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.78]
Seems Speedtouch modem is inherently giving out comparatively high ping times as seen in hop 1. Is this modem issued by your ISP for the 10 mbps line, or was it issued for a lower speed package and a new modem was not given to you when you upgraded your speed?

The high ping times at hop 2 seems to show signal incompatibility from the ISP to your modem.
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

Yes, it is the modem supplied to me when I signed up for the 8mb (It was in fact not 10 as I first posted) broadband, so one assumes the modem should be able to handle it?
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

orannis wrote:Yes, it is the modem supplied to me when I signed up for the 8mb (It was in fact not 10 as I first posted) broadband, so one assumes the modem should be able to handle it?
No, not all modems can handle speed of 10 mbps or more. Most can handle up to 8 mnps and different compliance specifications are needed for speed higher than this.

Here is a link that you can check the performance specification of your model of modem:

http://www.thomson-broadband.co.uk/code ... t3.asp?c=7
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

Upon checking the link you sent me, it appears that my modem is quite capable of supplying the speeds required.

http://www.thomson-broadband.co.uk/codepages/content3.asp?c=7&ProductID=528

Looking furthur into it, I discovered some new firmware updates released this very day. I downloaded the .bin file and the upgrade wizard, and upon trying to update I receive the following error message.

"Failed to transfer system software, the device is not responding anymore. Check that the device is connected correct and up and running."

Another problem to add to my list!

Do you think the problem could be internal in the modem?
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

orannis wrote:Upon checking the link you sent me, it appears that my modem is quite capable of supplying the speeds required.

http://www.thomson-broadband.co.uk/codepages/content3.asp?c=7&ProductID=528

Looking furthur into it, I discovered some new firmware updates released this very day. I downloaded the .bin file and the upgrade wizard, and upon trying to update I receive the following error message.

"Failed to transfer system software, the device is not responding anymore. Check that the device is connected correct and up and running."

Another problem to add to my list!

Do you think the problem could be internal in the modem?
I think there may be 2 problems.

High and irregular ping times at hop 1 which is the modem. Cause may be due to an outdated firmware (have to check with your ISP and not just Thomson's site) or may be due to firewall software or antivirus (Zone Alarm and Norton are known to slow down connections).

High and irregular ping times at hop 2 which is the connection line from your modem to the ISP's switch. This can only be checked and confirmed as problematic after correcting hop 1.
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

I hope it is not too much reliant on the firmware, because as I said before, it doesn't seem to want to update at this time.

The firewall and anti-virus software I use is F-Secure, which has been very reliable for me over the past 2 years. Even after de-activated F-Secure my ping remains just as high.

What can I do next from this stage?
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

orannis wrote:I hope it is not too much reliant on the firmware, because as I said before, it doesn't seem to want to update at this time.

The firewall and anti-virus software I use is F-Secure, which has been very reliable for me over the past 2 years. Even after de-activated F-Secure my ping remains just as high.

What can I do next from this stage?
What speed did you pay to get?

Post your TCP Analyzer report to see if your RWIN has been set correctly.
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

I currently pay to receive 8mb with no download limits.

My TCP Analyzer report is below:

« SpeedGuide.net TCP Analyzer Results »
Tested on: 06.03.2007 05:51
IP address: 82.14.xx.xx

TCP options string: 020405b40103030201010402
MSS: 1460
MTU: 1500
TCP Window: 256960 (multiple of MSS)
RWIN Scaling: 2
Unscaled RWIN : 64240
Reccomended RWINs: 64240, 128480, 256960, 513920
BDP limit (200ms): 10278kbps (1285KBytes/s)
BDP limit (500ms): 4111kbps (514KBytes/s)
MTU Discovery: ON
TTL: 45
Timestamps: OFF
SACKs: ON
IP ToS: 00000000 (0)
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

TCP settings are correct for 8 mbps in the EU.

