Virgin speed issue - some weird goings on recently...

[Lee H]

Before I ring the technical team at virgin to see if there is anything going Pete Tong, I'd thought I'd put a quick post up here to see if anyone can find a cause for the issues I'm having.

First of all I'll list all my network hardware ;

Virgin Modem --> Linksys WRT160NL / Dlink DIR-615 (tried both of them!)--> PC via Wire

basically to highlight what is happening is that I appear to have an issue with download speeds and internet speed in general really. I can start a download off and the maximum speed I get is nowhere near the usual speeds for my 50 Mb line. It also affects web browsing and in general everything grinds to a halt.

However, If I login to the router, release and renew the IP address and then restart the same download, I get speeds at the maximum my connection can sustain. I've noticed that this is fairly frequent and happens about 24-36 hours on a regular basis.

I've taken the following grab of the speed logging, as I was download a mix from dontpanicwigan.com and was getting a slow transfer. A quick login to the router and a release/renew of the IP address increased the speed straight away when I restarted the download, and this can be clearly seen at the following screenshot. The break in the green is where I released/renewed the IP and as you can clearly see the same download flies once I do this ;

http://godump.gameon.co.uk/view.php?...peed200610.jpg

From the cable modem logs, I can see that this event is occurring on a fairly frequent timing, around about the same times I'm getting these speed drops and wondering if they could be the cause of the problem ;

Sat Jun 19 21:47:04 2010	Sun Jun 20 16:21:49 2010	Error (4)	Map Request Retry Timeout;CM-MAC=00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx;CMTS-MAC=00:xx:b8:xx:96:xx;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

I've all the latest firmwares on both routers and I'm also set as the DMZ on the router, yet this seems to be happening all the time and now before I even plan to do anything on the web, I have to release/renew the IP address to even get a fairly fast connection for zooming round the interwebs.

Any information/advice is great-fully received as always

[kalniel]

Loosing sync. Could be the modem on the way out - I guess they'll probably try lowering the sync speeds first though.

[Chan]

I've been getting these MAP Request - Timeout issues with my 20mb, made a post about it afew threads down. Altho hasn't been affecting my speeds, getting max bandwidth just alot of disconnects/resets.

[Lee H]

I've an update.

Apparently I've an issue with my connection reported Here

Trying to speak to someone at virgin who is not reading from a bloody script and guess what, I'm starting to get hot, sticky, frustrated and thinking of telling them to stick their package up their sphincter.

I'm paying a shedload each month, close to £90 in total for phone, TV in various rooms and also BB and having a connection like this just sucks arse.

I wish I could just ring and get someone who knows what I'm reporting as opposed to telling me to try rebooting the modem, pulling it direct into PC instead of a router as I've tried 6 different routers now and still getting a shoddy service.

[Marenghi]

tried ringing up customer server (not technical) and complaining about how they're reading from a script/unable to help you with your problem? or you could write a letter to them and say the same thing and get them to phone you back at a convenient time? big companies like that usually have polices to force them to do such things i've done that a few times with the bigger companies and got the results i wanted

[burble]

There's a dedicated 50Mb support phone line, it's an 0800 number that goes straight into 2nd line support in Manchester. I don't have the number with me but a quick google should find it. Give them a call and there are none of the stupid questions you get with 151.

[SuicidaL]

50Mb support have a dedicated UK call centre in Liverpool

The number is 0800 052 0431.

having 20meg i don't use it, so i would have thought it'd be usual hours i.e. 8 till 8

[Grey M@a]

Lee forget using the support line, kick off big style to them on Twitter. I did and within 20 minutes had the support manager on the phone to me and they did the donkey work as the tech support line wouldn't listen and then just read the same crap scripts etc.

Pretty sure they are just @VirginMedia on Twitter, yeah just checked they are. Hassle them for a bit and you will get it sorted. I had the same issue with the 20MB line and after 2 weeks of calling the 151 number only to be told it was a problem in my area ( I am in Newcastle, problem was in London so their geography skills lacking to boot) In the end the twitter lot had an engineer out within 36 hours of me contacting them and a new modem to boot as I had been saying for weeks.

I was given this email to contact the guy from twitter:

EComplaints@virginmedia.co.uk

and

Twitter@virginmedia.co.uk

They should sort it for you without having to speak to the rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish support script kiddies in India.

[Lee H]

Got a quick response on the virgin forums today

Engineers coming out for Saturday to come see why the power levels are low and twiddle with a few bits.

[Disturbedguy]

Ive had similar issue recently, but on my 20Mb line so may have to moan at them again.

Was having problems a few months ago, my mum phoned them, even though I told her I would do it the following day as I was off work. The ever so helpful engineer instantly told my mum that it was a router issue and they would send us one out at the cost of £70!

I got straight back on the phone and spoke to customer services, who apparently couldn't cancel the order for the router and we had to receive it and then send it back to get credit on the account, to be frank, I gave the guy on the other end of the phone an ear bashing because he just wasn't being helpful and apparently within 2 minutes of my mum putting the phone down, the order had been completed and ready for dispatch..hmm right.

