on 13-09-2021 12:33
The Hub 4 WiFi experience has been dreadful. I previously posted “Hub4 1GB intermittent WIFI. Connection unstable. Speeds all over the place” as the service, using WiFi, dropped out, especially when video conferencing (eg zoom/googlemeet…), was inconsistent and unreliable. Re-setting multiple times did not provide a solution. PODS did not improve the speed nor reliability. I decided to connect directly with an ethernet cable. I have done this with 2 different PC’s both running W10 from different manufacturers and with all drivers up to date. I have used 3 different ethernet cables (2 x Cat 6 and 1 x Cat 7) and connected each, in turn, to Port 4 and removed all other ethernet connections from the hub and disconnected WiFi. And tested on couple of different browsers. The speed tests were not all to the same target as the servers used are found automatically. The results are below using Ookla and Virgin approved ‘SamKnows .
ISSUE 1: Speeds into Hub INCONSISTENT & TOO OFTEN BELOW VIRGIN THRESHOLD or ZERO
Speed into the Hub 4 varies and is often sub 500 Mbps or gives an error message that the router could not be found. SamKnows speeds into the Hub ranged from a low of 387 to a high of 926Mbps over the last few days. This fluctuating speed is not new. On 16/8 the speed ranged from a low of 253 to a high of 1029 Mbps.
On 13/09 morning I re-set the hub given this is a typical request. Removed all ethernet cables. Turned off and removed power cable. Waited roughly 10 minutes before reconnecting. Disconnected WiFi. Added ethernet cable. Here’s what happened. Speed into the Hub ranged from an error message to 999 Mbps and through 203 to 335 Mbps….
Questions:
ISSUE 2: Speeds out of the Hub TOO SLOW Using Ethernet Cables
Between 10 and 12/09 SamKnows speeds to my PC were between a low of 178 to a high of 292 Mbps (except when not recognizing the router when it was zero) and has shown consistently low speeds out to our devices. Ookla was between a low of 112 to a high of 384 Mpbs with uploads between 35 to 47Mbps. This is using ethernet cables.
After re-setting hub on 13/09 and using an ethernet cable SamKnows speeds were 283 to 346 Mbps and Ookla was 130 to 341 Mbps on one pc and 953Mbps once before further test results at 441 and 481 Mbps on the other pc.
This proves high speeds are possible but are simply not happening. None of the speeds get anywhere near 1Gbps service on a consistent basis.
Note: I do not know if the service drops, especially on zoom, if I used an ethernet cable instead of WiFi, but that solution would be 100% impractical as the hub/router is in the wrong place for working tethered to a cable. I also do not know if the drop outs and buffering occur on all devices at once as they are not all in use at once.
Questions
Other
I shall update the issues with WiFi and can share the BQM and router logs on my first post.
Many thanks for all your help in advance.
on 13-09-2021 22:59
Here's the BQM.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/da49016b81d55bad0edadde6f67d31db86ce693e
Are you able to see all the data since the start of this month from this link of just today's data?
on 14-09-2021 08:25
on 14-09-2021 12:54
Thanks lotharmat
The BQM since the start has shown been spiky with latency exceeding the top of the graph multiple times a day. Can you see prior day BQM's or only today?