Try this test and see what it says. Report is under the 'Statistics' button:

http://miranda.ctd.anl.gov:7123/
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

These are my results under detailed statistics:

WEB100 Enabled Statistics:
Checking for Middleboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Done
running 10s outbound test (client to server) . . . . . 374.82Kb/s
running 10s inbound test (server to client) . . . . . . 3.91Mb/s

------ Client System Details ------
OS data: Name = Windows XP, Architecture = x86, Version = 5.1
Java data: Vendor = Sun Microsystems Inc., Version = 1.5.0_06

------ Web100 Detailed Analysis ------
Cable modem/DSL/T1 link found.
Link set to Full Duplex mode
No network congestion discovered.
Good network cable(s) found
Normal duplex operation found.

Web100 reports the Round trip time = 446.67 msec; the Packet size = 1460 Bytes; and
No packet loss was observed.
This connection is receiver limited 79.85% of the time.
This connection is network limited 20.11% of the time.

Web100 reports TCP negotiated the optional Performance Settings to:
RFC 2018 Selective Acknowledgment: ON
RFC 896 Nagle Algorithm: ON
RFC 3168 Explicit Congestion Notification: OFF
RFC 1323 Time Stamping: OFF
RFC 1323 Window Scaling: ON
Packet size is preserved End-to-End
Server IP addresses are preserved End-to-End
Information: Network Address Translation (NAT) box is modifying the Client's IP address
Server says [82.14.83.39] but Client says [192.168.1.64]
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

These are my results under 'More Details...':

WEB100 Kernel Variables:
Client: localhost/127.0.0.1
AckPktsIn: 1695
AckPktsOut: 0
BytesRetrans: 0
CongAvoid: 0
CongestionOverCount: 0
CongestionSignals: 0
CountRTT: 1695
CurCwnd: 258420
CurMSS: 1460
CurRTO: 710
CurRwinRcvd: 256960
CurRwinSent: 5840
CurSsthresh: 2147483647
DSACKDups: 0
DataBytesIn: 0
DataBytesOut: 5054520
DataPktsIn: 0
DataPktsOut: 3462
DupAcksIn: 0
ECNEnabled: 0
FastRetran: 0
MaxCwnd: 258420
MaxMSS: 1460
MaxRTO: 720
MaxRTT: 490
MaxRwinRcvd: 256960
MaxRwinSent: 5840
MaxSsthresh: 0
MinMSS: 1460
MinRTO: 390
MinRTT: 150
MinRwinRcvd: 64240
MinRwinSent: 5840
NagleEnabled: 1
OtherReductions: 0
PktsIn: 1695
PktsOut: 3462
PktsRetrans: 0
X_Rcvbuf: 107520
RcvWinScale: 7
SACKEnabled: 3
SACKsRcvd: 0
SendStall: 0
SlowStart: 175
SampleRTT: 480
SmoothedRTT: 480
X_Sndbuf: 107520
SndWinScale: 2
SndLimTimeRwin: 7997518
SndLimTimeCwnd: 2015620
SndLimTimeSender: 2986
SndLimTransRwin: 1
SndLimTransCwnd: 1
SndLimTransSender: 1
SndLimBytesRwin: 4304080
SndLimBytesCwnd: 750440
SndLimBytesSender: 0
SubsequentTimeouts: 0
SumRTT: 757100
Timeouts: 0
TimestampsEnabled: 0
WinScaleRcvd: 2
WinScaleSent: 7
DupAcksOut: 0
StartTimeUsec: 50358
Duration: 10017975
c2sData: 2
c2sAck: 2
s2cData: 9
s2cAck: 3
half_duplex: 0
link: 10
congestion: 0
bad_cable: 0
mismatch: 0
spd: 0.00
bw: 24.94
loss: 0.000001000
avgrtt: 446.67
waitsec: 0.00
timesec: 10.00
order: 0.0000
rwintime: 0.7985
sendtime: 0.0003
cwndtime: 0.2012
rwin: 1.9604
swin: 64.0000
cwin: 1.9716
rttsec: 0.446667
Sndbuf: 8388608
aspd: 0.00000

