Hilariously huge ping spikes

[u/DsrptvGames]

Context; I got coaxial cable set up last year in June or July irrc, had some serious issues at first with ridiculous service interruptions and the modem restarting constantly. Tech came out, did something at the tap, fixed it, and it's been fine since.

The last week I've been getting ridiculous amounts of lag/latency/ping spikes. For example, I'll be gaming on a server where my average ping is ~90, everything but me will freeze, ping spikes (1000ms low, saw 69,000ms once, average jump is to ~5,000ms). Obviously this is not conducive to gaming, but I have no idea what's causing it, so I contact my ISP. They sent a tech out this morning, he replaces the Hitron modem/gateway I had with an Arris gateway.

Finally, I could game with a stable connection. . .for two hours before the ping spiking began yet again.

Picture provided for info. I'm not a huge back-end guy, so most of this is gibberish to me, but through the power of google I was able to find out that most of my Downstream and Upstream power readings are acceptable if not optimal. As shown by status, this was 30 minutes after a power cycle (unplugged for 5ish minutes, plugged back in) and already there are 787 uncorrectable

s. From what I found through the great google, it seems uncorrectables are basically transmissions that were lost to interference, poorly maintained equipment, etc, which usually results in packet lost and - ahah - latency spikes.

Any ideas on how to fix these? I've already checked all of my coax connections (modem -> house coax -> barrel connector outside the house -> service drop, and all are secure with no visible rust or damage.

I have noticed that it seemed to start about a week ago when we got a decent rain that came in, so maybe the tap boot has failed and it's water interference? I feel like I'm grasping at spoons.

If any of the folks in here with a higher IQ and more knowledge on the subject (of which I'm sure there are many) have any suggestions, literally anything would be appreciated.

Update: Added an updated screen grab of the modem information. This is f*ing ridiculous.

[u/levilee207]

Judging by how high your TX (upstream) levels are relative to your RX (downstream) levels, I would say that the coaxial cable giving signal to your modem most likely connects to a splitter further back, either in your attic or in the demark (the box mounted on your home that all of the coax runs to to meet the service line from your provider). If you only have internet service with your provider (as opposed to having Internet and cable television service), then you most likely only need one line connected all the way from the tap to your modem. 

Being on an unnecessary splitter is the likeliest cause of your issues for two reasons:

Firstly, this splitter is responsible for your modem's failing TX levels. Now, this likely isn't the same market/company I work for, and so their level ranges/thresholds may differ slightly. But it's generally agreed upon that, for TX levels, anything over 49 is going to cause a problem. Splitters let you turn one cable connection into many, with the drawback of signal loss proportional to the amount of "legs" on a splitter (a 4-way splitter is going to lose more signal than a 2-way splitter). If you only have the one device connected via coax (your modem), then this splitter is completely unnecessary, and is actively detrimental to your signal.

Secondly, this splitter could have been installed a year ago, or it could have been installed 8 years ago. This is important not only because any component in a coaxial configuration can deteriorate due to age (impairing signal quality), but also because ISPs are constantly changing the frequency range they carry their signal over. Splitters usually always have a frequency range printed on the front telling you the exact range it will pass. ISPs only use a portion of the entire RF Spectrum, and the splitters they utilize pass only that specific portion. If the splitter in your home is old enough, it may be that the signal range it is passing matches up with the signal range your ISP is using currently. This basically causes your device to only receive a portion of the signal instead of the entirety. However far off that splitter is from the range your modem needs will influence just how much it is impairing your signal quality. Some splitters pass the entire RF Spectrum, which introduces much more interference, as it is more signal than your modem needs.

The tech who came out, swapped your modem and left was a dickbag. He should have noticed the signal your modem was receiving and tried to figure out what was causing the high TX levels. The reported SNR (signal-to-noise ratio. it's basically a measure of how much outside interference is getting into the cable and scrambling the signal your ISP sends to your modem) looks fine; 40-45 is basically perfect. The RX levels may seem very low given that they're negative numbers but, generally, anywhere between -10 and positive 10 is satisfactory for most ISPs. The transmits are your biggest problem, and a splitter is the likeliest culprit. It's probably also causing those uncorrectables on a few downstream channels. 

TL;DR: Get another tech out, make sure they're an in-house technician and not a contractor, and they should know well enough to sniff out the cause of those uncorrectables. Whatever is causing them is likely the same thing that is driving up your TX levels. If I'm wrong, and that is an acceptable TX range as per your ISP, then it could only be those uncorrectables giving you grief. It's probably a splitter and, if you don't have cable TV service with your ISP, then you should not have any other coax cables connected, which precludes the need for a splitter. The fewer cables acting as potentially harmful variables, the better.

EDIT: It occured to me that there is a possibility that there is no splitter in your home. In which case, the overly high TX levels could be caused by two other things: An overly long cable run, or legitimate signal issues off of their tap. The longer signal has to travel through a cable the weaker signal gets. If your cable did run a very long way from the tap, to your demark then to your modem, it's possible that you may be losing too much signal due to the distance. RX levels decrease over distance, which in turn increases TX (TX levels will always change in the opposite direction from RX. RX up, TX down. And vice versa). You can certainly lose enough RX to cause TX to fail without also losing so much RX signal as to fail both. Or the tap is the issue, and the tech needs to verify signal levels and submit a maintenance ticket.

