Virgin Media Community

[Conradus]

Over the last few weeks it has become very difficult to game online due to random spikes of high latency around 200ms. It doesn't seem to be related to usage or number of devices.

This happens on a wired connection seemingly randomly, on average I'd say once a minute there is a large spike.

• Wired into a powerful PC
• 600M package
• Speeds are ok @ around 350 to 400 (not exactly the 600 I purchased but I digress)
• Latency has very high spikes

BQM Graph

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/3c41d393af1f3f7821ba33c29c2368ff82cae065-08-02-2021

What's interesting is during midnight/9am there are no spikes. I turned a laptop on at 9am which was not doing anything which had nothing running and pretty much no network being used. So why would turning a laptop on cause this?

Pinging Google

64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=368 ttl=116 time=27.352 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=369 ttl=116 time=19.557 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=370 ttl=116 time=20.850 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=371 ttl=116 time=39.332 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=372 ttl=116 time=28.235 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=373 ttl=116 time=31.785 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=374 ttl=116 time=21.248 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=375 ttl=116 time=20.715 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=376 ttl=116 time=259.017 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=377 ttl=116 time=150.948 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=378 ttl=116 time=25.078 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=379 ttl=116 time=45.857 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=380 ttl=116 time=22.181 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=381 ttl=116 time=20.619 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=382 ttl=116 time=24.903 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=383 ttl=116 time=26.159 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=384 ttl=116 time=27.878 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=385 ttl=116 time=21.686 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=386 ttl=116 time=23.328 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=387 ttl=116 time=31.983 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=388 ttl=116 time=19.646 ms
64 bytes from 216.58.204.35: icmp_seq=389 ttl=116 time=20.593 ms

Downstream

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) SNR (dB) Modulation Channel ID

1	355000000	7.4	38	256 qam	28
2	203000000	6.5	38	256 qam	9
3	211000000	6.5	38	256 qam	10
4	219000000	6.9	38	256 qam	11
5	227000000	6.9	38	256 qam	12
6	235000000	6.9	38	256 qam	13
7	243000000	7	38	256 qam	14
8	251000000	7.1	38	256 qam	15
9	259000000	7.1	38	256 qam	16
10	267000000	7	38	256 qam	17
11	275000000	7	38	256 qam	18
12	283000000	7	38	256 qam	19
13	291000000	6.9	38	256 qam	20
14	299000000	7	38	256 qam	21
15	307000000	6.5	38	256 qam	22
16	315000000	6.6	38	256 qam	23
17	323000000	6.8	38	256 qam	24
18	331000000	7	38	256 qam	25
19	339000000	7.1	38	256 qam	26
20	347000000	7	38	256 qam	27
21	363000000	7.5	38	256 qam	29
22	371000000	8	38	256 qam	30
23	379000000	8.1	38	256 qam	31
24	387000000	8.3	38	256 qam	32

Downstream bonded channels

Channel Locked Status RxMER (dB) Pre RS Errors Post RS Errors

1	Locked	38.6	38	0
2	Locked	38.6	33	0
3	Locked	38.6	32	0
4	Locked	38.6	30	0
5	Locked	38.9	28	0
6	Locked	38.6	32	0
7	Locked	38.6	29	0
8	Locked	38.9	25	0
9	Locked	38.9	27	0
10	Locked	38.9	24	0
11	Locked	38.9	26	0
12	Locked	38.9	23	0
13	Locked	38.9	23	0
14	Locked	38.9	26	0
15	Locked	38.6	49	0
16	Locked	38.6	61	0
17	Locked	38.6	26	0
18	Locked	38.9	35	0
19	Locked	38.9	27	0
20	Locked	38.9	44	0
21	Locked	38.6	35	0
22	Locked	38.9	34	0
23	Locked	38.6	27	0
24	Locked	38.9	28	0

[Conradus]

Upstream

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) Symbol Rate (ksps) Modulation Channel ID
1 60300000 41.3 5120 64 qam 1
2 39400000 40.3 5120 64 qam 4
3 46200000 39.8 5120 64 qam 3
4 53700000 41 5120 64 qam 2



Upstream bonded channels
Channel Channel Type T1 Timeouts T2 Timeouts T3 Timeouts T4 Timeouts
1 ATDMA 0 0 13 0
2 ATDMA 0 0 4 0
3 ATDMA 0 0 15 0
4 ATDMA 0 0 9
0



Network Log

TimePriorityDescription08/02/2021 19:37:57noticeLAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;06/02/2021 20:27:30criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;06/02/2021 13:59:35noticeLAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;06/02/2021 00:19:45criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;05/02/2021 16:43:53noticeLAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;05/02/2021 08:08:26noticeDHCP Renew - lease parameters tftp file-cmreg-vmdg505-bbt078+voc-b.cm modified;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;05/02/2021 08:08:26ErrorDHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;04/02/2021 23:14:15noticeLAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;04/02/2021 06:43:23criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 21:35:46noticeLAN login Success;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:36:19criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:36:19criticalUnicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:31:19criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:31:19criticalUnicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:31:0criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:30:59criticalUnicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:30:0criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:29:59criticalUnicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:29:40criticalNo Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;03/02/2021 16:29:39criticalUnicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

[Andruser · Accepted solution]

Look through the forum for posts on "over-utilisation", because that's the problem affecting your connection.  A good chance this will resolve when lockdown ends, but no absolute guarantees.  Alternative options are described in some of those other posts, when you read them you may choose to sit it out and hope for it go away when lockdown ends.

[Conradus]

If it was over-utilisation then surely it wouldn't happen at 2am?

[Andruser]

The BQM link you posted isn't showing over-utilisation at 2am.  The trace between midnight and about 8am is close to as good as it gets with a Hub 3 on a DOCSIS cable connection.  On a good connection with no utilisation problems, a BQM looks like you're "small hours of the morning" trace all day.

[Conradus]

I've been keeping an eye on it and I agree it is over-utilisation, there are the odd moments I get high latency in what I would consider non-peak times which can be seen here:

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/42d221813ae36d666e059b9fe4cff2c1fe...

The jitter and high latency was a problem until around 2am.

My solution is just to leave Virgin Media, I signed up presuming they had the best broadband but it's now clear they have the worst. I'll happily live with slower download speeds if it means I can actually game as currently I cannot play games online due to 200+ ping spikes.