How to prove broadband is dropping out

[nevpugh308]

My wife plays online at UT2k3, and I've just started on Everquest 2. We've got NTL 750k broadband. For some time now I've suspected that the broadband link is being lost on an adhoc basis ... my wife would get chucked out of a game randomly (normally when she's winning ! ) and I'm experiencing the same thing now with EQ2.

I'd like to go and complain to NTL, but I need a bit more proof than a "suspicion". Any ideas on how I could do this ? Is there some kind of "availability tester", something I can leave running all the time to spot any holes in the service ?

Thanks

[john_p]

From a DOS prompt (start/run 'cmd') there is a command called 'ping'

enter something like

ping -n 1000 216.239.59.99

and approx. every second your computer will send out a message to one of the google.com servers. After 1000 tries, or when you get bored and press CTRL-C, you will get a little report .. the important figure is the % loss .. you should really have 0% packet loss, any more than 10% or so shows real problems with your net connection somewhere along the line

Try this at a few times of day to see if it's load related (might be worse at peak times etc)

[BrianTheYank]

You have the best wife ever. I want a gamer wife.

BTW everquest = no no
and I hope u dont actually pay for ur mmo's. private servers for life

[nevpugh308]

Thanks John_p, yes there is good old ping, but I was wondering if there was something a bit more high tech Being disconnected only happens every hour or so (or more ... or less ... it's random) But I'll give it a go anyway.

Brain, it's not as good as you think LOL ! It costs me a fortune in equipment (I gave in a while back and gave her her own PC, I could never got on my own computer !) and I can't go anywhere near the internet if she's got a clan war (maximum ping). And she grumbles at me the rest of the time if I slow her down. And then there's the fact that she disappeared for 8 hours on boxing day

<<BTW everquest = no no
and I hope u dont actually pay for ur mmo's. private servers for life>>

Huh ? Why "no no" and what's a "mmo" ?

[john_p]

Oh I see .. I'd just leave ping running in the background tbh, then you can always go back and see if it dropped out at the same time as the game server, if it's the same then chances are it's your net connection

[Lockstock2sb]

If you are going to leave ping running for extended periods i think you'll also have to adjust the dos box properties (i think its either the buffer or the scrolling properties) so you can scroll back and look at the history. I think the defualt window settings will only display the last 30 pings or so before they get taken off the screen....

[_dobbo_]

Lockstock2sb said:

If you are going to leave ping running for extended periods i think you'll also have to adjust the dos box properties (i think its either the buffer or the scrolling properties) so you can scroll back and look at the history. I think the defualt window settings will only display the last 30 pings or so before they get taken off the screen....

If you run

ping -t ipaddress > ping.txt

it'll run forever and output to a text file called "ping.txt" instead of to the screen. That way it's easier to see what's going on...

[nevpugh308]

Okay, so it's dropping one packet out of every 1000 to 2000 or so. Is that good, bad, expected ?

[Lockstock2sb]

Well ideally it shouldnt drop ANY - mine doesnt and i'm with NTL but i doubt that would cause you to get kicked out of games. Usually the newer games i've you a few warnings before being booted... Punkbuster is one that does this.

Have you patched your games recently ? I play call of duty and that kicked me out after a few minutes becuase my paching wasnt on quite right...

Otherwise call NTL - tell them the problem and get them to take some action - perhaps first swap your ntl box out and then get then to run some signal tests on your line to make sure there isnt a high level of noise. We have a problem in our place where the cable sunk into the wall is so old it causes odd problems on the cable box now and then for no reason. IT could be that you have a problem like that?

Hope that helps

Steve

[judas]

Lockstock2sb said:

Otherwise call NTL

Sorry, but trying to get through to anyone at NTL, let alone anyone with a brain, is like expecting to win the lottery three times in a row

I had exactly the same problem a few weeks ago and I used the 'report a fault' form on their website. The e-mail it generated got bounced back to me after a week as 'undeliverable'

Anyhow, my problem went away by itself but in the meantime you could try using this program I found to determine whether my internet connection was going down:

Peer Monitor

It's the best thing I could find that wasn't overly complicated and full of unnecessary features. It's supposed to be for checking which PCs on a LAN are up and running, but you can easily reconfigure it to ping your router and gateway IP addresses. Results can be logged to file and an audible warning given if a ping fails.

HTH

[d-man]

You could try pingplotter - www.pingplotter.com

The freeware version should do just fine, put in the IP address of the game server before you start playing and leave it running in the background. If you get chucked out, take a look at pingplotter and you should be able to see where the problem is.

[nevpugh308]

Thanks, I'll try both of those

[TheExcession]

[smart-arse-mode]
All those techniques above will never really give you the true cause of the problem.

What you really need to do is download Ethereal apply a few filters such as the IP Address if the gaming server and capture all the traffic that runs between your PC and the gaming server.

Once you get a drop out you'll be able to look at the Ethereal trace and should be able to spot the problem.

You might need to read a few books on TCP/IP and know a bit about the game's protocols but it armed with that information you'll be in a much stronger position to know whethe rthe problem is with NTL or with the game server
[/smart-arse-mode]

sorry.... don't know what came over me there!

best
Ex

[judas]

TheExcession said:

True, this will give you a definitive solution to the problem, but if it's anything like the problem I had it's much more simple: you get kicked out the game, you check the cable modem and see the connection light has gone out. Ergo, problem is ntl. 'nuff said.

[TheExcession]

judas said:

TheExcession said: True, this will give you a definitive solution to the problem, but if it's anything like the problem I had it's much more simple: you get kicked out the game, you check the cable modem and see the connection light has gone out. Ergo, problem is ntl. 'nuff said.

Indeedy, can't argue with that. Always go for the simple stuff first.

I remember the good old days of doing HelpDesk support for a system being rolled out to Youth Training schemes across Coventry and Warwickshire. We had no end of problems with printers and for some reason poweer cycling the printer would often fix it. However guaranteeing that the cretin on the other end of the phone actually power cycled the printer was always an issue.

So we used to ask them to pull the plug out and tell use how many pin holes there were i nthe end of the plug. If the answer came back '3' we know they'd got the right cable!

best
Ex