Can't connect to specific site at certain times using DSL

[ralast]

Connections to http://www.battle.net are very slow and flakey at around 7-11 PM, through Verizon DSL. During this period, there are intervals of perhaps 15 minutes where connections work without problems and other periods where almost nothing gets through. This started about 1 week ago (I first noticed this issue on 1/31). This appears to be a problem somewhere between Verizon and www.battle.net (reasoning and trace routes provided below). I tried talking to Verizon support, but they insisted on more or less going through the entire DSL setup process before investigating this issue, which I didn't have patience for.

This is not a problem with my modem/router because
1) This happens to other Verizon users in the NYC area, and at almost the exact same second
2) Other sites work without issues
3) Nothing related to my setup has changed recently

This is also not a problem with that particular host, because
1) Other users in the US can access that site without problems at those same times. For example, upstate NY, Florida, Washington.
2) The Clearwire network seems to have no trouble handling connections to www.battle.net.
3) I can access web pages on www.battle.net through various web proxies.
4) Various "down or not" sites report that the site is up.


Traceroutes below. There appear to be a few different routes. Although I'm not entirely sure, it seems that periods of slow/non-working connections are associated with the second traceroute (over TeliaSonera).



Tracing route to www.battle.net [12.129.242.30]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms dslrouter.westell.com [192.168.1.1]
2 42 ms 25 ms 24 ms 10.32.64.1
3 29 ms 27 ms 27 ms P0-7-1-7.NYCMNY-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net [130.81.4
4.226]
4 28 ms 27 ms 28 ms ae0-0.NY5030-BB-RTR2.verizon-gni.net [130.81.209
.126]
5 28 ms 28 ms 28 ms 0.xe-9-1-0.BR2.NYC4.ALTER.NET [152.63.23.141]
6 72 ms 100 ms 74 ms 192.205.34.49
7 98 ms 97 ms 97 ms cr1.n54ny.ip.att.net [12.122.86.6]
8 137 ms * * cr2.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.122.1.2]
9 201 ms * 183 ms cr1.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.122.2.53]
10 99 ms * 97 ms cr2.dvmco.ip.att.net [12.122.31.85]
11 97 ms 119 ms 135 ms cr1.slkut.ip.att.net [12.122.30.25]
12 100 ms 108 ms 101 ms cr2.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.30.30]
13 132 ms 133 ms 133 ms gar29.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.129.241]
14 130 ms 132 ms * 12-122-254-238.attens.net [12.122.254.238]
15 * 132 ms * mdf001c7613r0003-gig-12-1.lax1.attens.net [12.12
9.193.254]
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
20 * * * Request timed out.
21 * * * Request timed out.
22 * * * Request timed out.
23 * * * Request timed out.
24 * * * Request timed out.
25 * * * Request timed out.
26 * * * Request timed out.
27 * * * Request timed out.
28 * * * Request timed out.
29 * * * Request timed out.
30 * * * Request timed out.

Trace complete.



Tracing route to www.battle.net [80.239.186.26]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms dslrouter.westell.com [192.168.1.1]
2 25 ms 25 ms 25 ms 10.32.64.1
3 29 ms 27 ms 27 ms P0-7-1-7.NYCMNY-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net [130.81.4
4.226]
4 27 ms 27 ms 27 ms so-5-0-0-0.NY5030-BB-RTR1.verizon-gni.net [130.8
1.22.18]
5 28 ms 47 ms 28 ms 0.so-0-0-0.XT2.NYC4.ALTER.NET [152.63.17.21]
6 27 ms 27 ms 28 ms GigabitEthernet7-0-0.GW1.NYC4.ALTER.NET [152.63.
20.53]
7 29 ms 27 ms 27 ms teliasonera-test.customer.alter.net [157.130.255
.206]
8 27 ms 27 ms 27 ms nyk-bb1-link.telia.net [213.155.131.136]
9 250 ms 126 ms 127 ms prs-bb1-link.telia.net [80.91.253.121]
10 115 ms 136 ms 137 ms prs-b8-link.telia.net [213.155.131.9]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 * * * Request timed out.
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
20 * * * Request timed out.
21 * * * Request timed out.
22 * * * Request timed out.
23 * * * Request timed out.
24 * * * Request timed out.
25 * * * Request timed out.
26 * * * Request timed out.
27 * * * Request timed out.
28 * * * Request timed out.
29 * * * Request timed out.
30 * * * Request timed out.

Trace complete.

[JinDesu]

I would like to echo Ralast's subject. I am a Verizon Fios user in Whitestone NY, and am having the exact issues he is talking about. My friends in Flushing on Time Warner are not having this issue at all. It is extremely frustrating, as it only started happening recently. I use my internet mainly for chatting and playing games, and if Verizon cannot let me play games during the time I am home, then I don't see why I should be paying for Verizon's internet.

[ricc]

I feel your pain. DSL customer from Brooklyn, NY.

Cannot connect to the game or reach battle.net normally from 5-7pm to 10pm and the times im lucky to connect to the game the latency spikes to unplayable levels of 3000+

This has been happening for the past 2, maybe 3 weeks. Blizzard says is a verizon issue, the AMAZING verizon custome support outsourced "techs" who barely speak english tell me there is nothing wrong on verizon's end and they refuse to let me speak with a real tech without making me waste at least an hour doing the usual "turn your modem on anf off" "do you have dls filters" **bleep**.

Is ridiculous this has been going for so long and no action has been taken by verizon.

[JinDesu]

And yet again, at exactly 7PM EST today, same issues. Disconnect, can't join, slow joining, high latency.

And my friend who I on skype with is not having any issues on Time Warner.

[ricc]

Well tonight after another frustrating night of being unable to connect i had no choice but to order optimum online internet service and verizon has lost a dsl customer.

After years of somewhat reliable service and above average satisfaction this is just not going to work and i cannot justify paying for bad service.

I STRONGLY recommend anyone thinking of using verizon as your ISP to reconsider and look for better options.

If it matters this the the last tracert

Tracing route to battle.net [12.129.242.30]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2    24 ms    25 ms    24 ms  10.32.123.1
  3    31 ms    27 ms    28 ms  P0-7-1-2.NYCMNY-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net [130.81.4
5.178]
  4    64 ms    74 ms    66 ms  so-3-1-0-0.NY5030-BB-RTR2.verizon-gni.net [130.8
1.199.12]
  5    26 ms    26 ms    27 ms  0.xe-1-1-1.BR2.NYC4.ALTER.NET [152.63.23.169]
  6    89 ms    88 ms    91 ms  192.205.36.57
  7     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  8    96 ms    95 ms    95 ms  cr2.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.122.1.2]
  9    94 ms    97 ms    95 ms  cr1.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.122.2.53]
 10     *      146 ms     *     cr2.dvmco.ip.att.net [12.122.31.85]
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *        *      267 ms  12.122.251.190
 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 17     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 18     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 19     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 20     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 21     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 22     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 23     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 24     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 25     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 26     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 27     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 28     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 29     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 30     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Trace complete.