Question about quirky unstable fiber connection
Question about quirky unstable fiber connection
I wanted to run this by the group and see if anyone had any thoughts...
I have a fiber connection to the WWW. I started out paying for the highest package but downgraded due to the fact that I just don't need a gig down for what I do online. 500 down is plenty of overkill. Anyways, I digress. My connection has been quirky since the day it was installed.
Things it does:
-Download latency is banging at 8-10ms but the upload is extremely high and runs around 800-900ms no matter what server I choose
-When they installed it, they couldn't get their low end router to work with their modem. I tried a personal router and it wouldn't work either. It would connect, but there was no throughput. So they gave me one of their higher end routers and that fixed that issue and now I have throughput. But I have to use that router. a personal router won't work.
For the most part, it's fast and reliable (always on), but pages sometimes won't load and have to be refreshed.
-Pandora and other streaming services give me "connection error" issues between songs. Paramount+ and Prime both sometimes give me a connection error right in the middle of streaming a show.
-Most webcam supported platforms work okay but say my connection is on the weaker end of things and telehealth won't work at all unless I unplug the router and plug my computer directly into the modem. Which I only do for the telehealth service, otherwise I'm always behind a router. Interestingly enough though, when I'm connected directly to the modem with my PC, I have none of these issues.
-When I called my provider after initial installation, the tech guy claimed he saw some kind of signal problem with my connection, so they reran the line to my house and that fixed THAT problem.
-My folks live right next door to me and also hooked up with this provider and have NO issues what so ever. Their internet is solid and they have their own personal router hooked up to the modem and it works just fine.
For some reason, my connection seems to be unstable. I have no idea why and the local techs shrugged their shoulders after giving me their higher end router and consider it "working just fine".
What do you think?
When dealing with upload problems, do you have a 2.5GE or even a 10GE client connected to your router? The difference in bandwidth—500Mbit on a 1GE versus higher speeds—can lead to retransmissions. You might want to adjust flow control settings on your switches and router if feasible.
Also check how you’re using IPv6. It can create complications since it may be routed differently. If your LAN has IPv6 enabled but your ISP doesn’t need it, consider turning it off.
Another factor is your DNS provider. Are you relying on your ISP’s DNS or a larger provider like Google or Cloudflare?
Lastly, look at the MTU setting. If you’re using PPPOE on your WAN, it could be affecting upload performance.
Understanding these details can help clarify the issue.
Networking can be complex...
Are you connecting to the router with a ethernet cable. When you connect to the modem directly I assume you are using a ethernet cable.
You never want to do troubleshooting with any kind of wifi connection, the wifi itself can have all kinds of random and strange issue.
If you had upload issues always including when you connected to the modem directly you might suspect some kind of fiber problem since the upload data is send using a different color laser than the download on most fiber systems. A very tiny crack anywhere could block one color light and not the other.
In your case it works fine with a direct connection so the fiber is fine. What this leaves is some very strange issue with the router or less likely a cable problem between the router and the modem. It is highly unlikely it is a cable issue since most times you get packet loss and not high latency. It depends on how the testing tool is measuring. Although not likely to fix anything it is the easiest thing to try first. Try a new cable between the router and the modem. Make sure to not use one of those flat cables.
A router in general only does 1 function. It shares the IP you get from the ISP with all your internal devices. This is a very simplistic thing and even the cheapest routers can pass 1gbit of traffic with no delays. Make sure there is nothing else running on the router. In general if you factory reset a router most extra features are disabled.....but router manufactures are getting stupid and having stuff like cloud based functions activated out the box. A couple key ones you do not want to have on are any kind of firewall or parental controls. Pretty much, at least to start, you do not want the router doing anything extra that might cause delays.