MattChapman

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Unstable connection

Hi everyone, I apologise for writing this in English, my spoken Dutch is reasonable, but my written isn't quite good enough to talk about technical things.

 

For the last few months I have a 1Gbps/50Mbps connection from Ziggo in my apartment, and until now everything has been working fine - I get the full advertised connection speed. However, recently I have noticed that especially video calling becomes quite difficult, as my connection seems to experience severe packet loss at intervals, though it doesn't seem to follow any pattern. This happens even when I use a wired connection to my router - a Ubiquiti Dream Machine, connected directly to the Connectbox Giga.

 

I have tried the following:

 

  • Restarting both the Connectbox and my router - no effect, symptoms return in about a day
  • Removing the splitter - no effect
  • Replacing the coax cable (that came with an old Ziggo Connectbox) with a new one (that came with the Giga) - no effect
  • Using a wired connection instead of wifi for video calling - no effect
  • Factory resetting the Connectbox - no effect

I have attached screenshots from the Connectbox, showing the downstream & upstream status pages, and the log. This is 12 hours (approx) after a factory reset.

 

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

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MattChapman
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So, an interesting development, I restarted my ConnectBox again today (it crashed again), and you know what - my connection is now vastly improved:

 

Screenshot 2021-02-20 at 19.41.50.png

The only difference in the Connectbox is the Downstream 3.1 channel now has a RxMER Data (dB) of 38 instead of 36. @Paul I assume this has to have been changed at the head-end? For the last 4 hours I have not dropped a single packet. This evening and tomorrow I'll restart the Connectbox a couple of times and see if this improvement remains.

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul , as the problem appears resolved for now I have cancelled the engineer appointment (I don't fancy a 50€ charge when they come and there is no problem to solve!).

 

If the issue returns I'll re-open the thread. Thanks for the help!

Paul
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@MattChapman Thank you very much for your response! Good to read that you've resolved the problem. In that case an engineer won't be necessary. 
Please let us know in case you are still having difficulties in regards to the connections, than we can still schedule an appointment with an engineer. 

Good to know: our engineer only charges 50 euros when the cause is in the indoor installation.

I wish you a very nice day!

Kind regards,
Paul 

MattChapman
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So it looks like I got a bit ahead of myself declaring the problem resolved. Symptoms remain the same, packet loss both going out and coming in, and at one point a complete connection drop for about 15 minutes during the night.

 

The packet loss on outgoing connections (and the outage) can be seen here:

 

ziggo_packetloss.png

google_packetloss.png

  

You can also see the outage on this graph of incoming latency (the smaller red spikes are me rebooting the ConnectBox):

 

BQM_24022021.png

There was also a lot of packet loss visible between 18u of the 22nd of February, and 12u on the 23rd, which improved (but didn't stop) once I rebooted the Connectbox. During this time the connection was almost completely idle:

 

BQM_22022021.png

BQM_23022021.png

The Connectbox also continues to crash, becoming un-contactable on 192.168.100.1 until I reboot it at least once a day and sometimes more often:

 

ConnectBox.png

I have attached the Downstream, Upstream and Networklog pages from the Connectbox, as of 12.30u today - so approximately 4,5h of uptime.

 

@Paul I think I need to re-book that engineer appointment, if you agree that it is worth them taking a look? I'm concerned that last time the engineer came he told me "everything is perfect", and I'll receive the same answer again... I'm also open to trying any other troubleshooting steps you can suggest.

Paul
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Good afternoon @MattChapman,

Too bad that the problem still persists! I still notice some interference on both the up and downstream when I have a look at the connection. So an appointment with an networkengineer will be necessary to resolve this. I've planned an appointment with a networkengineer on Friday the 26st of February 2021  between 8:00-13:00 o'clock. I reported my findings in regards to the signal on our network in the workorder from the engineer. 

Please let us know what your findings are after the mechanic's visit. 

Kind regards,

 

Paul 

MattChapman
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Thanks for the quick response, @Paul , I'll report back once they have visited!

Paul
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@MattChapman You are welcome! We'll wait for your report after the visit from the engineer. 
I wish you a great day!


Kind regards,
Paul 

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul , the engineer was just here. He verified that there is interference on the network in my area, that is being actively worked on and I should wait at least a couple of weeks for a resolution. He also verified there was nothing wrong with my home setup in terms of cabling etc.

 

Not the best news, but I can live with disruptions if I know that someone is actively working on it 🙂

 

I guess I'll be back in 2 weeks if the problem isn't solved! Is there a way for me to get updates on the problem? Or do I need to drop by here and ask?

KBX458

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Asking here for updates is the best way to avoid miscommunication.

Paul
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Goodmorning @MattChapman,
 

Thank you very much sharing this update with us. I also noticed that the engineer has reported a networkticket to resolve the problem with the 
upstream signal in you area. As soon as I have an update on this network ticket I will let you know via this topic. In case you've questions in the meantime I also recommend you to use this topic to avoid miscommunication.

