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Upstream regularly drops close to 0Mbps on ethernet

willypimpernel
Tuning in

Hi, my upstream speed regularly (several times a day) drops to close to 0, meaning video calls (for work) and gaming (for fun) drop out. 

My tale of woe: I've spoken at length to VM and haven't got anything very useful, no faults reported on the status page but they always say there is one on the phone (this has been true for over 5 years); an engineer visited about 6 months ago and said it was a network problem and that i'd be contacted when it was resolved, which I never was, and no fault was ever reported on the status page.  

  • My power levels and SNRs all look ok (from reading Sephiroth's post) as far as I can tell, but I seem to have a large number of Pre-RS and Post-RS errors, which I can't explain
  • One of the Upstream channels is usually degraded to 32qam
  • I usually get one SYNC Timing Synchronization failure in the network log each day
  • I've left a Google Meet tab running for a few days with the Troubleshooting tab open which it displays a graph indicating the connection delay (round-trip from me to google and back), which spikes when issues occur
  • I think the problem is with the upstream because on video calls I always drop for the other people but continue to be able to see/hear them for a minute or two, before the connection is lost completely
  • Drops last around 2-3 minutes, long enough to break anything I'm currently doing
  • This occurs around 5 times a day, so hits quite a lot of calls/games
  • When a drop occurs, it affects all devices on the network including PCs, Samsung TV and my phone (which uses wifi)

I would very much appreciate any help, as this is having a significant impact on my work which is mostly video calls.

I'm using all-cabled connections on several devices going via Google Nest Wifi routers, so this is not a Wifi issue.  Google Nest Wifi routers helpfully don't respond to ICMP so my BQM graph is all red.

  • VM Package: M350 Fibre Broadband (this is FTTC, I have a cable modem and coax into my house)
  • Connection type: ethernet
  • Cable Modem: VM Hub 3
  • Router: Google Nest Wifi

Downstream 

 

Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	SNR (dB)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	379000000	1	38	256 qam	31
2	203000000	1.5	38	256 qam	9
3	211000000	1.2	38	256 qam	10
4	219000000	1.4	36	256 qam	11
5	227000000	1	37	256 qam	12
6	235000000	1.2	38	256 qam	13
7	243000000	1.4	38	256 qam	14
8	251000000	1.2	38	256 qam	15
9	259000000	1.2	38	256 qam	16
10	267000000	1.5	38	256 qam	17
11	275000000	1.4	38	256 qam	18
12	283000000	1	38	256 qam	19
13	291000000	1.7	38	256 qam	20
14	299000000	1.7	38	256 qam	21
15	307000000	1	38	256 qam	22
16	315000000	2	38	256 qam	23
17	323000000	2	38	256 qam	24
18	331000000	2	40	256 qam	25
19	339000000	2.5	38	256 qam	26
20	347000000	2	38	256 qam	27
21	355000000	1.2	40	256 qam	28
22	363000000	1.5	38	256 qam	29
23	371000000	1.5	38	256 qam	30
24	387000000	1.2	38	256 qam	32


Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Locked Status	RxMER (dB)	Pre RS Errors	Post RS Errors
1	Locked	38.9	1158517	308320
2	Locked	38.9	2393328	667015
3	Locked	38.9	2306810	594655
4	Locked	36.3	2455347	685086
5	Locked	37.3	2495919	706910
6	Locked	38.9	2267671	627921
7	Locked	38.9	2168268	551649
8	Locked	38.9	2137122	441966
9	Locked	38.9	2099122	453249
10	Locked	38.9	2687894	573101
11	Locked	38.9	2242148	603459
12	Locked	38.9	1928027	402340
13	Locked	38.6	1755404	242894
14	Locked	38.9	2170356	268031
15	Locked	38.9	1828817	257877
16	Locked	38.9	1483253	179696
17	Locked	38.9	1391721	150750
18	Locked	40.3	1207568	107512
19	Locked	38.6	1111062	79179
20	Locked	38.9	1124642	85321
21	Locked	40.3	1138249	104252
22	Locked	38.9	1143833	104495
23	Locked	38.9	1192386	121278
24	Locked	38.6	959152	77654