Checking for mismatch on uplink
(speed > 50 [0>50], (xmitspeed < 5) [0.37<5]
(rwintime > .9) [0.79>.9], (loss < .01) [1.0E<.01]
Checking for excessive errors condition
(loss/sec > .15) [1.0E>.15], (cwndtime > .6) [0.20>.6],
(loss < .01) [1.0E<.01], (MaxSsthresh > 0) [0>0]
Checking for 10 Mbps link
(speed < 9.5) [0<9.5], (speed > 3.0) [0>3.0]
(xmitspeed < 9.5) [0.37<9.5] (loss < .01) [1.0E<.01], (mylink > 0) [3.0>0]
Checking for Wireless link
(sendtime = 0) [3.0E=0], (speed < 5) [0<5]
(Estimate > 50 [24.94>50], (Rwintime > 90) [0.79>.90]
(RwinTrans/CwndTrans = 1) [1/1=1], (mylink > 0) [3.0>0]
Checking for DSL/Cable Modem link
(speed < 2) [0<2], (SndLimTransSender = 0) [1=0]
(SendTime = 0) [3.0E-4=0], (mylink > 0) [3.0>0]
Checking for half-duplex condition
(rwintime > .95) [0.79>.95], (RwinTrans/sec > 30) [0.1>30],
(SenderTrans/sec > 30) [0.1>30], OR (mylink <= 10) [3.0<=10]
Checking for congestion
(cwndtime > .02) [0.20>.02], (mismatch = 0) [0=0]
(MaxSsthresh > 0) [0>0]

estimate = 24.94 based on packet size = 11Kbits, RTT = 446.67msec, and loss = 1.0E-6
The theoretical network limit is 24.94 Mbps
The NDT server has a 8192.0 KByte buffer which limits the throughput to 143.28 Mbps
Your PC/Workstation has a 250.0 KByte buffer which limits the throughput to 4.38 Mbps
The network based flow control limits the throughput to 4.41 Mbps

Client Data reports link is 'T1', Client Acks report link is 'T1'
Server Data reports link is '10 Gig', Server Acks report link is 'Ethernet'
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trogers
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Post by trogers »

orannis wrote:
------ Web100 Detailed Analysis ------
Cable modem/DSL/T1 link found.
Link set to Full Duplex mode
No network congestion discovered.
Good network cable(s) found
Normal duplex operation found.

Web100 reports the Round trip time = 446.67 msec; the Packet size = 1460 Bytes; and
No packet loss was observed.
This connection is receiver limited 79.85% of the time.
This connection is network limited 20.11% of the time.

Web100 reports TCP negotiated the optional Performance Settings to:
RFC 2018 Selective Acknowledgment: ON
RFC 896 Nagle Algorithm: ON
RFC 3168 Explicit Congestion Notification: OFF
RFC 1323 Time Stamping: OFF
RFC 1323 Window Scaling: ON
Packet size is preserved End-to-End
Server IP addresses are preserved End-to-End
Information: Network Address Translation (NAT) box is modifying the Client's IP address
Server says [82.14.xxx.xxx] but Client says [192.168.1.64]
TCP Window set to 256960 is adequate for your 8 mbps bandwidth. Your problem lies in a high round trip time of 447ms. Normal value would be about 220ms.

I suggest you borrow another modem to test your connection and do some tracerts to see if ping times would fall. If so, you need to replace your modem.
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orannis
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Post by orannis »

It may take me a while to retrieve a new modem, I shall post my results as soon as I have one.

Thanks for all your help.
legumo
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Post by legumo »

orannis wrote:It may take me a while to retrieve a new modem, I shall post my results as soon as I have one.

Thanks for all your help.
you modem ip should ALWAYS be 1 or 2ms ......the one you got is a sure fire proof of a borked modem.

exchange.
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