I'm going to need some help later, maybe tonight

[Cerveza]

I've been experiencing internet connection issues. I have Charter (bah) and they are about useless in assisting.

Here's how this went down.

Killing oranges at a champ we raided. I freeze up for like 5 seconds. I get a spell or two off, then freeze up again. We kill them and I get the heck outta dodge so I won't get spawn/orange killed while frozen up.

I started a traceroute to the shard I was on to see if I could spot the problem. Pings were really pretty good. Then it went to 100% packet loss everywhere. That lasted a few seconds, then cleared up.

These 100% packet losses repeated every 3-5 minutes for a while, then my connection was great for 30 minutes or an hour. Then it would start up again.

To help isolate it I disconnected my router and plugged my PC directly into the Modem. I also reset the modem when I did this which included disconnecting the cable and power for over 30 minutes.

When I powered it back up and started the traceroute I got the exact same problem. So now I know it's not my router.

When these 100% packet losses occur, they start at my modem's IP. I checked the levels in the modem and they *seem* ok. Like 38db up and down, which according to the Charter Idiot I talked to should be normal.

Speaking of Charter Idiot, let me explain what happened next.

I called Charter and got to a tech. I started by telling him what the problem was and that I had bypassed the router and the problem still exists. I told him no less then 3 times that the problem was intermittent 100% packet loss.

He starts by asking me if I can open a web browser.

? - ok web browser open... maybe he's got some awesome site that will help isolate the problem.

He says "Can you connect to Yahoo.com?"

? - of course I can, the problem is that I get intermittent 100% packet loss... web browsing will work fine, but might be slow during these outages.

He says "Good, you can connect to Yahoo. You have a working internet connection"

? - Can I talk to a Tier 2 guy? Or a supervisor or something??

He says "Yes, please hold for a supervisor"

Click.

After I call back I get some dude from the Philippines who is a little too interested in telling me about the beaches and women there. At least he understands the issue. I can't isolate if it's an issue with my Modem or the Access Point. I ask him for an extended ping to my modem... if it has issues, then an extended ping to my first hop. That'll tell if it's my modem or Charter.

He says his ping tool doesn't work.

? - Huh?

He opens a ticket. 6 hours later the lines clean. I cancel the appointment. 12 hours later it's doing the same thing again.

Which brings us to the here and now.

Later, if I'm having issues... It would really help me out if someone could run an extended ping or traceroute to my first hop. *IF* I'm still having issues it would really help me to identify if I should be buying a new modem, or opening another ticket with Charter.

So..... If I can contact you via ICQ for this later on, post here or send me a PM with your ICQ.

The software I'm using is called pingplotter I think... works pretty well. It can be found HERE, the Freeware v1.30 link is at the bottom of the page.

[Khameleon]

1: do you have AT&T?
if %Answer = #True
goto Question2
Else
HALT
Question2:
is this your modem
if %Answer = #True
Display Ok Thats your Problem
HALT


this modem I have had intermittent for about 3 weeks I got it replaced a year later I get the same issue for about 3 weeks, all of a sudden the problem goes away, last month it starts up again.. So I called ATT got a tech out, also did some research on the modem... it seems that that particular modem over heats and just fry's itself out. 

[luv2luvlong]

I had exact same problem earlier this year with dsl modem.
modem was bad.

Question
Are you using pingplotters  free version or standard.
Standard gives much more info than free does plus even after the 30 days free trial it will still work, just has an annoying splash screen for the registration that pops up a COUPLE of times before it starts tracing. I really like the timeline at the bottom that can be expanded from 60 secs to 48 hrs showing when it was up and down as well as having a nice logging feature to send the data to ISP to be able to show what's happening.

[Cerveza]

I'm using the freeware version I believe. It has the time lines at the bottom.

Masscre did a ping to my first hop and got 100% packet loss from it at one point. He was running an extended ping to it. I'll have to wait for the results.

If that's the case then it's kind of a problem. Charter is staffed by idiots. It will be very difficult to prove to them they have an issue. And even then, they probably won't open a ticket on it.

I'll probably wind up opening a ticket on MY end, and then having the technician do pretty much the same stuff that I've already done so he can see it's a problem at the first hop. What sux is that it'll go hours without any problems at all, then it'll be bad every minute for 15+ minutes.

[luv2luvlong]

What time of day does it happen most?

Have you seen any Charter trucks in your neighborhood? They might be working on the lines.

I have honestly never gotten any help for those types of probs till I make to 3rd tier support (engineering, the people that really know whats going on).

If the probs continue your really going to want/need the logs from your trace routes.

You also want someone (preferably in your vicinity, with the same service) to trace the next set of routers past your first set.
example
1. 192.blah home
2. 70.blah modem conection
3. 70.blah
4. 70. blah
5. 12.81.32.52 (next one to check)
6. 12.81.32.43
7. 74. blah (is start of my actual ip)
8. 12.122.148.145 ( where i actually hit att nashville's fiber router)
16.159.153.225.226  (start of ea's router)

Main reason I got into crafting, was 3 months of crappy service. And fighting w/ isp to get prob fixed.

I used to be able to tell when it was raining 30 miles from my house.

[Cerveza]

Mine is more like....

192.router.router.router
10.modem.modem.modem
96.34.54.36 ; <- charter entry point
blah
blah
blah
yahoo.com

I get awesome pings all the way through, but then when the 100% packet loss occurs, it starts at my modem and then everything after that. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the modem. If the modem isn't receiving anything it shows 100% loss. I can still access the modem during these outages.

Mass tried pinging that Charter address and he gets 100% loss all the time, which probably means they have ping turned off on it... which doesn't help me at all.

I think I'm just going to keep testing this week, 24x7 and keeping the logs. I'll watch for trends on time and such. Then I'll probably wind up buying a new modem this weekend, and carefully unboxing it so I can return it if the problems still exist.

I'll just get the same model I have now so I don't have to unpack the power cord. It's a Motorola Surfboard 5101 (if I remember right).

[Masscre]

post up the next ip after the charter entry point and let me see if i get a clear ping to that one?

[luv2luvlong]

If the main local router
96.34.54.36
is out, even your modem won't respond correctlly, was the way it was explained to me.

People outside your local network probably won't be able to trace to the main router, which is why you need a neighbor with same service to ping it.

Where you really need to ping is the area's in the network around your actual static ip address.

my example shows 5 thru 8 as local main router w/ 7 as my static ip.