 

Upstream

 

Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	46200025	48.8	5120	64 qam	3
2	39399830	48.8	5120	64 qam	4
3	60299784	50	5120	64 qam	1
4	53700088	49.8	5120	64 qam	2


Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Channel Type	T1 Timeouts	T2 Timeouts	T3 Timeouts	T4 Timeouts
1	ATDMA	0	0	1	0
2	ATDMA	0	0	1	0
3	ATDMA	0	0	2	0
4	ATDMA	0	0	2	0

 

31 REPLIES 31

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Are there  known issues reported on 0800 561 0061 ?

Those RS errors may be a concern as are a few T3's - or they may be just historical build up - so can you do the procedure below. All other stats look in range. We also need to see the Network logs so post those and also a BQM trace will be very informative - and reveal any "overutilisation" issues that VM are reticent to admit to - so set one up as below.
_______________________

Switch the Hub off and unplug it from the mains supply for five minutes. Whilst it's off, do a quick check that all of your coax cable connections are in nice and "finger" tight - at the Hub and wall box and also at any connectors etc. Ensure there are no “unterminated cable loose ends. Disconnect all the connections and reconnect to be sure. Also check that the internal wiring is ok with no kinking or chaffing, check that all looks good with the outside cabling and wall box (no “staples, etc.,) piercing the cables.. Then switch the Hub back on and leave ~5 minutes

When all done, check back in the settings and ensure that the RS error counts and T3 errors have all reset to 0. Then check every hour or so to see if they start reappearing - they shouldn't. If they do (particularly the postRS and T3 ones) you have a problem (noise) that only a Tech visit will sort.
_______________________________________

Set up a free, secure and “offlsite” - “Broadband Quality Monitor” to continually monitor the state of your connection and record any true network dropouts , latency issues, packet drops, etc - it will thus allow you to differentiate between those and simple wifi dropouts. It does it 24/7/365 and it keeps a visual record of any/all of your network disconnections, useful data to have to match to the Network logs (in your Hub settings) and also in discussions with VM - note it will take a few hours to start seeing a sensible picture - post up the “link” to the “share live graph”. Click the lower link (Share Live Graph) then click generate. Copy the text in the Direct Link box, beware, there may be more text than you can see. On here click the Link icon (2 links chain to the left of the camera icon) In the URL box paste the link you copied and then click OK

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


--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Hi John!  I really appreciate your reply.  

I've checked the tightness on all the cables, and the engineer also did when he was round (including outside) and told me it was all looking fine.

I did as you said and powered the modem off, and when it came back on all the counts were zero.  Here's how things look an hour later.

Any tips on how to get a VM engineer to do whatever is necessary?  I don't have much luck explaining what I need

Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	SNR (dB)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	379000000	1.4	38	256 qam	31
2	203000000	1.7	38	256 qam	9
3	211000000	1.7	38	256 qam	10
4	219000000	1.7	35	256 qam	11
5	227000000	1.4	36	256 qam	12
6	235000000	1.5	38	256 qam	13
7	243000000	1.7	38	256 qam	14
8	251000000	1.7	38	256 qam	15
9	259000000	1.5	38	256 qam	16
10	267000000	1.7	38	256 qam	17
11	275000000	1.7	38	256 qam	18
12	283000000	1.4	38	256 qam	19
13	291000000	2	38	256 qam	20
14	299000000	2.2	38	256 qam	21
15	307000000	1.5	38	256 qam	22
16	315000000	2.2	38	256 qam	23
17	323000000	2.5	38	256 qam	24
18	331000000	2.5	38	256 qam	25
19	339000000	2.9	38	256 qam	26
20	347000000	2.4	38	256 qam	27
21	355000000	1.7	38	256 qam	28
22	363000000	2	38	256 qam	29
23	371000000	2	38	256 qam	30
24	387000000	1.5	38	256 qam	32


Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Locked Status	RxMER (dB)	Pre RS Errors	Post RS Errors
1	Locked	38.9	20	575
2	Locked	38.6	16	0
3	Locked	38.9	11	0
4	Locked	35.7	8	0
5	Locked	36.6	9	0
6	Locked	38.9	9	0
7	Locked	38.9	22	0
8	Locked	38.9	13	0
9	Locked	38.9	3	0
10	Locked	38.6	8	0
11	Locked	38.9	15	0
12	Locked	38.9	9	0
13	Locked	38.9	2	0
14	Locked	38.6	5	0
15	Locked	38.9	1	0
16	Locked	38.6	0	0
17	Locked	38.9	5	0
18	Locked	38.9	1	0
19	Locked	38.9	4	0
20	Locked	38.9	6	0
21	Locked	38.9	0	0
22	Locked	38.9	5	0
23	Locked	38.6	0	0
24	Locked	38.9	0	0
Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	39399669	48.3	5120	32 qam	4
2	46200000	48.8	5120	64 qam	3
3	60299629	49.8	5120	64 qam	1
4	53700049	50.3	5120	64 qam	2


Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Channel Type	T1 Timeouts	T2 Timeouts	T3 Timeouts	T4 Timeouts
1	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
2	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
3	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
4	ATDMA	0	0	1	0

 

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
You do have a connection issue - PostRS errors and T3's appearing to quickly and qam dropping. I will flag for VM to come here and take a look at it.

Can you get the BQM running asap and post up the link - they would like to see that too.

--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Akua_A
Forum Team
Forum Team

Hi @willypimpernel.

Sorry to hear you are having ongoing issues with your service. We can understand the frustration caused and we want to best help.

I have been able to access your account using forums details and I can see there is a current SNR outage in the area that may be affecting your service. Our engineers have been made aware of this and are working to resolve this. The current estimated fix time for this is 25 NOV 2021 14:35. 

Are you able to reboot your device and let me know if these issues persist after? If so, we can take further steps to resolve this.

Thanks,

Akua_A
Forum Team

New around here? Check out the do's and don'ts, in our Community FAQs


Hi Akua_A,

I restarted the modem on Friday, and it's been running all weekend.  I'm still getting a lot of errors, this is what it looks like after around 4 days:

 

Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	SNR (dB)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	203000000	1.9	38	256 qam	9
2	211000000	1.7	40	256 qam	10
3	219000000	1.7	34	256 qam	11
4	227000000	1.4	35	256 qam	12
5	235000000	1.5	38	256 qam	13
6	243000000	1.9	40	256 qam	14
7	251000000	1.9	38	256 qam	15
8	259000000	1.7	40	256 qam	16
9	267000000	2	38	256 qam	17
10	275000000	1.9	38	256 qam	18
11	283000000	1	38	256 qam	19
12	291000000	1.5	38	256 qam	20
13	299000000	2	38	256 qam	21
14	307000000	1.4	38	256 qam	22
15	315000000	2.2	38	256 qam	23
16	323000000	2.5	38	256 qam	24
17	331000000	2.2	40	256 qam	25
18	339000000	2.5	38	256 qam	26
19	347000000	2	38	256 qam	27
20	355000000	1.5	38	256 qam	28
21	363000000	1.7	38	256 qam	29
22	371000000	1.7	38	256 qam	30
23	379000000	1.4	38	256 qam	31
24	387000000	1.7	38	256 qam	32


Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Locked Status	RxMER (dB)	Pre RS Errors	Post RS Errors
1	Locked	38.6	1861348	274092
2	Locked	40.3	1603554	232893
3	Locked	34.4	1635642	231910
4	Locked	35	1587843	214947
5	Locked	38.9	1394434	160390
6	Locked	40.3	1286586	140079
7	Locked	38.9	1206998	119760
8	Locked	40.3	1429370	119895
9	Locked	38.9	1775372	143916
10	Locked	38.6	1790512	147504
11	Locked	38.9	1379544	115023
12	Locked	38.9	1314926	96450
13	Locked	38.6	1581533	110462
14	Locked	38.9	1435068	95135
15	Locked	38.6	953337	59941
16	Locked	38.9	778615	49156
17	Locked	40.3	590252	36160
18	Locked	38.9	504271	31538
19	Locked	38.9	559445	33090
20	Locked	38.9	625989	36609
21	Locked	38.9	637625	35039
22	Locked	38.9	722697	35611
23	Locked	38.9	700563	35562
24	Locked	38.9	482395	20521

