Forum Discussion

sjo102784's avatar
sjo102784
Contributor
6 years ago

Internet Issues - Consistent Lost Packets North Phoenix, Arizona

Continuing my previous post that was closed:  https://forums.cox.com/forum_home/internet_forum/f/internet-forum/21292/internet-issues---consistent-lost-packets-north-phoenix-arizona

The same issue is still occurring.  I now have months of data collected to support packet loss beyond my home, as well as an in-home Cox technician that confirmed the infrastructure beyond my home was the issue and that he was seeing packet loss at my tap while excluding my entire internal network. The call date was September 8, 2018 and packet loss beyond my home should be notated on my account in accordance with that call.

Here are screenshots from a packet testing utility I've been using while hard wired to my modem and through a router - the same packet loss issues persisted with or without the router in between.  Packet loss also persisted through different hardware and operating systems.  This packet loss issue persisted through three separate/new routers, two separate, brand new DOCSIS 3.0 modems, a Cox supplied Panoramic modem/router combo as well as the current Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 modem.  The modem provisioning can be found in my account history.



In the photo below, you can see lost packets using UDP (in the Ping Plotter application window, not a normal ICMP request that would normally be dropped due to low priority) and a normal ping in the command prompt window both displaying dropped packets at the same time using two separate types of communication:

Here is a screenshot from my modem indicating the uptime (less than three weeks, modem is brand new) and the several hundred thousand of corrections needed on bands 2-21:

I called Motorola to confirm my understanding of the "correction" column, and was immediately informed that the number of corrections based on the modem's status page is indicative of an issue with Cox's infrastructure beyond my home. 

My RG6 line runs direct from the tap at the outside of my home to my modem - no splitters or other devices in use, and was replaced about two months ago by a Cox technician.  The RG11 line that runs from the closest Cox ingress point to the outside of my home was replaced as well, about two months ago. 

There is a problem with the Cox infrastructure in my area of Phoenix.  I've been dealing with this problem for months, and have provided Cox with dozens of data sets like the ones linked in this post - yet no tangible corrective measures beyond replacing the lines running to my home have been taken. 

I currently have a complaint in with the FCC and FTC, and will continue documenting and communicating this information out until the issue of packet loss is identified and corrected. 

Arizona
bad service
connection issues
connectivity
high latency
packet loss
packet loss slow internet
Phoenix
  • sjo102784's avatar
    sjo102784
    Contributor
    6 years ago

    Major packet loss for about 70 minutes this morning:

    Cox help is still suggesting an in home tech.  Unbelievable.  Escalate this.  This is what you use the 90% profit from internet service to fix and improve.  

  • Michael-MS's avatar
    Michael-MS
    New Contributor III
    6 years ago

    I hope they fix this for you! I'm in Las Vegas and just had my first packet loss issue tonight. Download is fine, Upload speeds are at crawl speed and I can't play Fortnite or stream on Twitch since 6 PM, just about 8 hours now.

    Tech support told me my modem was bad, no other complaints in the neighborhood. So I went to Walmart and got a brand new one... $97 later... still 25% packet loss in Fortnite and 50% loss in StreamLabs. Tried disconnecting the router, no go. Service was 100% perfect for months now... I think I took it for granted. This is horrible!

    They have an appointment setup for tomorrow and no way to escalate the issue because nobody else is reporting it. The packet loss is only on the upload, so probably nobody even notices it.

    Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread a bit, but I needed to vent a little. Hope they get it fixed for you and also hopefully my problem goes away so I don't need to make a thread of my own for Vegas!  Peace <3

    • Becky's avatar
      Becky
      Moderator
      6 years ago
      Hi Michael-MS, I'm glad you have a service call scheduled. Your modem is reporting very poor downstream levels. Please let us know if things improve after the tech's visit! -Becky, Cox Support Forums Moderator
      • Michael-MS's avatar
        Michael-MS
        New Contributor III
        6 years ago

        Thanks Becky for the response. I actually went out and bought a brand new modem because that's what tech support said as well. But it didn't fix it. It was a service outage that fixed itself later that morning. Everything has been okay since then.

    • sjo102784's avatar
      sjo102784
      Contributor
      6 years ago

      Try Ping Plotter - it's the program I used to narrow down the issues of packet loss and high latency during outages.  You're reporting the exact same symptoms I had - which turned out to be bad Cox infrastructure/equipment in my area.  

      Don't make the same mistake I did - get data right away, and have techs come out during peak times when the packet loss is likely to occur.  If you see a trend (which I did this week), see if they can come out and test when packet loss is most likely to happen - and request an actual Cox employee.  I'm not sure about Vegas, but the non-Cox/outsourced techs they use in the Phoenix area are very very very bad. In the course of troubleshooting this, I was told by an outsourced Cox in home tech that my problems were due to "having too many things plugged in".  

      It took thirteen on site tech visits before Cox finally confirmed the packet loss issue while excluding my internal network.  Thirteen.  Most of which were outsourced technicians who wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible, to theoretically maximize the number of visits and subsequent payments they receive.  

      I'm fairly sure you are if you're streaming - but testing while hard wired to your modem/router is the way to go.  To vet my network I tested while hooked up directly to my modem and had data showing the issues persisted with that setup as well.  

      Another thing to try would be to manually assign DNS servers.  This didn't help me, but if Cox's DNS servers are problematic, it might help.  Try 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 or 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.  Both are low latency/reputable DNS servers.  

      If all else fails and you have data to show that Cox's infrastructure is the problem, file a complaint with the FCC.  The more records the FCC has, the more data about Cox's aging and unreliable infrastructure will be in the public records.  https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002206106

      Good luck!

    • Michael-MS's avatar
      Michael-MS
      New Contributor III
      6 years ago

      Well, at 5:15 AM, my internet went down entirely. All the lights on modem were off and it reset. Came back up and no packet loss with 90 mbps down and 12 up. Tech support did try to reset the modem 6 hours ago and it didn't help.  But someone did something this morning to fix it. Thanks!  Good luck on your Phoenix issue!

  • sjo102784's avatar
    sjo102784
    Contributor
    6 years ago

    Here is an image of my internet from last night.  20+% packet loss.  This is ridiculous and deserves to be addressed.  

    As you can see based on my previous post, the number of corrections made by my modem went up by 10,000 or more on several channels following the service outage last night:

    I was unable to maintain a 1080p video stream from YouTube, let alone play games online.  All devices suffering packet loss were hard wired to the router.  Modem is brand new, DOCSIS 3.1 - Motorola MB8600 - approved for Cox's network according to your list of certified modems:  https://www.cox.com/residential/support/cox-certified-cable-modems.html

    My router is brand new and is demonstrating no issues according to my packet loss tracking utility.  This is a problem with Cox's infrastructure beyond my home.  

    • GregP1's avatar
      GregP1
      Moderator
      6 years ago

      Hi , 

      We can certainly get this reported. At this time I am not detecting packet loss. do you notice this issue happening at a specific time of day?

      Greg P

      Cox Forums Moderator

      • sjo102784's avatar
        sjo102784
        Contributor
        6 years ago

        If you consult the images linked, that will give you a general idea as to when it occurs.  I tend to see this between 6AM to 9AM and 6PM to 11PM on weekdays and at various times during the weekend. 

        The issue is sporadic and does not occur consistently.  Some weeks it will occur a few days, and other weeks it will happen several days consecutively.  Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of this week were abysmal.  Other people in my area are telling me they're experiencing the same symptoms. 

        In addition, my modem should demonstrate the hundreds of thousands of corrections necessary when dealing with the problems of infrastructure beyond my home.  I've attached images of the status page in this post.