Comcast Internet Connection
I've now had my high speed internet connection for approximately 4 years maybe even 5. It started out as @home then it went to ATTBI and it is currently Comcast. The reason for this post is about an issue I've had during this 4 year or more period that only arises when they upgrade their system (Network).
First was when they went from @home to ATTBI - I'm a big gamer so lets get that thrown on the table, if you haven't noticed I'm number one in the world in Battlefield Vietnam by my ranking on the bottom of my blog. This will dynamically update to keep you up to my current position if it should change, which I'm sure it will.
Back to the subject. Anyone with any networking knowledge knows that PING is everything to gaming or online play in general. Well a few years back when @home switched my speeds from STANDARD to what was known as PRO - faster speeds - they upgraded their network and I starting getting god aweful gameplay online, LAG. 56k never gave me any lag? After doing a bit of testing etc. I noticed that when I would PING my default gateway - not my internal one but the external one on their end I'd get PING from 8ms to 300ms and sometimes higher with the occassional 20%-100% packet loss. Now mind you, this is NOT good - terrible fluctuations.
On a perfect network you should be able to PING your default gateway and maintain a PING of 0ms - 20ms without fluctuation.
After 6 months - yes folks 6 months the PING problem just resolved itself and I never received an explanation and this was after several visits from techs, calls to help desk, modem swap outs you name it. This then was resolved for about a whole year and gaming was great again. The next part of the story.
@home now becomes ATTBI and I go from PRO to ULTRALINK this including another upgrade to their network. I start receiving the good old PING problem all over again and my gaming goes to shit. I go through another 6 months before the issue gets resolved AGAIN, still without explanation...
You'd think by now with all of the support calls, chat and tech visits, and all of my nasty chats they'd remember the cure or resolution for this? The techs would just say well you have your speeds (which really I didn't, about 3/4 of what I should have) and then they started with WE DO NOT SUPPORT PINGS!!! Another good one is that we don't support home networks. Of course if you can't fix something you can't support it, LOL.
They of course weren't finished yet they went from ATTBI to Comcast and of course this included another major upgrade to the network. I now was good for another year after they fixed it for the second time but it always seems to just resolve itself? So at this time I had my connection for a few years but with it taking 6 months to resolve each time my years of usage have now been cut in half. At least for what I use my connection for (Gaming). Now this was the third upgrade to the system (ATTBI to Comcast) and every single time they've upgraded, I started getting a PING problem. Oh yes folks this took 4 months to fix from this upgrade, hey at least it was cut by 2 months from the previous accounts.
So I go along for like another year without a single issue with PING, gaming becomes great again and I make it to number 1 in my favorite game Battlefield Vietnam. Oh I'm not done yet, they still have another upgrade to go Comcast does away with their Ultralink or Pro accounts, whatever they called it, and creates a new Silver and Gold package which includes twice as fast speeds as before for half as much money.
I'm like great I will now have 6MB downloads and 768k uploads. I'm like this is incredible and I'm now paying half of what I did for 3MB down and 384 up. Would you believe it though, what do you think came along with all this great networking and upgrades? Yes folks the PING problem is back and it's now been 2 months since this current upgrade and I'm still waiting for a resolution. This now has gone probably as high as it possibly could without me calling the president of the company to get it fixed. I've had several tech visits, tests, networkers you name it working on this issue but as of today I'm still waiting to get it fixed before I lose my ranking by not playing my favorite game. I know being number 1 isn't everything in life but I've worked hard to get there and don't want to lose it because of my damn connection problems.
I've tried playing and do so on occassion, it's not always there, mostly screwed up during peak hours, but damn it's so hard to play 3 times as hard as normal. I'm sure a heart attack or anuerism is in my future if they don't get it fixed soon. Nothing worse than knowing you are better than most people but yet your connection keeps you from displaying it. If they get it fixed soon they may beat their record of 4 months but as I said it's now going on 2 months.
Verizon supposedly is going to have FTTP (Fibre to the Premesis) by the end of June to all of those with Verizon phone service in Pennsylvania. This is what they will be offering for those with similar issues I have with Cable.
This is what they will be offering:
$39.95 (5MB Downloads and 2MB Uploads)
$49.95 (15MB Downloads and 2MB Uploads)
$149.95 (30MB Downloads and 5MB Uploads)
Yes folks that is what Verizon is supposed to be offering to anyone that has (Fibre to Curb)implemented within their area. Those are T1 to T3 speeds for a 10th of the price of the true T1 and T3's costs.
You want to host games those are the kinds of UPLOADS you need to create an incredible server. If history repeats itself by the time Comcast resolves my issue this should be available in my area. Where do you think I'm going???
First was when they went from @home to ATTBI - I'm a big gamer so lets get that thrown on the table, if you haven't noticed I'm number one in the world in Battlefield Vietnam by my ranking on the bottom of my blog. This will dynamically update to keep you up to my current position if it should change, which I'm sure it will.
