Bandwidth traffic cutting out
BenC
Newbie

Hey,

Whenever I use my browser to download a file, i will receive traffic for aproximatly 1 minute and 30 seconds, untill it cuts to 0 download and 0 upload for 45 seconds. I usualy only notice it when downloading large files because sometimes it corrupts the files but it happens all the time. 

Heres a picture of what its doing.

Bandwith Cutting(the names in the middle is my buddy list on AIM, just ignore that part)

At the begining i was getting 20mb/s and then it droped to 10mb/s and got worse from there, not to mension all the cuts every 1 and a half minutes.

Is it possibly my modem?

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
Justin46
Legend

I don't have an anwer to your question, but perhaps this will help determine if you have a FiOS problem or if perhaps

it is the website(s) you are visiting.

Go to ftp://ftp1.optonline.net and select the "test512" entry. Say you want to save it and let it start downloading. Check your

speed as it downloads. This is a garbage 512MB file so it takes a while to download, and you can see if there are gaps

where the download slows down, etc. If it doesn't, then I would suspect the website(s) you are visiting.

If you happen to download the whole file then you probably want to go in and delete it, it has no value.

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
Keller, TX

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
BenC
Newbie

It's still doing it,

But thanks for showing me that test becuase i wanted to find someting like it.

I tried using speed tests, but they only download for a few seconds so i couldent test the sustained download.

Any Ideas?

 

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
Justin46
Legend

BenC.....interesting........ 

Any ideas? Nope.

What tool are you are using to view the network traffic? Maybe if I could get the same tool I could run it while doing the same 512MB download and see if I see the same thing you do. I used the Network tab in the Windows Task Manager to watch my download and I did not see any gaps but maybe that tool is not accurate enough.

And hopefully someone with more expertise than I have will jump in with some ideas.

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
Keller, TX 

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
BenC
Newbie

The program I'm using is called Bandwith Monitor, Its acutally more accurate that Task Manager but heres what task manager looks like

 

 I'm connected directly to my modem and I have the Fios 20mb/s down and 5mb/s up.

Sometimes I reach full speed at about 19.6 mb/s but that's almost never, even when the server I’m connected to supports 20mb/s upload. Speed tests show I'm going full speed but when I try to sustain the speed, it cuts out.


PS: Sorry it took so long to reply, I've been very busy this week.

Thanks again for your help!

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
Justin46
Legend

BenC,

No problem on the delay, gave me more of a chance to think about your problem (but unfortunately it didn't really do me any good...).

I appreciate your including the Windows Task Manager plot, so I could compare it directly to mine. And mine was basically just a straight line across, with little squiggles like yours shows when it is transferring (I would post mine so you could see how solid and consistent it is, but I am at our lake house tonight and we don't have FiOS here, just AT&T DSL). But I did not experience any dropoff at all, I let it download that 512mb file for about 3-4 minutes, very steady all the way across.

When you say you are connected directly to the "modem", I assume what you mean is that your PC is connected via Ethernet to the Verizon Actiontec router? Do you have another router that you could temporarily connect in place of the Actiontec and see if things change? If they do, then I think you have a router problem. If you don't have another router, any chance you could try connecting your PC directly to the ONT via the Ethernet? And one more: do you have another PC that you could connect instead of the one you are currently using, and try the 512MB thing? I am just trying to locate the source of the problem, but if it appears to be the router it should be easy to get a new one from Verizon (unless you don't have FiOS TV and the router is out of the one year warranty).

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.5.0
Keller, TX

Message Edited by Justin on 09-14-2008 08:06 PM
0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
BenC
Newbie

I think it is the router,

A friend of mine said he had a similar problem and a new router fixed it imedietly.

I don't have another router, but i do have the full verizon package (tv, phone, internet, and cell), how should I go about getting a new router?

ONT? are you refering to the box outside where the fiber comes in? 

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
Justin46
Legend

It certainly could be the router, in fact, probably is. Having been in the computer business for 35 years, I just really like to know Smiley Very Happy

ONT = Optical Network Terminal, the box outside (or inside) where the fiber terminates at your house.

You will need to call the FSC - FioS Support Center (1-888-553-1555) and describe the problem. They will probably try to go through a structured problem determination process, kinda drives you nuts sometimes, but that is the way it generally goes. Tech support is available 24/7, so you can call anytime (billing is daytime/weekday only, but this is technical, not billing). Since you have TV service the router is under warranty for as long as you have TV service. Some people seem to have trouble getting through the automated phone system, I have never had trouble, but one time as an experiment I tried saying "agent" at each voice prompt, and eventually I got to a technician, so if you get lost in the maze, try that.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.5.0
Keller, TX

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
BenC
Newbie

Hey,

I called customer support and got my new router the next day,

Tested it 4 seprate times and each time it downloaded fine with no cut outs other than a few drops here and there, but thats to be expected.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

0 Likes
Re: Bandwidth traffic cutting out
Justin46
Legend

Interesting....Glad you got it fixed. Its good to really know what the problem is or was, rather than guess. And thanks for including both plots, it proves to me that the Task Manager display is reasonably accurate.

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.5.0
Keller, TX

0 Likes