On-going lag spikes whilst gaming.

[96fauj]

I've been having issues with my hub3 200mb connection recently. I get random lag spikes whilst gaming. I have contacted virgin media and they said they are putting my connection under monitor and would contact me straight away when they observed any issues. 

The hub is in router mode as it's required for them to monitor but I'm still having the random lag spikes and nothing seems to be solved as of yet. I made a post not long ago and we setup a thinkbroadband monitor which didn't really show anything on it. 

I've attached router logs as suggested on other posts.

What are my next steps?

[96fauj]

Network Log

Time Priority Description

27/05/2021 22:24:59	Error	DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
27/05/2021 13:54:14	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
27/05/2021 13:53:41	Warning!	LAN login FAILED : Incorrect Username / Password / ConnectionType;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
25/05/2021 07:48:53	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
24/05/2021 16:36:36	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
01/01/1970 00:01:39	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
23/05/2021 12:19:17	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
23/05/2021 12:19:13	Warning!	LAN login FAILED : Incorrect Username / Password / ConnectionType;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
23/05/2021 11:19:55	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
23/05/2021 10:34:28	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
23/05/2021 09:39:4	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
22/05/2021 17:10:24	notice	LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
21/05/2021 16:06:1	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
20/05/2021 15:17:54	Error	DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
18/05/2021 06:39:50	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
18/05/2021 02:09:48	Warning!	RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
18/05/2021 02:09:48	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
18/05/2021 02:09:47	Warning!	RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
17/05/2021 21:21:17	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
17/05/2021 03:17:53	Error	DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

[Andrew-G]

Latest hub status data is all within range (including network log - nothing in there that strikes me as unusual), and that's unfortunate, because looking at your BQM, I think the only remaining possibility is that your area is subject to over-utilisation (congestion on the VM network around you).  Based on previous examples in the forum, I would be surprised if:

a) VM would formally confirm this - I believe there's an undeclared threshold for identifying an area as "over-utilised", and from what I observe it needs to be worse than your BQM indicates.

b) VM would actually do anything about it.  Fixing over-utilisation is slow, difficult and expensive, they don't necessarily fix all faults, and (by VM standards) the modest constraints here wouldn't justify the investment when other areas have worse capacity problems.

c) If you could get a fault reference and fix date, that the fix date would be reliable.  Often it's merely a review date, and at that point they announce another date a month further on.

If my assessment is correct, (note the if) then there's nothing you can do to fix the problem as it is to do with VM's network capacity, and (for example) replacing the hub, or increasing your contracted speed won't make any difference at all.  Neither will a technician call out help - the field technician deal with faults, not network capacity constraints.  The only reliable fix is to cancel VM and take an Openreach (or other fibre network) connection.

[Zoie_P]

Hi 96fauj,

I have checked your power levels your account and also the latency in your area for the last 72 hours and all looks fine.

Zoie

[96fauj]

Thank you for looking @Zoie_P and @Andrew-G. I'm afraid I don't really have a different fibre option just yet as there's nothing in the area.

[Zoie_P]

Keep us posted and if anything changes let us know and we can look further into this 

Zoie

[96fauj]

Just posting this here at the end as I'm going to continue monitoring it. 

There is a post on a neighbourhood/app (Nextdoor) group of ours where by there is a large group of people having problems with virgin media and I'm going to suggest they set up these graphs. They may not all be technically savvy and be able to come on this forum to post their graphs.

Also I noticed today, on a word day the graph has shown a lot of heavier spikes, this is obviously because everyone is back to work today.

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/fdda3d3ea008778534c548caf9cf569293...

[Ashleigh_C]

Thank you so much for updating @96fauj 

I am so sorry to see this is potentially a wider issues, please do continue to monitor this and we will do all we can to help! 

Thank you.

[96fauj]

@Paul_DN 

Hi Paul, I thought I'd respond to your message in my own thread rather than hijack the larger 80 page one. 

I looked at another post today and your forum staff had even set up an engineer for somebodys BQM which looked like a much better graph than mine. 

My BQM has been running a while now and it hasn't changed, it's still all over the place for 90% of the day.

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/fdda3d3ea008778534c548caf9cf569293dc277b 

[96fauj]

Also these are the more recent t3 timeouts on the router.

12/06/2021 17:57:19 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
12/06/2021 14:53:9 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
12/06/2021 11:54:31 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
11/06/2021 14:10:1 Error DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
11/06/2021 08:49:58 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/06/2021 17:54:59 Error DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/06/2021 17:54:57 Error DHCP RENEW sent - No response for IPv4;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/06/2021 22:30:46 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
05/06/2021 13:46:41 notice LAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
04/06/2021 02:01:18 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
03/06/2021 22:25:0 Error DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
31/05/2021 11:05:27 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

[Hayley_S]

Thank you for showing us this information @96fauj.

I am sorry for the issues you may be having, your BMQ chart seems reasonably healthy looking, I located your account using your forums details, I can not see any known issues with your equipment or up/down streams.

I can see that some of your devices are having connection issues, are you able to try and connect some devices to your wired connection to optimise your WIFI? 

Look forward to your response.