Hub stats - part 1
Cable Modem Status | |||||
Item | Status | Comments | |||
Cable Modem Status | Online | DOCSIS 3.1 | |||
Primary downstream channel | Locked | SC-QAM | |||
Channel Overview | Downstream | Upstream | |||
DOCSIS 3.0 channels | 31 | 4 | |||
DOCSIS 3.1 channels | 1 | 0 | |||
3.0 Downstream channels | |||||
Channel | Frequency (Hz) | Power (dBmV) | SNR (dB) | Modulation | Channel ID |
9 | 203000000 | 6 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 9 |
1 | 139000000 | 5.9000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 1 |
2 | 147000000 | 5.9000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 2 |
3 | 155000000 | 5.9000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 3 |
4 | 163000000 | 5.6000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 4 |
5 | 171000000 | 5.2000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 5 |
6 | 179000000 | 5.5000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 6 |
7 | 187000000 | 6.0000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 7 |
8 | 195000000 | 5.8000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 8 |
10 | 211000000 | 5.8000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 10 |
11 | 219000000 | 6.1000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 11 |
12 | 227000000 | 6.2000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 12 |
13 | 235000000 | 6.3000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 13 |
14 | 243000000 | 6.7000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 14 |
15 | 251000000 | 6.1000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 15 |
16 | 259000000 | 6.0000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 16 |
17 | 267000000 | 5.9000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 17 |
18 | 275000000 | 6.1000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 18 |
19 | 283000000 | 6.7000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 19 |
20 | 291000000 | 6.1000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 20 |
21 | 299000000 | 5.8000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 21 |
22 | 307000000 | 5.8000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 22 |
23 | 315000000 | 5.9000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 23 |
24 | 323000000 | 7.0000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 24 |
25 | 331000000 | 7.5000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 25 |
26 | 339000000 | 7.1000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 26 |
27 | 347000000 | 7.4000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 27 |
28 | 355000000 | 6.8000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 28 |
29 | 363000000 | 7.1000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 29 |
30 | 371000000 | 7.4000 | 40.946209 | QAM256 | 30 |
31 | 379000000 | 6.8000 | 40.366287 | QAM256 | 31 |
3.0 Downstream channels | |||||
Channel | Lock Status | RxMER (dB) | Pre RS Errors | Post RS Errors | |
9 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
1 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
3 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
4 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
5 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
6 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
7 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
8 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
10 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
11 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
12 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
13 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
14 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
15 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
16 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
17 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
18 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
19 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
20 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
21 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
22 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
23 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
24 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
25 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
26 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
27 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
28 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
29 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 | |
30 | Locked | 40.946209 | 0 | 0 | |
31 | Locked | 40.366287 | 0 | 0 |
on 14-09-2021 12:57
Hub Stats Part 2
3.1 Downstream channels | |||||
Channel | Channel Width (MHz) | FFT Type | Number of Active Subcarriers | Modulation (Active Profile) | First Active Subcarrier (Hz) |
41 | 96 | 4K | 1880 | QAM4096 | 759 |
3.1 Downstream channels | |||||
Channel ID | Lock Status | RxMER Data (dB) | PLC Power (dBmV) | Correcteds (Active Profile) | Uncorrectables (Active Profile) |
41 | Locked | 43 | 9.7 | 5732130 | 3 |
3.0 Upstream channels | |||||
Channel | Frequency (Hz) | Power (dBmV) | Symbol Rate (ksps) | Modulation | Channel ID |
1 | 39400000 | 43.520599 | 5120 KSym/sec | 64QAM | 4 |
2 | 46200000 | 43.770599 | 5120 KSym/sec | 64QAM | 3 |
3 | 60300000 | 44.520599 | 5120 KSym/sec | 64QAM | 1 |
4 | 53700000 | 44.520599 | 5120 KSym/sec | 64QAM | 2 |
3.0 Upstream channels | |||||
Channel | Channel Type | T1 Timeouts | T2 Timeouts | T3 Timeouts | T4 Timeouts |
1 | US_TYPE_STDMA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2 | US_TYPE_STDMA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
3 | US_TYPE_STDMA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | US_TYPE_STDMA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
General Configuration | |||||
Network access | TRUE | ||||
Maximum Number of CPEs | 1 | ||||
Baseline Privacy | TRUE | ||||
DOCSIS Mode | 3.1 | ||||
Config file | cmreg-vmdg640-bbt076-b.cm | ||||
Primary Downstream Service Flow | |||||
SFID | 48 | ||||
Max Traffic Rate | 1200000450 | ||||
Max Traffic Burst | 42600 | ||||
Min Traffic Rate | 0 | ||||
Primary Upstream Service Flow | |||||
SFID | 47 | ||||
Max Traffic Rate | 55000270 | ||||
Max Traffic Burst | 42600 | ||||
Min Traffic Rate | 47 | ||||
Max Concatenated Burst | 55000270 | ||||
Scheduling Type | 42600 | ||||
I have collated several set of Hub stats over the last 1 month. I often see Pre RS Errors but not Post RS Errors. I often see T3 errors
on 14-09-2021 13:02
on 14-09-2021 21:03
Some BQM graphs as each day there are multiple high latency spikes.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/5f7726307254ac2f657481a83c22849a64843bed-14-09-2021
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/e407eb1b975128e4cd4df968c0807438c7bee23b-13-09-2021
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/0c3f01a9e869f847742bb74276775ce14127be08-10-09-2021
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/c2ecfb252a6f4f54b8e6d7c7938a5b0ae004669a-09-09-2021
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/6837e575f468961ed04dce82fb1702e971ccb7b9-04-09-2021
And the spikes go on
Which leaves me with a puzzle.