Back to the subject. Anyone with any networking knowledge knows that PING is everything to gaming or online play in general. Well a few years back when @home switched my speeds from STANDARD to what was known as PRO - faster speeds - they upgraded their network and I starting getting god aweful gameplay online, LAG. 56k never gave me any lag? After doing a bit of testing etc. I noticed that when I would PING my default gateway - not my internal one but the external one on their end I'd get PING from 8ms to 300ms and sometimes higher with the occassional 20%-100% packet loss. Now mind you, this is NOT good - terrible fluctuations.
On a perfect network you should be able to PING your default gateway and maintain a PING of 0ms - 20ms without fluctuation.
After 6 months - yes folks 6 months the PING problem just resolved itself and I never received an explanation and this was after several visits from techs, calls to help desk, modem swap outs you name it. This then was resolved for about a whole year and gaming was great again. The next part of the story.
@home now becomes ATTBI and I go from PRO to ULTRALINK this including another upgrade to their network. I start receiving the good old PING problem all over again and my gaming goes to shit. I go through another 6 months before the issue gets resolved AGAIN, still without explanation...
You'd think by now with all of the support calls, chat and tech visits, and all of my nasty chats they'd remember the cure or resolution for this? The techs would just say well you have your speeds (which really I didn't, about 3/4 of what I should have) and then they started with WE DO NOT SUPPORT PINGS!!! Another good one is that we don't support home networks. Of course if you can't fix something you can't support it, LOL.
They of course weren't finished yet they went from ATTBI to Comcast and of course this included another major upgrade to the network. I now was good for another year after they fixed it for the second time but it always seems to just resolve itself? So at this time I had my connection for a few years but with it taking 6 months to resolve each time my years of usage have now been cut in half. At least for what I use my connection for (Gaming). Now this was the third upgrade to the system (ATTBI to Comcast) and every single time they've upgraded, I started getting a PING problem. Oh yes folks this took 4 months to fix from this upgrade, hey at least it was cut by 2 months from the previous accounts.
So I go along for like another year without a single issue with PING, gaming becomes great again and I make it to number 1 in my favorite game Battlefield Vietnam. Oh I'm not done yet, they still have another upgrade to go Comcast does away with their Ultralink or Pro accounts, whatever they called it, and creates a new Silver and Gold package which includes twice as fast speeds as before for half as much money.
I'm like great I will now have 6MB downloads and 768k uploads. I'm like this is incredible and I'm now paying half of what I did for 3MB down and 384 up. Would you believe it though, what do you think came along with all this great networking and upgrades? Yes folks the PING problem is back and it's now been 2 months since this current upgrade and I'm still waiting for a resolution. This now has gone probably as high as it possibly could without me calling the president of the company to get it fixed. I've had several tech visits, tests, networkers you name it working on this issue but as of today I'm still waiting to get it fixed before I lose my ranking by not playing my favorite game. I know being number 1 isn't everything in life but I've worked hard to get there and don't want to lose it because of my damn connection problems.
I've tried playing and do so on occassion, it's not always there, mostly screwed up during peak hours, but damn it's so hard to play 3 times as hard as normal. I'm sure a heart attack or anuerism is in my future if they don't get it fixed soon. Nothing worse than knowing you are better than most people but yet your connection keeps you from displaying it. If they get it fixed soon they may beat their record of 4 months but as I said it's now going on 2 months.
Verizon supposedly is going to have FTTP (Fibre to the Premesis) by the end of June to all of those with Verizon phone service in Pennsylvania. This is what they will be offering for those with similar issues I have with Cable.
This is what they will be offering:
$39.95 (5MB Downloads and 2MB Uploads)
$49.95 (15MB Downloads and 2MB Uploads)
$149.95 (30MB Downloads and 5MB Uploads)
Yes folks that is what Verizon is supposed to be offering to anyone that has (Fibre to Curb)implemented within their area. Those are T1 to T3 speeds for a 10th of the price of the true T1 and T3's costs.
You want to host games those are the kinds of UPLOADS you need to create an incredible server. If history repeats itself by the time Comcast resolves my issue this should be available in my area. Where do you think I'm going???
posted by Cellar Dweller at 12:10 AM
3 Comments:
Forgot to mention to anyone reading the status of my internet connection.
They finally fixed it in May and it was the BLADE on their HEAD END.
Once this was replaced and re-wired everything is back to normal and now my max ping to my default gateway is usually 15ms and CONSTANT.
Now that is the way it's supposed to be.
We lag behind all other industrialized countries (ie we have the slowest internet in the world) with a lot of countries now sporting 100 mbps connections Comcast still brags about their crappy cable connections which run at 3-5 mbps. But verizon has started offering a 50 mbps service.
I know the feeling. I've been waiting for several years for FIOS to finally get implemented in my area. At this pace though we may never see it. I'd probably keep my Comcast and use my FIOS at the same time for several reasons. I run a website and ftp site currently and do a lot of gaming and usually have to shut down the ftp so that my game doesn't lag to hell. Thanks for posting, hope you found some of my articles interesting? Haven't posted here in such a long time and with your post it gave me a reason to revisit my blog and post a few new things finally...
Post a Comment
<< Home