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Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

[FL] Slow speeds this summer in Gainesville

Hi, I've been with cox in all my 4 years in Gainesville (not that I've had a choice...) and the service has varied a lot depending on where I've lived. This is my second time posting about getting poor speeds during peak hours, the first being 3 years ago.

• make and model of cable modem
Cisco DPC3825

• make a model of router
combined modem/router from Cox

• cox speed tier
Premiere. It was advertised as 24 mbps, but in December we were informed that it would instead be 36 mbps. Unfortunately, at night, we are lucky to get 1/10 of that.

• signal levels from »192.168.100.1 at several intervals during the day, especially as the slowness is occurring

It's happening right now, these are my current levels.
»i.imgur.com/XGtX20Q.png

• if they have splitters and if the cable modem has been plugged into a line directly from the wall (bypassing all splitters and surge protectors)
The modem is plugged in directly.

• several speed tests to various locations close to where they reside (if applicable, »test.lvcm.com)
»i.imgur.com/DxWV1I4.png
»i.imgur.com/fcm98po.png
and just for good measure, one from COX's own
»i.imgur.com/5YfOzrB.png

• smokeping results or pingplotter output to various sites that they perceive packet loss to (if applicable)
I don't think packet loss is an issue. It's just slow.

• has the user tweaked (»/tweaks)
The only alterations we've made in any way are to open ports.

• are you connected wired or wireless?
Wired. Note that the first two speed tests are from my PC, and the second two are from my roommate's. Both are wired.

• have you tested speeds bypassing router?
Can't do this with the combined router/modem.

• are other services such as phone or tv affected?
Do not have these

These speeds only occur at night. During the day, I ordinarily get 15+ mbps with no problems. This is very confusing to me, because these speeds only started occurring within the last month or two (possibly earlier, I was out of the country for most of May). You would think the mass exodus that occurs in Gainesville every summer would result in an increase in speed, not a decrease. My guess is they merged hubs for the summer when people leave, but they seem to have overmerged them and now our service has gone to crap. This really isn't acceptable when there are two power users in the house.

Sorry if I missed any information, I will probably be calling Cox customer service as well. If it's anything like the issue I had a couple years back, it's just an overworked area and there is no solution other than to suck it up and wait until Cox does some infrastructure changes.

EDIT: I should say that I live in Southeastern gainesville, near the corner of SW 16th ave and Main street. I wonder if this has anything to do with the somewhat choppy service we had for a week or two several months ago.
LAHSIhelp
join:2010-07-12
Baton Rouge, LA

LAHSIhelp

Member

Please PM your modem MAC address and physical home address and I will see if I can help you on your issue.
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

Tech came out, replaced the modem, noted that signal levels were normal, said that he would "send maintenance to look at the lines outside", and that that would be happening within 24 hours (the tech came Monday). Well, it's not any better: »i.imgur.com/nAnXbtK.png

I get that there's little that can be done if signal levels are good, but I'd appreciate any acknowledgment that this is a problem or that they will be doing something to rectify this issue. If this continues into the coming school year, it's really going to suck.
zerix
join:2009-10-16
Gainesville, FL

zerix to Lyrencropt

Member

to Lyrencropt
I have also had EXTREMELY slow speeds all summer as well (going all the way back to April), I'm on the complete opposite side of town from you in Northwest Gainesville near Jonesville. I got a DOCSIS 3.0 modem in December and upgraded to the Premier package and speeds were pegged at 4.5Mb/s down no matter the time of day, now during peak times I'm lucky to get 800k/s from 7pm-1am on any given day. Called tech support many times to no avail, they can't find anything wrong, signal levels are perfect, line quality is perfect and no packet loss.

It's funny you mention the issue a few years back when this same thing happened, I mentioned that on my phone call to tech support and obviously they have no idea what I'm talking about.

Nobody knows what the problem is. I might call the local office and try and talk with somebody.
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

»i.imgur.com/RoRq0B4.png

Three weeks and no improvement whatsoever. I can only hope it actually returns to where it was back in ~April.

Maybe this is a Gainesville-wide issue? I wish we could get a half decent provider that can actually keep up with the needs of a city.
zerix
join:2009-10-16
Gainesville, FL

zerix

Member

Yeah, would sure be nice if they got their act together and figured out what the problem is. Was downloading fine around 4:30pm, getting a constant 4.5mb/s down, right now at 8:33pm I'm getting 475k/s. Cool service cox.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357 to Lyrencropt

Premium Member

to Lyrencropt
Well I am going to make some pretty big assumptions here, so pardon if I am inaccurate and/or creepy. A look at the area with google maps makes me think you live in a complex of some sort, with underground drops coming in from both SW 16th Ave and S Main St. Not to say that is the issue, but it is of note.

Second, the signal levels you gave look good, but how do they change when your not having a speed issue?

Third, I would suggest either having Cox try, or you trying, with a normal modem. It is possible some one might be hopping on your network at night, or a computer on your network is doing something (update, backup, etc), or the router itself is just having problems and causing the decrease. I wouldn't think it would be a mechanical issue, because you said they replaced it, but it could still be performance issues in general or something environmental.
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

The tech came when we were having fine performance (around 2 in the afternoon, I think it was) and didn't note anything odd. I don't have specific numbers to compare.

