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  • #1

    PC / Networking Problem

    Ok, Ive been working on this for *months*. I work at an ISP but my home service is actually through another provider (for BareDSL piggybacked with VoIP)..

    Here's my problem(s) first:

    1) Connectivity: I can browse the web, send PlayOnline messages, but around 5:00pm and onward, I start getting disconnected very often. Around 20-40 minutes. Everything else will still work. I can go to Friendslist and send messages telling them i will be right back, but networking will show "R 0" and networking % will just steadily head for 0%. It will then boot me and I'l have to relog in.

    Oh, and its happening on more than one machine, me and my wife play FFOnline, and the problem also happens on Tribes (starsiege)

    I have done the following:

    A) Replaced Router
    B) Remove VoIP (QoS demands it in front of router)
    C) Replaced DSL Modem
    D) Replaced NIC Card
    E) Removed Router
    F) Reinstalled Windows (XP Pro 32 Bit)
    G) Port Forwarding (uPnP)

    I have called and worked with my provider for months. They have checked (appearantly) TONS of information... The "DSL Footprint" whatever that is.. It contains all the ATM information. And it will even show my DSL not going down, online time like 3 days... but its still happening. When I call tech support at my ISP, I don't even have to tell them my name anymore, *I even know their names*....

    Is there anything else I can try? Is there some kind of tool that tries to connect to a server a million different ways and logs all its actions and when i get D/C'd it could actually show soandso is good but soandso fails or something?

    I am almost at my wits end! Thanks in advance for all advice!
    Tags: networking, pc, problem
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  • #2
    Re: PC / Networking Problem

    It sounds almost like it's not DSL, but Cable, especially with the timing (5pm is the beginning of peak load time, which tends to make Cable go extremely slow).

    I don't think I could help *much* with this, but I'm almost certain that there's really only one way for your computer to connect to a website: send information to the server, receive information back. Web servers will generally only receive information on port 80 (or 8080) so you can't just send the request on any port either.

    Now, you said that this occurs to you when you're on FFXI, and also when you're on another MMO. Do websites also go down? You said that you can access POL and contact people that way, but from what it sounds like, your ISP is just temperamental to the FFXI servers when they come under high load (which would also be about 5 pm). If you can get to websites and other things online, then it wouldn't be anything that would be wrong on your end, but more likely on your ISP's web connection.
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    • #3
      Re: PC / Networking Problem

      Don't crosspost threads in multiple forums please. It'll show up in New Posts regardless of where you post it so you don't really gain visibility by duplicating threads. It just junks up the forum.
      lagolakshmi on Guildwork :: Lago Aletheia on Lodestone
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      • #4
        Re: PC / Networking Problem

        XI doesn't handle unestable connections well, at all.

        Probably not much you can do about it besides switching to a more stable ISP. I used to have those problems all the time back when I started playing because I used cable at the time, but ever since I switched to DSL service through the phone company those problems dissapeared.
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        • #5
          Re: PC / Networking Problem

          Originally posted by KingOfZeal View Post
          It sounds almost like it's not DSL, but Cable, especially with the timing (5pm is the beginning of peak load time, which tends to make Cable go extremely slow).

          I don't think I could help *much* with this, but I'm almost certain that there's really only one way for your computer to connect to a website: send information to the server, receive information back. Web servers will generally only receive information on port 80 (or 8080) so you can't just send the request on any port either.

          Now, you said that this occurs to you when you're on FFXI, and also when you're on another MMO. Do websites also go down? You said that you can access POL and contact people that way, but from what it sounds like, your ISP is just temperamental to the FFXI servers when they come under high load (which would also be about 5 pm). If you can get to websites and other things online, then it wouldn't be anything that would be wrong on your end, but more likely on your ISP's web connection.
          Yes, websites work. Me and my wife can be playing FFOnline on our PC's and playing Ikariam on our laptops at the same time. Ikariam will continue to work.

          I have even set a ping -t at google.com and let it run for hours. after about 12 hours, i had 1 failed ping, and about 5 ffonline disconnects. The two weren't even at the same time (the ping failure) so, i think that was just a fluke.

          Starsiege Tribes is a VERY old FPS thats free to play (Dynamix) and you could be in the middle of something and it would pop up a ethernet diagram showing you that you lost server connectivity, and you would have to hit the server force disconnect or else wait for it to give up trying. If you could use superhuman speed, the second the d/c happens, you could reconnect instantly and it would let you in. The D/C is litterally less than a second long... but requires to log back in and in FFOnline, waiting for a D/C sucks..
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          • #6
            Re: PC / Networking Problem

            No argument that FFXI's disconnect process needs serious work.

            But, yeah, it's nothing on your end, it's all about your ISP and the FFXI servers. As much as I (and others) like this game, there are a few things about FFXI that suck, and the stability of connections is right up there.
            Kindadarii (Bahamut)
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            • #7
              Re: PC / Networking Problem

              I cancelled my DSL for almost the exact same reason. Around 4pm CST until 11pm CST, it would be useless to play games online. I could surf, except for streaming video. I changed to cable and I can count the number of times I've called customer service on one hand in the past 8 years. For my DSL, I was calling every other frickin day. My son is a network specialist and I'm not slouch with computers either. It's the provider so stop wasting your money.
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              • #8
                Re: PC / Networking Problem

                I actually work at an ISP. My service is through our backbone provider. I got BareDSL to not have to get a landline (one still exists, just no POTS service on it)
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                • #9
                  Re: PC / Networking Problem

                  Don't know if this is something that's been part of your troubleshooting thus far, but (I'm pretty sure) FFXI uses UDP in addition to TCP. It sounds like maybe you're losing UDP packets but not TCP (which would explain why you have no problem with websites and the like).
                  Ellipses on Fenrir
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                  • #10
                    Re: PC / Networking Problem

                    Originally posted by Ellipses View Post
                    Don't know if this is something that's been part of your troubleshooting thus far, but (I'm pretty sure) FFXI uses UDP in addition to TCP. It sounds like maybe you're losing UDP packets but not TCP (which would explain why you have no problem with websites and the like).
                    Thanks, I'll have to find a way to test that!
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                    • #11
                      Re: PC / Networking Problem

                      If standard web gets through with no performance hits (ie there aren't a lot of TCP retransmits) then the transport layer probably isn't your problem.

                      DSL � Cable � VOIP � Security � Satellite � Fiber � News � Tips � Reviews � Community � Tools - dslreports.com is were you want to be asking questions btw.

                      Damn stupid fancy board, that link goes to dslreports btw.
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