I've done all I could to stabilize my network connection.
I've done all I could to stabilize my network connection.
Over the last week, my network latency has become unstable to the point I can't do my job properly (working from home) or reasonably play anything online. Download/upload speeds are perfectly fine. No packet loss. But for some reason my ping is jumping from 50ms to 200ms, sometimes topping out at 1000ms+. This has been the same with ethernet connection and using WiFi, same results from connecting my mobile data which lead me to believe it may be a hardware problem.
Need advice as if this is an ISP issue, there's not a lot I can do as this is the only ISP I can really have in my area. I'm not super knowledgeable on alternative routers and bufferbloat. ExitLag diagnostic scan gave my Bufferbloat a D rating.
System hardware specs:
Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorous B550 Elite AX V2 rev 1.5
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
RAM: 32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1796MHz
GPU: TUF Gaming 4089MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
Storage: 2 Crucial m.2 SSDs; 1tb drive and a 2tb drive
Troubleshooting I have attempted:
Flushing DNS
Reinstalling network drivers and devices
Disabling IPv6
Factory resetting router
Alternative ethernet cable
Upgraded motherboard (now using Gigabyte Aorous B550 Elite AX V2 rev 1.5, can't remember what the old one was but switching them changed nothing)
Upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Home
ExitLag helps from time to time but not consistently enough to solve the issues. On good evenings, I can still feel the connection drops which make competitive games a really frustrating experience. Also cannot use it for work.
Ping results:
Ping statistics for 8.8.8.8:
Packets: Sent = 25, Received = 25, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 8ms, Maximum = 779ms, Average = 197ms
Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 19, Received = 19, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
Tracing route to
www.google.com
[216.239.38.120]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms home [192.168.1.1]
2 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms MyPuter.home [192.168.1.75]
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 10 ms 7 ms 9 ms MyPuter.home
5 * * * Request timed out.
6 * * * Request timed out.
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 * * * Request timed out.
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 12 ms 12 ms 8 ms any-in-2678.1e100.net [216.239.38.120]
Your connection to the router is functioning well. The traceroute to Google appears unusual—it first reaches your router (1.1), then back to your PC (1.75), loops back to your PC, and finally goes elsewhere. This pattern suggests a possible malware or software problem. You mentioned upgrading both your motherboard and Windows. Was the Windows upgrade a clean install? Running a fresh installation with a new motherboard might resolve these issues. I recommend trying a portable Linux environment first to check if the ping to 8.8.8.8 and traceroute behave more normally.
That was my initial reaction as well. After installing the 2tb drive, I performed a fresh Windows 11 setup using a USB stick. The internet connection worked fine until I updated all the drivers, but I didn’t spend enough time testing it thoroughly, so I can’t confirm for certain. It feels quite unusual.
The way it’s impacting other devices—my work PC (LAN) and my mobile phone (WiFi)—also seems inconsistent if this was indeed malware.
Never encountered this before, what should I do? After checking online, it seems a CMD command can help identify the issue. The result appears normal, but I'm not sure if anything here is unusual.
The hop 4 on your traceroute isn't showing an IP address. That seems unusual by itself. The initial hop is your router, the next is your computer, followed by an unknown address, then another computer identified only by name, and finally more unknowns. These unexpected stops are typical once you leave your network, since ping and traceroute often get interrupted by other devices on the line.
Do you experience similar odd traceroute results when using Wi-Fi? Are these outcomes consistent during periods of good and poor connectivity?
"Same results from connecting my mobile data" – what does this imply? If you're not using your ISP's service but instead relying on your mobile provider, do you encounter the same problem? What is your actual ISP? Are you simply using the gateway they supplied?
Windows also offers a "reset network" feature that might address more than just driver issues, though it doesn't seem to be the solution here. You should try to identify why traffic is traveling from your router back to your PC, then to another device, and finally to your PC again.
It's unlikely, but I'm concerned about a potential IP conflict with your ISP's network. If they have parts of their network using 192.168.1.x and have misconfigured it so that this subnet is routed globally, you might be receiving responses from their device at hops 2 and 4, making it appear as though your device is the source. This could be unrelated to your latency problem, but it's worth checking if it affects your connectivity.
Switching your network subnet in the router to something different, such as 10.10.10.x, might help resolve the issue. Assuming your ISP hasn't misrouted this subnet, changing it could be a viable solution.
While connected to the router, verify your WAN address to confirm you have a genuine public external IP. You can also use websites like whatismyip.org to check your current IP and perform a traceroute to that address. If there are multiple hops, it may indicate carrier-grade NAT, where your device shares a public IP with many others, potentially leading to unpredictable connectivity issues.
Execute "ipconfig /all" using the Command Prompt.
Display the complete output.
Also attempt using PowerShell commands for additional insights.
Test-Connection
Test-NetConnection
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/p.../t...ver2025-ps
You will be able to locate other comparable links without needing to install additional tools or applications.
IP configuration details are as follows:
Host Name is MyPuter.
Primary DNS suffix is . . . . . . . . : home.
Node Type is Hybrid and IP routing is active.
WINS proxy is not enabled.
DNS suffix search list points to home.
Ethernet adapter Ethernet supports a connection-specific DNS suffix of home.
Description indicates Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE Family Controller, located at 10-FF-E0-A5-FA-A2.
DHCP is active with a lease starting on 03 May 2025 at 19:27:50 and expiring on 04 May 2025 at 19:27:50.
Default gateway is 192.168.1.1, which also serves as the DHCP server and DNS server.
NetBIOS over Tcpip is enabled.
Wireless LAN adapter WiFi is disconnected; its DNS suffix is not applicable.
Local Area Connection* uses a Media state of disconnected.
Bluetooth adapter is disconnected; its DNS suffix is not specified.
My ISP is Three, and they are using their 5G Broadband because it avoids the unreliable copper wiring in my area. For mobile data, my phone provider is Vodafone, so the mobile data will be from Vodafone. Unless there was a problem with 5G, I don't know what the possible link could be. I will attempt to change the subnet of my network as advised at this time, thank you!
If we examine your main concern, it seems likely due to the fact that you're using a mobile broadband connection. Like any wireless service, it often experiences random interference which leads to inconsistent ping times. The next challenge with mobile broadband hinges on the specifics of the connection. Many terms in the fine print indicate that during periods of high network usage, your traffic might receive less priority compared to other types of traffic. These connections usually prefer costly cell phone plans rather than home internet services. Even if they don't clearly state that most mobile broadband favors mobile users over stationary ones, they can still delay your data slightly. However, as a mobile user moving between cell towers, you risk losing your session if the tower doesn't respond promptly.
Mobile broadband typically falls short of the performance of solid wired connections. It's possible that certain specific installations are more problematic, but the overall design suggests that wired setups should be more reliable.
This explanation doesn't fully clarify the bizarre tracert results you're seeing. In fact, it appears the traffic is traveling from your router back to your PC through multiple hops within your home, thanks to the very low latency. This would imply the router is sending data back and forth between your PC and the router, but if this were accurate, the PC would simply send the data back to the router, creating a continuous loop. This behavior doesn't match what you're observing.
It would be beneficial if hop 3 displayed an actual IP address. When no IP appears, it usually means the ISP has set the router to ignore responses, though this could also indicate duplicate networks.
Could you consider using two different routers in your home?
Your suggestion to adjust the IP range seems reasonable. Given the unusual nature of the situation, using a less common range such as 10.200.200.1 or 172.16.200.1 could help. These private ranges are also more likely to avoid duplication if you select uncommon subnets like the "200" block.