Internet Packet Loss / Speed Problems

[BellWhisper]

Hello Ziggo community! 

Apologies in advance for not communicating in Dutch, unfortunately I do not feel confident yet to discuss technical problems in Dutch, sorry voor het ongemak.

After months of self-service and troubleshooting, including reading a hefty amount of topics within this forum, I give up. 

I am WFH in IT, and a clean, stable connection is incredibly crucial to fulfil my job. 

In recent months, my internet connection has been incredibly spotty, with download speeds and network stability constantly fluctuating. Some day I have over 12% total packet loss over a span of 30 minutes, others days 3%, without any indication as to why. 

Last time I have managed to improve the situation, I did so by removing the signal splitter from the socket and plugging the cable directly without it. I am not using ZiggoTV, so I had no need for the splitter. That dramatically improved the stability, up until recently. 

Technical information:

• Connectbox GIga with "max" subscription 600/40. Currently getting nowhere near that.
• The Connectbox Giga is bridged to a TP-LINK c2300v2.
• Settings on the c2300 are default with no QoS or other network features enabled.

Attached are downstream and upstream figures, as well as speed tests and ping-plotter from earlier today. 

• https://kpn-itns.speedtestcustom.com/result/dd7475f0-b1ca-11ec-a1dd-0d57da1748a4
• https://www.nperf.com/r/3376793395166701-ptLPtU91
• https://ziggobeta.speedtestcustom.com/result/bc306b50-b1cb-11ec-bd98-e3c6cc2e5777

I have read that there might be an issue with CMTS, that might explain it. However I am clueless. 

Any help would be appreciated. 

[tobiastheebe · Accepted solution]

Downstream exhibits severe noise/interference due to DVB-T, 4G and 5G ingress. The OFDM channel has reverted to the lowest (failover) 256-QAM modulation profile, 4096-QAM is used in normal operating conditions.

Could you post one or more pictures of the AOP (main outlet near electrical meter/fuse box or in living room) and cables, plus splitter(s) and signal amplifier, as applicable?

[BellWhisper]

Hi Tobias, thanks for the swift reply. 

I have no fuse box in our flat, what I get is an outlet in the living room with the cable directly plugged in, and to the Connectbox.

[tobiastheebe]

The AOP (main outlet) appears to be outdated. Could you take a picture of it with the cover removed, by any chance?

A technician appointment will likely be required to install a new AOP.

[BellWhisper]

Thanks! Attached are the photos.

[tobiastheebe]

This TV/R outlet is outdated and must be replaced with a btv 01-SET, which is galvanically isolated.

A moderator (Ziggo employee) can schedule a technician appointment and will visit this topic within 1-2 days.

A follow-up appointment (for a specialized network technician) may be required if the signal noise problems persist after replacing the AOP. In that case, the green cable is likely damaged.

[BellWhisper]

Thanks for the support! 

You reckon this is the crux of my stability problems? If so, I will be waiting for a moderator to schedule a technician visit. 

[tobiastheebe]

The noise (ingress) problems are so severe that they are obviously responsible for the stability problems. In fact, I suspect that the green cable may be damaged outside the flat.

[BellWhisper]

Lucky me 🙂 

Again, thanks for the support!

If there is an issue with the green cable, how would I approach it? Is that within Ziggo's/Vodafone infrastructure problem?

[tobiastheebe]

The green cable belongs to Ziggo's infrastructure, potential damage will either be determined by the technician or become apparent when the noise problems persist after the AOP has been replaced.

If you could post the downstream data again after the appointment, I will be able to determine if a follow-up appointment is required.

[BellWhisper]

I will update this thread for any developments after the appointment. In the meantime, thanks for the insights and quick expertise. 

[tobiastheebe]

Glad to help, do let us know if you have any further questions in the meantime.

[Paul · Accepted solution]

Goodmorning @BellWhisper and a warm welcom to our Community,

I am very sorry that you're having difficulties with the internetconnections. It's good that you started a topic to ask us for help. I noticed that our expert @tobiastheebe already checked the necessary things to rule out a problem with the indoor installation. I also had a look at the signal and both the downstream (SC-QAM) and OFDM channels are severly disturbed, which cause packetloss, performance & stability issues in regards to the connections. To resolve this a technician is necessary. I've scheduled an appointment with a technician on Wednesday 06-04-2022  between 12:00 and 18:00 uur o'clock. In case this date doesn't suite you, you are able to reschedule the appointment yourself via Mijn Ziggo > Mijn Gegevens > Mijn Monteursafspraken  (My Ziggo > My Details > My Mechanic Appointments). Please let us know what your findings are after the visit from the technician. 

[BellWhisper]

Hello @tobiastheebe  and @Paul,

The technician was here earlier today, replaced the outlet and splitter. Apparently the green cable was not screwed tightly and was moving around quite a bit too, that can explain why you thought that there is damage to it. 

Regardless, everything is fixed and the connection is as stable as it ever was, with absolutely zero packet loss!

I have attached the downstream figures for examination as requested. Let me know if you need anything else. 

Thank you for the help and support, case closed with another happy costumer.

[tobiastheebe]

The green cable not being tightened properly definitely explains the noise ingress, luckily no apparent damage.

The downstream signal quality has greatly improved, the difference is night and day. MER is very good across all channels, OFDM modulation profile is correct (4096-QAM). Some very faint noise appears to remain on DCID 24 and 25.

[Paul]

@BellWhisper Thank you very much for your feedback! We are very glad that the problem was solved by the mechanic. The signal now looks fine except for a single disturbance on downstreamchannel 24 and 25. I suggest that we keep the topic open for a while so we can see if the connection continues to work well in the next few days. 

[BellWhisper]

Thanks for the feedback! I will monitor the connection and update in a few days. 

[BellWhisper]

Hello @Paul , @tobiastheebe , hope you had a decent weekend at the very least. 

Reporting back with an updated downstream chart. It seems not a lot have changed. In regards of perceived network performance and stability, everything is good. I did notice a few hiccups, but I am not sure if that was on my side of the cable or not. 

From your experience, do the disturbances that you see on channels 24/25/26 are a significant enough cause to worry about it? Should we chase near-ideal conditions? I have no problems cooperating with you to achieve that 🙂 

Cheers! 

[tobiastheebe]

Achieving 40+ dB MER on all SC-QAM channels will be quite difficult. The remaining (minimal) 4G and 5G ingress appears to occur outside the flat, possibly due to cable wear. 38~39 dB MER is still very good, 33 dB is the minimum acceptable value.

[BellWhisper]

Thanks for the feedback. Given the above, it is safe to declare this topic closed. 

Thanks for the help and have a great time ahead!