Identify issues with inconsistent latency.
Identify issues with inconsistent latency.
My connection has shown big swings, both to my router and when testing google.ca. Pings can vary widely—ranging from 1 to 2ms to as high as 19-505ms, with no packet loss recorded. On average it’s between 5 and 32ms. When using 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or wired internet, the differences are minimal. I checked this over two days using a command prompt to test my router (192.168.0.1) and google.ca, power cycling the router didn’t help. My Android phone with the "Ping & Net" app also gave similar results. The device I’m using is a Technicolor DPC3848VM. I searched for firmware updates but found none, as I’m on Cogeco Cable internet. This problem started about a week and a half ago. I live in a small town with no other options—only Bell lines are available. My neighbor on the same line hasn’t seen any issues, especially during 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., when gaming is smooth and lag-free. Outside those hours, performance drops noticeably. Video apps like Facetime, Skype, and Discord often report freezing or low-quality streams. Using a wired connection doesn’t solve it either. Heavy traffic during the day makes things worse, but it persists even after hours. I’ve attached my log spreadsheet for reference—anyone interested in helping? I’m struggling and don’t know what to do. The Ping log file is named ping_log.xlsx.
You're checking how your device links to the router. If you notice strong ping spikes from a computer to the router, the problem might be with your side. Possible causes include weak Wi-Fi, network overload, or excessive connected gadgets. For a wired setup, issues could stem from the cable, software, or malware.
I attempted to link both wired and wireless connections, testing 2.4 and 5GHz networks. The outcomes were mostly consistent. A Wi-Fi analyzer indicated no interference from other networks. Currently, there are fewer than 10 devices connected, and none have been added recently. It seems this issue affects both wired and wireless setups at the same time.
Well, everything seems fine. My ping looks odd on the desktop. I only ran it twice—once it was around 34, and the next time it jumped to nearly 130. Even though the pings are inconsistent, my download speed stays steady. The main reason my ping gets worse is when Steam or Discord is running during the test. If your speed is stable, try running the test after a fresh install; if an app is using the Wi-Fi, it might be interfering.
You're seeing the same outcomes on another device, including a phone. Could it still be an app from one device? The tests were performed without background apps like Discord or Steam. Additionally, the ping is problematic in-game, with pings exceeding 500 and issues like freezing and packet loss.
I think you've narrowed it down to either an issue with your router or with your ISP. I am suspecting the router in this case only because you seem to be getting poor ping times between your machine and the router. These should be 1 ms because it's only a single hop between your machine and the router. Try one of these commands: ping -n 100 <ROUTER_IP> - Sends 100 pings OR ping -t <ROUTER_IP> - Continuously pings until you stop it Look to see if there are spikes in ping times over time. If they stay low then try running them again and then start introducing other congestion from another device, maybe play a YouTube video on your phone or something. If either of these affect ping to your router then it may be time for an upgrade because it's having trouble handling that small amount of traffic that it is getting. If the router checks out then I would engage your ISP and report that you've done a bunch of testing and found that the latency is in the circuit. They will push back and ask you to reboot, etc. Just do what you need to do to get a ticket opened and work from there. I work in IT and I have to do this all the time, even with business class internet.
I only used ping -n 100 for testing. The recurring trend shows: a jump to 11ms, two pings dropping to 3ms, then returning to 11ms. (router ip) 12 10 8 4 2 9 6 6 3 9 6 3 12 9 5 4 4 8 6 12 9 11 7 3 10 7 4 11 9 5 3 10 7 4 11 9 5 3 10 6 5 10 6 3 15 10 6 12. With congestion from my PC and a phone streaming YouTube, I notice similar spikes in the same sequence, though much larger (router ip) 9 76 45 11 58 5 71 11 111 6 4 10 7 6 3 30 6 24 11 8 6 12 88 7 4 11 8 5 2 10 7 4 11 8 5 3 5 6 511 8 5 91 9 14. I plan to perform a hard reset, reach out to my service provider, and consider a new router if necessary.
Check if the traceroute reveals any delays along the path to Google. This could indicate an issue not just at your device. Launch a command prompt and execute: tracert www.google.ca
He has already demonstrated the delay between him and the router by sending a direct ping. A traceroute would also reveal this, though it is less obvious because it stops and sends only three pings per hop.