Question about networking in the UK
Question about networking in the UK
Hello, I'm just starting out with networking and my understanding is still limited. I'll do my best to clarify the issue you're describing.
I mainly rely on the internet for gaming and don't have very fast download/upload speeds, but I think slower speeds aren't the main problem since my main concern is ping and network jitter. I also don't experience high ping, but I notice a small, random jitter that only lasts a split second, which affects both PC and console gaming.
I can't set up my Ethernet directly from my router to my PC or console, so I use these Netgear PowerLine extenders I find on Amazon. They're about 7/8 years old and haven't had any problems until there was a power outage in my area. Could it be that they've become outdated now and might be causing the network jitter I'm seeing?
Before the power cut, I never had any issues and could play games smoothly. Any advice or information would be really helpful.
Thanks.
I had never encountered that specific model before, yet advancements in powerline technology hadn’t progressed much in several years. I believe there might be a fundamental technical constraint stopping any more efficient solutions.
The devices available are largely contemporary. You can find models with higher numbers, but anything exceeding 1000 typically uses nearly identical data encoding techniques. The older av500, av600, and even the av200 might not perform as effectively.
It was difficult to tell when I first read your message—I thought you were discussing Wi-Fi. Those spikes and jitter are due to interference. Unlike Wi-Fi, powerline or Ethernet drops corrupted data, while Wi-Fi attempts to fix it, often making things worse.
Finding interference on power cables is going to be challenging. Fortunately, unlike Wi-Fi, the source of the disruption must be inside your home. For instance, I own an old shop vac that severely disrupts powerline signals regardless of where I connect it.
Years ago in one of my rental units, a ceiling fan would interfere only when set to medium speed.
The approach I tried involved turning off all circuit breakers except those connected to the power line. Then I unplugged every device except the computer or network equipment from the live circuits. After that, I plugged everything back in until the issue appeared. Usually, it’s something with a motor—preferably not your refrigerator. Once you identify the culprit, fixing it can be tricky. Sometimes using a surge-protected power strip helps, as these tend to block powerline signals and also interference.
Before investing heavily, try connecting directly to the router via Ethernet cable. You could temporarily run a long Ethernet cable across the floor or move your PC closer to the router to confirm if the problem is unrelated to timing. This helps ensure the issue isn’t just a random internet glitch that happened at the same time.
That's intriguing and quite unusual. My situation is living with my parents, so testing everything might take a long time, but it would be worth it if it could help me in the room. Even then, I'm not sure how practical it would be in my house, given all the things that could interfere.
I've placed orders for replacements of what I currently use to check if they might be outdated or losing power.
Are you sure it is the powerline units. The simple test is to leave a constant ping run to 8.8.8.8 and a second window a contant ping to your router IP. If it is the powerline units you will get loss to both. If you get no loss to the router but you get loss to the 8.8.8.8 this means it is more likely some internet issue.
Note is you have coax cables in your room and near the router MoCA will be a much better solution.
I've placed a new order to test them; if it resolves the issue, I'm glad. If not, I'll just send them back.
You mentioned coax cables—looked up and it seems they're connected to your TV near the monitors, could that be affecting the internet?
Also, I'm not sure about MoCA, sorry my tech knowledge isn't great, lol.
Coax cable has been commonly used for years with over-the-air TV antennas on rooftops. A slightly improved version is now preferred for cable TV, even though internet and IP-based TV are also supported on these cables. If you possess a coax cable in your space and near the router, it’s likely you can use MOCA. Ensure the two cables are properly linked; if a splitter is involved, it should be the newer model that supports both cable internet and MOCA. MOCA works effortlessly—no complicated setup needed.
Previously, devices like Gocoax were popular choices. They supported full-duplex 1Gb Ethernet at the time, though claims of 2.5Gb assume separate transmit and receive speeds. They include a 2.5Gb port but can’t handle simultaneous sending and receiving at that rate. Compared to powerline units and Wi-Fi, these devices can reliably transfer data at 1Gb.
Actiontec is well-known but tends to be costly, and it’s unclear if they offer a version based on 2.5Gb. They mainly targeted commercial projects. Gocoax was the only brand offering this technology at a lower price, making it more accessible. It’s possible many other brands now exist. During the COVID era, Gocoax faced significant supply challenges and lost market share. In principle, all these products should work, but as a new user, purchasing a bundle of two might be more economical.
Ah okay, that's interesting I'll have a look into it. Do you know if this would still be a problem if I say have an electrical interference?
The replacement power units I bought have not entirely fixed the issue but it has significantly improved. I don't get the spikes as frequent or as powerful.
Going to probably leave it as it for now because I live with my parents and going around doing x,y,z will get on their nerves. If it was a household issue scenario may be different but I'm the only one that uses wired internet in my home.
I think you may have said in the previous comment that it's likely an electrical interference, I think you're probably right however I have 3 mains rings, 1 for the upstairs, 1 for the downstairs and 1 for the kitchen, however without testing I wouldn't know what ring it's part and it's likely that my ring is the kitchen ring which obviously has the most high powered electrics used.
Because you’ve tried everything possible so far, it’s time to check if there’s an internet issue. If the ISP isn’t being careless, they should resolve it. Launch two CMD windows and keep them open. Perform a regular ping to the router’s IP address and another to 8.8.8.8. I’m already running a ping to 8.8.8.8 continuously, so if I notice any problems I can quickly determine whether the issue lies with my devices or with the internet service. In your situation, if you don’t see any loss for the router IP, it suggests your powerline equipment is working correctly. If you observe a loss—especially more than occasional packets every few minutes—it might be worth reporting. Additional testing could help confirm if the problem is with the ISP, possibly due to a misconfiguration like the Google DNS server 8.8.8.8 being targeted.