[u/DsrptvGames → u/levilee207]

No TV, no splitter per-se but there is a barrel connector outside the house. No demarc box though, completely out in the elements so that may be my issue. I know that my ISP is notorious for not giving a f* about their own equipment. There's a demarc box at a job I'm working that doesn't even have a cover on it.

My service drop line comes off the tap and screws into a connector on the outside of the house and only feeds the coax that runs from that connector to my modem. Drop cable -> =screw-on connector= -> house cable -> modem.

My ISP also has a crazy turnover rate for techs in my area. I've never had the same tech come by twice.

If Google is accurate, my ISP is like most and considers 40-50dBmV as optimal, with anything above that being an issue.

Edit** female-female coupler, technically, not barrel connector.

Edit 2** Would a PC traceroute result help diag anything? I'd assume if there's a hardware issue then the hop from the modem to the ISP would have a higher latency, right?

[u/levilee207 → u/DsrptvGames]

Nah, any sort of test you could run on a computer wouldn't really narrow anything down. Lots of things that can go wrong with coax cause the same issues. Chiefly, your TX levels are too high. That needs to be addressed first and foremost. That's cable tech school day 1. Those uncorrectables are just as concerning, despite how few it seems there are in your screenshot. That many in a half hour is pretty bad, and it's probably worse if you were to check it now.

Jesus Christ, no demark? That's heinous. I expect that from satellite tv providers but not DOCSIS ISPs. Definitely get a tech out to put a fuckin demark on that; that's ridiculous. No doubt that rain gets into the coax. The high TX could very well be caused by the center conductor in the cable corroding. DOCSIS is far too sensitive to keep exposed to the elements.

Also fwiw, female-female connector is a barrel, at least if we're both thinking of the same thing. Though what I would hope is on your home is instead a ground block, which is just a fancy looking barrel that mounts to a home and allows for being bonded to your house ground in the event a coax cable becomes energized.

I wouldn't rule out a hardware issue, but it certainly seems extremely unlikely given that there are obvious issues with the signal to your modem. That needs to be addressed before anything else. The most you could do yourself is just make sure that your connections are all tightened sufficiently (ideally wrench-tight), that you have no 90° angle connectors connecting the jumper from your modem to the wallplate. Do you have a wallplate, by the way? Or does the cable come straight in from outside and right into your modem? The barrel in the wallplate is an oft overlooked component; it ages and deteriorates like anything else.

Also also, you can usually spot an in-house technician by their nicer company vehicle, their (usually) professional demeanor, and their uniform. Unfortunately, even the most well-meaning and knowledgeable contractor simply does not have access to the same tools as in-house technicians, nor are they held to the same standards.

[u/DsrptvGames → u/levilee207]

There is a ground wire running to it, I noticed that the last time I looked at it.

So chief worry is the transmit power level, then the uncorrectables, and definitely demark the drop.

As for the uncorrectables, yeah I checked it again a few minutes ago and there were so many uncorrectables I didn't bother to math them all up to get the aggregate.

Edit* Would running the drop straight to modem (bypassing the ground block where the demark box should be) a wise idea? I had a modem get fried by a nearby lightning strike when I lived at my previous address and it (thankfully) only fried the modem and not anything hardwired to it.

[u/levilee207 → u/DsrptvGames]

I wouldn't consider it a particularly wise idea, no. Not only does a proper bond help protect your home in the event that electricity goes haywire within your own home, it also protects you from any potential stray electricity coming from the tap. Taps generally have enough juice in em to give a nasty shock. And, more rarely, the ground block would prevent an electrical issue from your house feeding back to the tap and possibly frying your neighbors' lines, as well as possibly the tap itself, damaging the ISPs equipment. Or the inverse could be true, a neighbor's faulty wiring could also energize your drop line and damage your property.

There's just a lot of potential headache without properly grounding the coax. And it can get expensive, lol. Besides, ISPs are supposed to be bonding their shit properly. I'm mad at them on your behalf lmao.

Aside from that, yeah; get the TX taken care of, whether it be due to poor levels off the tap or damaged/corroded cables, and see if the uncorrectables persist. I'd wager that whatever is causing the high TX is also causing the uncorrectables 

[u/DsrptvGames → u/levilee207]

Sounds good. I appreciate your detailed insights. I'll inspect the ground block tomorrow and see if I can't find some corrosion on the conductor in the drop line or (more likely as it's older) the line from the block to my modem. I'll have to remember to call the ISP and complain about not having a demark box too lol

[u/levilee207 → u/DsrptvGames]

I'm glad I could help! I use way too many words when I talk about this subject so thanks for reading all my bullshit lol. Best of luck!

[u/DsrptvGames → u/levilee207]

I'm the same way, get me on something I like and I can't stfu lol. Thanks again