Intermittent Ping Spikes

[micahelriley]

Hi, I was wondering if someone could explain a few things regarding the data from my DOCSIS WAN report? I'm experiencing some intermittent latency issues with ping spikes tested on different domains, happening every 60sec or so, 200-1000ms. I have a Tech coming here tomorrow and was going to ask if a higher freq. tap was installed to accomodate the docsis 3.1 higher freq 751-845, as I think it's possible this could be related to my issue? As well, should I see one of the two OFMDA channels enabled, both are disabled in the overview chart?

Also noted that the upstream signal levels seem a bit high (41.26 - 42.02), not sure if this is beyond any threshold?

Any insight would be appreciated.

thanks,

Bob.

Downstream Overview
Port ID	Frequency (Hz)	Modulation	Signal strength (dBmV)	Channel ID	Signal noise ratio (dB)	Bytes	Correcteds	Uncorrectables
1	603000000	QAM256	-0.200	9	40.946	393731137	0	0
2	375000000	QAM256	-1.299	1	38.983	332591484	7	0
3	381000000	QAM256	-1.200	2	40.366	331518324	0	0
4	387000000	QAM256	-1.200	3	38.983	336651543	0	0
5	393000000	QAM256	-1.299	4	38.983	333921110	0	0
6	399000000	QAM256	-1.299	5	38.983	335439093	0	0
7	405000000	QAM256	-1.400	6	40.366	331878574	1	0
8	411000000	QAM256	-1.500	7	38.983	333220227	0	0
9	417000000	QAM256	-1.299	8	38.983	335983922	0	0
10	609000000	QAM256	0.200	10	40.366	329616411	0	0
11	615000000	QAM256	0.299	11	38.983	327986628	0	0
12	621000000	QAM256	0.400	12	40.366	330100518	0	0
13	627000000	QAM256	0.500	13	40.366	328250834	0	0
14	633000000	QAM256	0.700	14	40.366	335148276	0	0
15	639000000	QAM256	1.099	15	40.366	316291222	0	0
16	645000000	QAM256	1.299	16	40.366	326322027	0	0
17	651000000	QAM256	1.099	17	40.366	345888986	0	0
18	657000000	QAM256	1.400	18	40.946	350445667	0	0
19	663000000	QAM256	1.400	19	40.366	347300927	0	0
20	669000000	QAM256	1.500	20	40.946	348684877	0	0
21	675000000	QAM256	1.299	21	40.366	361276970	0	0
22	681000000	QAM256	1.200	22	40.366	353205108	0	0
23	687000000	QAM256	1.200	23	40.366	365710237	3	0
24	693000000	QAM256	1.000	24	40.366	348728202	0	0
Reset FEC Counters

OFDM Downstream Overview
Receiver	FFT type	Subcarr 0 Frequency(MHz)	PLC locked	NCP locked	MDC1 locked	PLC Location	Occupied BW(MHz)	Subcarriers	PLC power(dBmv)
0	NA	NA	NO	NO	NO	NA	0 ~ 0	NA	NA
1	4K	695600000	YES	YES	YES	1504	751 ~ 844.95	1840	0.200001

Upstream Overview
Port ID	Frequency (Hz)	Modulation	Signal strength (dBmV)	Channel ID	Bandwidth
1	36768000	64QAM	41.770	4	6400000
2	30112000	64QAM	42.020	3	6400000
3	23456000	64QAM	42.020	2	6400000
4	18400000	64QAM	41.260	1	3200000

OFDMA Overview
Channel Index	State	lin Digital Att	Digital Att	BW (sc's*fft)	Report Power	Report Power1_6	FFT Size
0	DISABLED	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	2K
1	DISABLED	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	0.0000	2K

 

[sfx2000]

What is the vendor/model of the cable modem?

There was/is an issue with certain Intel Puma6 chipsets that a few vendors used for DOCSIS 3.0...

 

[micahelriley]

What is the vendor/model of the cable modem?

There was/is an issue with certain Intel Puma6 chipsets that a few vendors used for DOCSIS 3.0...

Hi, it's a Hitron CODA 4582

 

[Tech Junky]

In general you're not seeing a ton of errors which means you're good for signal / SNR.

The OFDMA channels should be engaged though for higher speed plans. If you're on a gig+ plan you should have both of them synced and operating. Now, if the provider doesn't offer gig speeds yet or disabled them in your speed profile for OFDMA that would explain why they're not synced.

Ping spikes are normal periodically but, 1000ms is usually more when the connection is over saturated during a DL / UL not randomly during the day.

I would see if they will run a "homerun" from the NID to the room where the CM is and bypass all splitters to see if things improve. Sometimes there's weird things that happen with splitters over time. Getting them out of the path is ideal. When I had my CM running through a home terminal splitter for the prewired connections I found it hard to hit the plan speed but, when I cut the terminal out of the equation I hit 980+DL / 40UL. When I went DIY and made my own router I got beyond that up to 1200-1500DL speeds by bonding 2 ports through LACP.

If you're paying a monthly fee for the modem look into options you can buy like the MB8600 which is what I was using before going 5G with T-Mobile. I was using it for ~7 years w/o any issues other than when there was a power outage. It's still usable and looks new. There are newer models though that have a single 2.5gbps port on them that seem to be more relevant since more 2.5gbps ports are coming out on the consumer side. Buying one will easily be paid off in a year at $10-$15/mo the CCo is charging for their rental unit.