The speed into the Hub is wildly variable and often sub 500 Mbps.
The speed out of the Hub, over an Ethernet cable, is nowhere near the promised service speed.
The speed out of the Hub, over WiFi, is so variable it makes no sense. Internet connections drop, WhatsApp phone calls drop, work zoom calls drop....
Questions:
Thanks everyone
on 15-09-2021 09:24
This morning SamKnows says "no router found" Unable to measure speed on the virgin approved device
On the BQM there is a latency spike around 8am, 12 pm, 4pm and 8pm etc most days often to the top of the the graph. And spiky latency at other times but not as predictable
on 17-09-2021 11:52
Hi AmMin,
Thanks for coming back to us here and apologies to hear that things haven't improved at all.
Taking a look at the Hub itself, things aren't looking to bad. There are a few downstream channels that the levels are a little too high but there are borderline. Before we can continue to with diagnostics, these need to be adjusted so they are at an optimal level.
We won't be able to fix this remotely so I would like to arrange for an engineer to come to take a look at this for you. I just need to confirm the address to ensure we are booking the visit on the correct account.
I have sent you a private message regarding this. Just click on the little plum envelope at the top right hand side of the page to access your inbox.
Thanks,
on 20-09-2021 15:09
Hello Kath,
I have sent you my details via PM and look forward to another engineer visit.
I would like some clarity on what is going on. My reply is quite long and will cover several pages.
Here’s some context
I took the Hub 4 with 1 Gbps when Virgin promised me the speeds would be va-va-voom and everything would work seamlessly. It doesn’t. I have spent too many hours reading through these fora when I should be doing other things like building my business or relaxing with my family. The first engineer replaced some connections, said everything was fine, split the WiFi into 2.4 and 5 GHz. Perhaps the title to this post should have read “Less Va-Va-Voom and More Slo-Slo-Slow”.
Virgin has not fixed known Hub 4 flaws. There is an .ax vs .ac compatibility issue (also known as WiFi 6 vs WiFi 5) especially if your computer, like mine, has Intel Killer AX WiFi drivers. Virgin is unwilling to acknowledge the issue even though it has been written about on multiple forums including Virgin, other PC OEMs as well as Intel. The Hub 4 modem/router provided is not fit for purpose; the PODS do not improve WiFi and, after multiple resets, it comes down to Virgin being unable or unwilling to guarantee a WiFi speed or even a WiFi connection even when your device is within a meter of the Hub 4. I now understand, but find it hard to accept, that I need to spend more cash on a tri-band WiFi 6 given the design flaws of the Virgin Hub 4 but before I put the Hub 4 into modem mode I need to make sure it is working properly
I am now going to post and share each topic so we can hopefully resolve everything in one go and before I spend more of my money on Netgear or similar.