Frequent Disconnects

[Karranor]

I have been experiencing frequent disconnects the last couple of days. I am trying to isolate the issue and any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

What DDO is doing;

This does not happen at regular intervals but I will be running around in the city or in and instance and my avatar will stop in place. Everything else on the screen stops mobs and all. I am sure many have experienced this with the loot weekends and server issues. If I try to jump my arms move but I do not jump etc. Sometimes when I lock up I still have voice chat for a few. I also have text chat sometimes too. This freeze rarely fixes itself though it has a couple times. My normal solution is to quit out and re-log in. 95% of the time I am right back into the game without issues and can continue on my marry way.

I have contacted Comcast and the CSR says that my modem is loosing sink and I need to replace it. I am not sure if I trust this as I am still getting VC and text chat. If that were true wouldn’t I lose all of them?

I have run tracert and do not see any major gaps or delays in the signal.

I have reset the modem and the router but that does not seem to help.

I am just trying to figure out the best way to find where the break down is. I do not want to go out and buy new gear and the still have the problem.

Is there any good software out there that is free or cheap that keeps a detailed log of internet connectivity issues and errors?

Thoughts, suggestions and ideas would be appreciated.

[Karch]

Your Comcast rep is probably right. Online games do not work well with lossy internet signals, and it's not uncommon to need to replace a modem.

[Karranor]

So it is possible to lose pieces of the signal but not all of it? Meaning just the game information and not voice chat or text chat.

I think the modem is less then a year old. Is there a way to test from my PC sink issues?

My guess is that this modem is 8 days past it's warrenty.

Thanks for the info!

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

It's "Sync" as in Synchronization, not 'sink' like the kitchen sink...

And yes, the Comcast guy is, for once, probably right. Tracert/ping/web browsing uses a lot of burst & intermittant on-and-off connections, whereas a game like DDO maintains a constant stream of data back and forth... and older modem or a modem without the latest firmware, or an improper high-pass filter on your Cable line can cause these things, as can high traffic on the inside network, oversaturation of your neighborhood's cable internet, and a few other things. I had Comcast High-Speed Internet for a number of years before I moved into Time Warner Land... but even their technology and processes are basically the same.

Important Item #1: If the Cable Modem is rented from Comcast (most are), then Comcast will replace it for free. Drive to your nearest Comcast Office, and tell the person behind the counter that Tech Support told you that your modem has a problem, and to come in and have your modem swapped out for a new one.

Important Item #2: If the Cable Modem is yours, as in you purchased it, then try the following: NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY PERFORM STEP 2 & 3 IF YOU OWN THE MODEM!!!
1) Reset the Modem. Disconnect Power, wait 5 minutes, replug it in.
2) Perform a Factory Reset (if you can). Refer to your manual as to how to login to the router, or how long to hold the reset button, but they usually have a Hard Reset function. If it is a Cable Modem/Router, then login to it, and to a "Factory Reset"
3) Update the Firmware on the Cable Modem. Again, refer to your manual or the manufacturer's website to get the latest firmware (or, if it's up-to-date, then reload the current), and how to do this. WARNING: If you do this improperly, it is possible to ruin your Cable Modem, so be sure to follow the manufacturer's steps EXACTLY!!!


If none of this works, call Comcast again, ask for a Tier 2 technician Immediately - DON'T DEAL WITH TIER 1!!!. Explain what is going on, and what you have done. If they can't fix it, then ask for a technician to come out to test your line, modem, and high-pass filter, as well as any splitters along the way. (You can do this even if you own the modem, although they can't test the modem it'self, they can test everything else)... If all else fails, rent a new Cable Modem from Comcast (usually $5.00 per month), and see if that fixes it... if yes, then it's your modem... if no, then you can call Comcast back, and complain and they will *HAVE* to come out and diagnose and fix the problem.

Also, when dealing with getting a Technician out, try as best as you can to get the Tech out at the closest possible time to when you play DDO, so that the overall line/network conditions are as similar as possible. I know many of you play until 5am, and that isn't going to happen, but try to get the Tech out in the evening 5-9pm, if you can, so the local loop has the highest possible bandwidth usage, to give the best chance of reproducing the issue.

Dworkin


Edit:

To answer your other question, VC and Text Chat work differently than the Game. The Game is a persistant connection. Text is burst (like loading a website), same with Voice...

I don't know of any tools off the top of my head to test Internet Synchronization (or constant connection) Issues... I'm sure there is one, but the easier way is to pawn this off on Comcast to fix. Again, if it's their modem, then it is 100% their responsibility to fix. If it's your modem, try what I listed above... then get their modem, and make them fix it.

Also, most likely the Comcast tech will require you to connect your computer DIRECTLY to the Cable Modem. They freak out at Routers/Hubs. Just be prepared, and connect it that way in advance. And whatever you do, DON'T LET THEM INSTALL THE COMCAST SOFWARE CD on your computer. It is 10,000% unnecessarry, and full of **** that will slow you down.



One other thought: If you are running other machines or things in teh background... things like BitTorrent/E-Donkey or other P2P software connections can cause this problem. Also, too many people on the same connection can do it... Also, a cheap-ass Router can do this too.... Linksys WRT54G v4/v5 is NOTORIOUS for connection limits, that can cause issues that look like this. Update your Router's Firmware too... and if it's a Linksys WRT54G-series, get rid of it. And one other test. Connect your computer DIRECTLY to the Cable Modem and play the game. If it still happens, then your router isn't the problem (not any other machines on the network)... and make sure any/all background transfer programs (P2P, File Downloads, Voice Chat, IRC, etc) are turned off too.

[Karranor]

Thanks for all the info.

I have purchased another modem and hooked it up and am having the same issues. I now suspect it is the router. The problem is that it is so sporadic that it is hard to know if it is just a "good time" or if something has fixed the issue.

It seemed to happen a lot last night during peak hours. However even during peak times will my Comcast connection drop? It seems I would still keep connections just be allotted less bandwidth.

I will try resetting my router completely and if that does not work I will direct connect. Hopefully something does the trick. I just hate the idea of just replacing things until something works. It is expensive as well as seems it should be unnecessary. That is why I was hoping for some utility that would basically do a constant tracert between the game and the internet connection. So I could see it was my computer or router getting jacked up or even my modem.

Anyway, thanks again for the help.

[Wyoman]

Also, a cheap-ass Router can do this too.... Linksys WRT54G v4/v5 is NOTORIOUS for connection limits, that can cause issues that look like this. Update your Router's Firmware too... and if it's a Linksys WRT54G-series, get rid of it.



Totally agree with this. Get rid of the router if it is a linksys they suck. I had so many problems with mine. I finally went with a netgear "g" with mimo tech, no problems what so ever.

[Theboz]

Also, a cheap-ass Router can do this too.... Linksys WRT54G v4/v5 is NOTORIOUS for connection limits, that can cause issues that look like this. Update your Router's Firmware too... and if it's a Linksys WRT54G-series, get rid of it.



Totally agree with this. Get rid of the router if it is a linksys they suck. I had so many problems with mine. I finally went with a netgear "g" with mimo tech, no problems what so ever.

No problem with mine, granted im not a linksys fan, either they are not bad as you say they are.