 

 

 

Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	39400000	48	5120	64 qam	4
2	46200000	48.5	5120	64 qam	3
3	60299939	49.8	5120	64 qam	1
4	53699971	50.3	5120	64 qam	2


Upstream bonded channels
Channel	Channel Type	T1 Timeouts	T2 Timeouts	T3 Timeouts	T4 Timeouts
1	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
2	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
3	ATDMA	0	0	1	0
4	ATDMA	0	0	0	0

 

@John I'm afraid my BQM is useless because my router does not support ICMP.

 

I, personally think your upstream power may be a little too high! - Sure it's within tolerance at the point of testing - but if it goes over that it can cause problems like dropouts and poor u/l speed!




------------------------------------------------------------------
Hub 3 - Modem Mode - TP-Link Archer C7

Is there anything I can do to reduce my upstream power?  My understanding is that I'm not supposed to fiddle with anything upstream of the cable modem, and there doesn't seem to be a way to do it there

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
Dont worry about Up powers yet - they are on the high side - but in range - its the PostRS errors that are the main concern - if they have all appeared since a restart. Look again in and see if they are "static" or are continually increasing over time.

We need a BQM. What router is it exactly that doesnt support ping requests? You say Google nest - but there are lots of variants of that. And you have the Hub in modem mode with that doing the routing?

Try putting the Hub back to normal router mode and see what happens.

--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

The post-RS errors are constantly increasing.  I'll put the hub 3 back in router mode and set up a bqm and report it back here (I have a Google Nest Wifi router, that's the full name of the device).  Thanks for your ongoing help!

Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	SNR (dB)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	203000000	1.4	38	256 qam	9
2	211000000	1.2	40	256 qam	10
3	219000000	1.2	35	256 qam	11
4	227000000	1	34	256 qam	12
5	235000000	1	38	256 qam	13
6	243000000	1.4	40	256 qam	14
7	251000000	1.2	38	256 qam	15
8	259000000	1.2	38	256 qam	16
9	267000000	1.5	38	256 qam	17
10	275000000	1.4	38	256 qam	18
11	283000000	0.5	38	256 qam	19
12	291000000	1.2	38	256 qam	20
13	299000000	1.5	38	256 qam	21
14	307000000	1	38	256 qam	22
15	315000000	1.9	38	256 qam	23
16	323000000	1.9	38	256 qam	24
17	331000000	1.7	38	256 qam	25
18	339000000	2.4	38	256 qam	26
19	347000000	2	38	256 qam	27
20	355000000	1.4	40	256 qam	28
21	363000000	1.7	38	256 qam	29
22	371000000	1.5	38	256 qam	30
23	379000000	1	38	256 qam	31
24	387000000	1.4	38	256 qam	32


Downstream bonded channels
Channel	Locked Status	RxMER (dB)	Pre RS Errors	Post RS Errors
1	Locked	38.6	2095420	309131
2	Locked	40.3	1812802	265335
3	Locked	35.7	1867863	271783
4	Locked	34.9	1860361	259143
5	Locked	38.9	1618200	198605
6	Locked	40.3	1487033	176373
7	Locked	38.9	1384549	153192
8	Locked	38.9	1635718	154629
9	Locked	38.9	2073692	184116
10	Locked	38.9	2071291	187598
11	Locked	38.9	1586036	145609
12	Locked	38.9	1494983	119191
13	Locked	38.9	1820714	132858
14	Locked	38.9	1646804	112969
15	Locked	38.6	1104175	70662
16	Locked	38.6	914667	58899
17	Locked	38.9	698547	43382
18	Locked	38.9	594064	37338
19	Locked	38.9	650760	38534
20	Locked	40.3	729024	42378
21	Locked	38.9	745863	40805
22	Locked	38.9	851603	43544
23	Locked	38.9	833217	79419
24	Locked	38.9	572145	27149