I wish you a great weekend and we'll keep you posted!
Kind regards,

Paul 

Paul
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Goodmorning @MattChapman,

I noticed the networkticket in your area has been resolved. I am very curious what your findings are in regards to your intenretconnection. Is everything working properly? 
Thanks in advantage for your reply to this message.

 

Kind regards,

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul , thanks for following up!

 

The situation is certainly better than it was - my connection stays usable for longer, which is an improvement.

 

I wouldn't say the issue is solved though, unfortunately. I have resorted to plugging the Connectbox into a schakelklok to reboot it every night at 4am, because the packet loss issue returns within 24 to 48 hours. Example from last night:

 

MattChapman_0-1616406235170.png

I still see plenty of post-rs and uncorrectable errors, plus T2 and T3 timeouts in my Connectbox logs, which I can share later today if needed.

 

The connectbox also continues to become unreachable about 8-10 hours after cycling the power. Perhaps it is also worth considering replacing it? Or is this a known issue when it is in bridge mode?

Paul
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@MattChapman I'm very sorry that you still notice plenty of pre en post rs errors along with T2 and T3 timeouts. In regards to the bridged mode on the Connectbox modem there isn't a known issue which causes this behaviour. I recommend you to reconnect the modem by unplugging and reconnecting the coaxial cable. Then reset your modem by turning off the power for 40 seconds and turn it back on. In case this doesn't resolve the problem the best option is an appointment with an engineer for further investigation.

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul ,

 

The Connectbox gets turned off for 15 minutes by the schakelklok to reset it, at 4am every night. I can follow your instructions for completeness of course, but I reset the modem often enough to have to automate it.

 

I have had 2 engineers visit now, that have replaced everything except the Connectbox itself - what would a third engineer be able to do in addition to this? To be honest if my experience with the last engineer is anything to go by I'll get a shrug and "I'll open a ticket, now you have to wait for 2 weeks".

 

Is it possible to first try mailing a replacement modem?

Paul
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@MattChapman Ok, thanks for checking this. As requested i've send you a new modem to replace te current one. You can send back the old Connectbox to the address underneath. 

XPO/Ziggo

Antwoordnummer 1070

5800VB Venray

Please let us know what your findings are with the new modem, which you will receive within 4 days. 

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul , thanks for organising that for me, I'll let you know how I get on 🙂

 

Apologies if my tone came across a bit rude in my previous message.

Paul
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@MattChapman You're welcome! And there's no need to apologise. 😉 Let us know what your findings are when you've installed the new modem. 

MattChapman
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Good morning @Paul , unfortunately I come bearing bad news (for me at least) - swapping the Connectbox had no effect.

 

I made a point of swapping every part I could (splitter, coax cable, modem, modem power supply, ethernet cable to router), but after a few hours, this connectbox also stops responding on the network:

 

Ping responses from connectbox (192.168.100.1)Ping responses from connectbox (192.168.100.1)

 And my main issue (packet loss on upstream and downstream traffic) returned after about a day:

 

Here you can see packet loss upstream:

Screenshot 2021-03-27 at 09.28.10.png

And here you can see packet loss downstream to ziggo.nl:

Screenshot 2021-03-27 at 09.28.48.png

I have attached screenshots of the connectbox network status after a fresh reboot, the main "smoking gun" I can see is the T3 timeouts and CM-STATUS message, but I don't know what either of those mean.

 

I think it is likely another engineer will need to visit, but is there anything I can do to further troubleshoot before they come? My current working theory is that there must be an issue with Connectbox Giga when in bridge mode - it can't be normal that after a certain number of hours it starts dropping packets on the LAN, and then some hours later dropping packets on the WAN.

 

Please help, I'm starting to tear my hair out over this. When the packet loss starts it is almost impossible to join a video call, which of course is a bit of a disaster these days... For now I have put the schakelklok back in place to reboot the connectbox every 24 hours. Thanks in advance.

Paul
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Goodmorning @MattChapman,

I'm very sorry that the problem in regards to the internetconnection still persists! I've checked the connection and there still seems to be some interference on both up and downstreamchannels. To resolve this issue i've planned an appointment with an engineer on Wednesday 31st of March 2021 between 08:00 and 13:00 o'clock. In case this doesn't suit you, you can reschedule the appoinment via Mijn Ziggo > Mijn Gegegevens> Mijn Monteursafspraken. Please let us know what your findings are after the appointment with the engineer. 

MattChapman
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Hi @Paul thanks for following up, I hope this get fixed before you start thinking "Oh it's that guy again" whenever your forum notifications light up 😣

 

That appointment is fine with me, and I must admit it is a relief to know you are also still seeing interference on the connection! I'll report back once the monteur has been by.

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