Anyway, got through to technical support and go the exact same guy my mum spoke to (She got his name) at which point I refused to speak to him and questioned him over his technical "knowledge" then got passed onto someone else, this person was clearly reading from the script and despite telling him, repeatedly, that I had tried what he was sayign already, he continued to get me to try the same stuff, which I did, which didn't work. Eventually got hin to realise that it wasnt a problem with my equipment but something there side.

Then requested an engineer visit and was told there was a week and a half wait at which point I told them that I was sick of the poor service we were receiving and that I wanted to cancel the account, suddenly an engineer visit was available within 2 days.

Engineer came out and apparently did some tests (I wasn't there), turns out that apparently the modem was/ is receiving too much signal from wherever which was causing the modem to have a heart attack and drop the connection. So he fitted a filter to the line which has helped, but i still get issues now and then, which a restart of the modem fixes. I phoned up to complaina bout the service again and basically saying I am not happy with the connection drop outs, they knocked £10 of the price and told us that when the 100Mb lines are made available (which is supposed to be this year) contact them and they will see what they can do.

Anyway, ranted a bit there. But Virgin's technical support is pretty useless.

[Lee H]

If you can get through the minefield on 151 it's not too bad

I'm pretty pleased about the replies so far on the virginmedia forum and just waiting till Saturday so they can come and fiddle with the connection and get it to the right speeds again.

good job i'll be up early with the little one getting her fed and ready.

[Hicks12]

mines been shocking recently, throttled without downloading and sometimes even at night. Ive been downloading all legit stuff too! As the steam deals were to good to miss they seem to take it out on me for downloading 35gb over NIGHT.

I want to phone to rage at them but they never listen and eventually they say that they throttle users for downloading to much over night >.<.

I will have a look at this as it seems its possible i may have the same problem as you lee.

[Disturbedguy]

mines been shocking recently, throttled without downloading and sometimes even at night. Ive been downloading all legit stuff too! As the steam deals were to good to miss they seem to take it out on me for downloading 35gb over NIGHT.

I want to phone to rage at them but they never listen and eventually they say that they throttle users for downloading to much over night >.<.

I will have a look at this as it seems its possible i may have the same problem as you lee.

Hicks, the throttling you are receiving a lot of people get. I know that between certain hours Virgin throttle the connections on certain packages to try and give everyone decent speeds.

Don't forget, they will have a clause somewhere as to what is acceptable to download in 24 hours, when we got our connection, it was 4Gb in 24 hours, not sure what it is now though.

Yup lee, been some very good answers on there, just a shame you had to go to the forums to get the answers you were looking for.

[Lee H]

Yup lee, been some very good answers on there, just a shame you had to go to the forums to get the answers you were looking for.

Yeah, ahh well it's been a learning process for me as what I knew about cable could have been written on an ants bottom, but now after a few days reading and investigating I've learnt a fair bit in regards to the modems etc

[Hicks12]

Hicks, the throttling you are receiving a lot of people get. I know that between certain hours Virgin throttle the connections on certain packages to try and give everyone decent speeds.

Don't forget, they will have a clause somewhere as to what is acceptable to download in 24 hours, when we got our connection, it was 4Gb in 24 hours, not sure what it is now though.

Yup lee, been some very good answers on there, just a shame you had to go to the forums to get the answers you were looking for.

Yeah the throttling would be fine if it kept my ping stable but instead its worse than a non throttled 2mb connection (when they used to do it). I understand the throttling and i always aim to keep within their set limits, their table is available on their website and night time is not listed as a throttling time. A lot of the times i get throttled for not even downloading anything which ticks me off . I will have a look at this max download because i never knew they had this, only the throttling.


To slightly steal lee's thread.... i checked my modem and saw this
(download)
Frequency 339000000 Hz Locked
Signal to Noise Ratio 39 dB
Power Level -1 dB
(upstream)
Channel ID 4
Frequency 22200000 Hz Ranged
Power Level 48 dBmV

Now the SNR seems fine but im not sure what the power level should be, iirc it should be like 8dB or am i completely wrong? -1 seems a bit odd

[Disturbedguy]

Yeah the throttling would be fine if it kept my ping stable but instead its worse than a non throttled 2mb connection (when they used to do it). I understand the throttling and i always aim to keep within their set limits, their table is available on their website and night time is not listed as a throttling time. A lot of the times i get throttled for not even downloading anything which ticks me off . I will have a look at this max download because i never knew they had this, only the throttling.


To slightly steal lee's thread.... i checked my modem and saw this
(download)
Frequency 339000000 Hz Locked
Signal to Noise Ratio 39 dB
Power Level -1 dB
(upstream)
Channel ID 4
Frequency 22200000 Hz Ranged
Power Level 48 dBmV

Now the SNR seems fine but im not sure what the power level should be, iirc it should be like 8dB or am i completely wrong? -1 seems a bit odd

Can't look at the virgin thread correctly from work due to stupid amount of restrictions. But, I *think* its a bit low, maybe lee and point out where to look/ what to look at. but from all the ones I could see, the Power Level was low and it was ignored, from what I coud tell.

I will be checking mine when home.