 

[micahelriley]

In general you're not seeing a ton of errors which means you're good for signal / SNR.

The OFDMA channels should be engaged though for higher speed plans. If you're on a gig+ plan you should have both of them synced and operating. Now, if the provider doesn't offer gig speeds yet or disabled them in your speed profile for OFDMA that would explain why they're not synced.

Ping spikes are normal periodically but, 1000ms is usually more when the connection is over saturated during a DL / UL not randomly during the day.

I would see if they will run a "homerun" from the NID to the room where the CM is and bypass all splitters to see if things improve. Sometimes there's weird things that happen with splitters over time. Getting them out of the path is ideal. When I had my CM running through a home terminal splitter for the prewired connections I found it hard to hit the plan speed but, when I cut the terminal out of the equation I hit 980+DL / 40UL. When I went DIY and made my own router I got beyond that up to 1200-1500DL speeds by bonding 2 ports through LACP.

If you're paying a monthly fee for the modem look into options you can buy like the MB8600 which is what I was using before going 5G with T-Mobile. I was using it for ~7 years w/o any issues other than when there was a power outage. It's still usable and looks new. There are newer models though that have a single 2.5gbps port on them that seem to be more relevant since more 2.5gbps ports are coming out on the consumer side. Buying one will easily be paid off in a year at $10-$15/mo the CCo is charging for their rental unit.

Hi, my plan is only 350 up/10 dwn, so maybe it's not high enough for the OFDMA channels to be engaged, like you said? As far as splitters there are none from the pole to the modem, it's actually one thing we removed when I had other issues two years ago. I should mention that all the speed tests I've done have had no problems, they usually come within 250-310Mps download and always 10 upload, every test, it's just these random latency spikes I get. This plan includes their modem/router combo., but I did contemplate buying a new one to use in bridge mode. I also let a ping test run today while I was out and the spikes where there every few minutes again, but the range was lower, approx. 150-250ms. Do you think these spikes are normal?

 

[micahelriley]

What is the vendor/model of the cable modem?

There was/is an issue with certain Intel Puma6 chipsets that a few vendors used for DOCSIS 3.0...

Hi, it's a Hitron CODA 4582

 

[Tech Junky]

150-250ms. Do you think these spikes are normal?

If you're running them form WiFi yes. If it's a wired machine then not really. It could be the destination though coming under load.

 

[sfx2000]

Hi, it's a Hitron CODA 4582

It's PUMA 6 chipset from Intel - it's a problem with the chipset itself...

Intel Puma 6 Modem List Chipset Defects – ApprovedModemList.com

The Do Not Buy Intel Puma 6 modem list with an explanantion of the chipset defect. Details on the lawsuit & how to spot the defective modems.

approvedmodemlist.com

Intel Puma 6 Defect Explained

Intel’s Puma 6 chipset included in several cable modems is defective as it allows high spikes in network latency quite often (slow web page loading, for example). These severe network latency spikes interfere with online gaming, streaming video, or simply surfing the web. Network jitter (variable latency) also causes problems.

The Puma 6 modems suffer from both latency and jitter. Some firmware updates have only temporarily fixed the problem and it seems Intel has no real fix for the issue. Consequently, these bad internet connections landed cable modem maker ARRIS in trouble with a pending lawsuit filed in California.

 

[avtella]

If I recall even the Puma 7 was problematic as well. I’d get something like an the MB8600 or Arris SB8200 which is pretty well built (the latter I have used) and both use a BCM 3390 chipset.

 

[Tech Junky]

MB8600

I used one of these for 7 years and never an issue. Cur the actual core though and need to get rid of it as it's collecting dust at this point.

 

[micahelriley]

It's PUMA 6 chipset from Intel - it's a problem with the chipset itself...

Intel Puma 6 Modem List Chipset Defects – ApprovedModemList.com

The Do Not Buy Intel Puma 6 modem list with an explanantion of the chipset defect. Details on the lawsuit & how to spot the defective modems.

approvedmodemlist.com

Intel Puma 6 Defect Explained

Intel’s Puma 6 chipset included in several cable modems is defective as it allows high spikes in network latency quite often (slow web page loading, for example). These severe network latency spikes interfere with online gaming, streaming video, or simply surfing the web. Network jitter (variable latency) also causes problems.

The Puma 6 modems suffer from both latency and jitter. Some firmware updates have only temporarily fixed the problem and it seems Intel has no real fix for the issue. Consequently, these bad internet connections landed cable modem maker ARRIS in trouble with a pending lawsuit filed in California.

Well that would probably explain what I'm seeing, thanks for the info., I'm sure the Tech will replace it. Say the ISP, or Tech. decides not to replace it for some reason, would a new router placed in brdge mode with the Hitron bypass the defective chipset all together? I understand what bridge mode is, but I'm not familiar with how the units work in tandem, or if the Hitron just acts as, lets say a port and is bypassed totally with the bridged unit?

 

[micahelriley]

If I recall even the Puma 7 was problematic as well. I’d get something like an the MB8600 or Arris SB8200 well built and uses a BCM 3390 chipset.

thank you, I'll look into them.