Forum Discussion

OCSD's avatar
OCSD
New Contributor II
4 years ago

Major Packet Loss and Latency

This is more of a plea than a request for technical help.

For the past three months I've been experiencing the same packet loss and jitter issues as so many other forum members. I've gone through all of the standard troubleshooting steps 50x and still no resolution (resets, wire checks, direct computer to modem tests, etc..). My connection has degraded to the point that even late at night, when I used to receive decent service, I'm still experiencing an extremely unstable connection. Note: this is as good as my service gets.

https://imgur.com/a/b0nkLH6

Hardware has all been vetted as well as wiring. Latency graphs show primary failure is between modem and 2nd hop (neighborhood node). Modem power levels shown below; not optimal but in reasonable ranges

https://imgur.com/dQmGw83

Here's where the story gets a little interesting. I filed my first FCC complaint near the end of February; a week later I received an email from the Cox escalation team and BAM, overnight my connection is crystal clear. Better ping than I've ever seen at this address, 2ms jitter, and 0% packet loss. A few weeks later, I wake up one day to find my service has gone back to the stone age and I can barely stay connected to a webex meeting. I've been desperately sending out calls and emails to try and find this magic level that someone pulled to fix my connection. Unfortunately to no avail. Same notes of "someone was dispatched to check out the situation but they didn't update the support ticket", "we'll call you when we have any updates", "over-saturation during the pandemic...".

Cox is the only ISP that offers anything more than 35mb/s at my location. My job is dependent on stable internet. My career is on the line and I can't afford to terminate my lease early and move or rent out an office for the sole purpose of having internet during my 9-5.

Somebody please help

  • OCSD's avatar
    OCSD
    New Contributor II

    General update.

    Got in contact with the escalation team and immediately had a crew sent over. They confirmed everything in my home was OK and that the issue is with the neighborhood node being over utilized. Our node is potentially scheduled for a 3.1 upgrade sometime next month (not a node split) and this may or may not resolve the issue.

    The 30 minute checkout will be enough to satisfy my FCC complaint and I will likely be offered partial reimbursement for lost service.

    I don't think there's any winning here. I bought a state sanctioned lemon and have no one to blame but myself for not doing appropriate research on the isp situation in the neighborhood I've moved into.

    gg

    • Jaeger's avatar
      Jaeger
      Contributor

      I have had the same exact problem as you for over a year. Two or three months ago I had a few techs come out to replace house wiring and it solved nothing. I showed them all of the logs proving the issue is at hop 2 but Cox insists nothing is wrong on their end. They won't come out to check the node or investigate a potential plant issue. Months later and I'm still waiting on some sort of solution.

      • JonathanJ's avatar
        JonathanJ
        Former Moderator
        @ Jaeger,

        When the field technician arrives for the appointment, he or she will inspect the tap that your home connects to, use a meter to check tap components and signal strength, and replace components, if necessary. The tech will then repeat the above procedure at the demarcation point where the coax cable physically enters your home. After inspecting all Cox equipment and cabling outside your home, the tech will test for packet loss and speed issues. The technician needs to come out to verify what is going on and if he/she finds it is at the node they will escalate to our maintenance team to repair those as well. If you like for us to take a look please email your account information to cox.help@cox.com'


        Jonathan J
        Cox Moderator


        Jonathan J
        Cox Moderator
  • BenS1's avatar
    BenS1
    Former Moderator
    Hi @OCSD,

    I know how frustrating it is have constant packet loss and speed issues. Please call the number that the Executive Escalations team gave you this coming Monday.

    Ben S.
    Cox Support Forums Moderator
    • OCSD's avatar
      OCSD
      New Contributor II

      I've been sent to voicemail every time I've tried to call the number they left for me last Wednesday. Including just now

      • MariaL's avatar
        MariaL
        Moderator
        Hi OCSD,

        I apologize that my team does not have any details regarding your node work. I understand you are having a difficult time reaching our Executive Escalations team. Please email my team at cox.help@cox.com with this post, your full name, and a good number to reach you and we can forward this information to our Executive team.

        Maria
        Cox Support Forum Moderator
    • OCSD's avatar
      OCSD
      New Contributor II

      Oh, do they have new information regarding the node investigation / repair from the last time I spoke with them?