We've checked the connection list for the router, turned off the wireless, etc. There isn't any unsolicited connection on our network. We also have had netlimiter installed on both PCs for as long as we've lived here so that we can regulate our bandwidth usage (Data caps are fun!), and neither is using any. Not to mention local network congestion would cause the ping to suffer, as well.

It's possible that both modem/routers we've used are somehow having problems only at night, every night at around the same time, but that's a long shot to say the least.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

I agree, look like you have covered all the angles. Sorry I don't have more suggestions for you. Any word from LAHSIhelp yet?
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

I pm'd him and received a reply that basically said "signal levels are good, let me know if you find anything out from the tech" some two weeks ago. Generally very disappointed with the lack of any real solution or acknowledgment of what's changed in the area.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

Its quite possible they just don't know. Not a excuse, just a possible reason.

Maybe try Visualware?
»myspeed.visualware.com/index.php

After doing the test, click on Graph on the left, then "Click here for detailed analysis" on bottom right. TCP pause can tell you if saturation is the issue at hand. I don't think they would split then combine a node, since that is a costly endeavor, but not to say you could be on the right track.

Also I noticed a large broadcast tower very close to you. Is it possible it could be interference effecting the device itself(but not the WLAN)? Do you notice any weird interference with cell phone or cordless phones? Toasters talking or weird vibrations?
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt

Member

»mcs.oeutelecom.com/myspe ··· =1044446

I don't know how to read this, so I will leave it up to you. If you want any more information from that test, I would be happy to provide.

I will be honest and say I have no idea what is going on on the infrastructure end of things, I only know what happened 3 years ago. Thanks for this site, though.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

First look at this

»www.connectionanalyzer.c ··· sttype=s

Then using this as a key
»www.connectionanalyzer.c ··· aurl=yes

To me that looks like you have a low COS from a high download TCP pause with a asymmetrical pattern which means, and I quote

"If the TCP pause pattern is more erratic and variable then it would indicate network delays as a result of congestion or other network problems."

So I think you may have hit the nail right on the head. I welcome other's perspective on the data though. I am, by no means, a expert. But atleast now you have data on what is happening, now we just have to figure out why.

::Edit:: It doesn't state who's network. Does the SB6580 has QoS? If so maybe try disabling it?
Lyrencropt
join:2009-10-11
Gainesville, FL

Lyrencropt to Optimus2357

Member

to Optimus2357
said by Optimus2357:

Also I noticed a large broadcast tower very close to you. Is it possible it could be interference effecting the device itself(but not the WLAN)? Do you notice any weird interference with cell phone or cordless phones? Toasters talking or weird vibrations?

Just saw this, no, I have not noticed anything strange with my phone, etc. Don't have anything other than cellphones in the house, unfortunately.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

Yea that was before I saw the data from the test. Your best bet is to send that data to LAHSIhelp. Not the kind of thing you can fix with a normal Tech though (if the diagnosis of the data is accurate) and will probably need a engineer to look at it. And then I imagine they will want to quantify the data with a test D3 stand alone modem and a test laptop at the dmark.

The bad news is though, even if they are convinced that what is problem, and can isolate it's cause, I don't think they are required, as per ToS, to fix it. A polite, insistent and educated state of mind is probably your best bet. Honey before Vinegar and all that.

CharlesGNV
@cox.net

CharlesGNV to Lyrencropt

Anon

to Lyrencropt
I'm using COX HSI in the NW side of Gainesville, however, I went with the Business Home Office Ultimate package. It is twice as much, but, you can peg the connection up and down 24/7 without issue/caps/throttles/port blocking, and you get a static IP. When ordering I was told the Business level has a guaranteed quality of service, and should not be affected by time of day.

It's still complete sh*t, though. I moved from Tampa, where for $110/month I had 165/65 mbps fiber into the room with no port blocking or caps. They threw in 500 HD channels for like $12 more a month too.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

I believe Cox Business Internet is the same as residential in the technical nature. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. The main difference is that, as you said, they guarantee performance and a set service level agreement (uptime, tech roll time, different outage procedures, etc). If your area is saturated, changing to Business won't change anything related to his problem except the procedures and attention to detail you get with more experienced Technicians.

BTW Lyren, any update on this? Were you able to get that data into anyone's hands?

CharlesGNV
@cox.net

CharlesGNV

Anon

said by Optimus2357:

I believe Cox Business Internet is the same as residential in the technical nature. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. The main difference is that, as you said, they guarantee performance and a set service level agreement (uptime, tech roll time, different outage procedures, etc). If your area is saturated, changing to Business won't change anything related to his problem except the procedures and attention to detail you get with more experienced Technicians.

BTW Lyren, any update on this? Were you able to get that data into anyone's hands?

Yes, you are correct, the Technicians are a different set (in the Biz department) and will show up 24/7. He also said it is the same technology, though I got a nicer modem. However, I must get priority over neighbors since they assured me they [neighbors] should not be able to affect the service level. They could have just been saying that though.

Optimus2357
Premium Member
join:2010-11-21
West Warwick, RI

Optimus2357

Premium Member

Well I think the logical question would be "How". Technically it could be done by reserving certain chunks of the frequency range, but that would seriously cut into their total bandwidth, unless it was dynamic, but then thats some fancy load balancing. Its probably a mixture of supporting higher speeds and configuring the modem for higher throughput then your paying for to pad it. But if a Cox Business Tech could tell us for sure I would love to know.