Gaming on UPC

Dave147

Hi all,

I'm on 100mb UPC fibre in Wilton, Cork. I've been gaming over WiFi and ethernet on laptop for the last month, I am now using homeplugs on my desktop rather than WiFi and they're working well speedwise. The problem I am having is latency when I'm gaming, UPC keep asking me to do speedtests to their server and then point out that my ping is fine, ignoring the fact that I tell them I game to UK and FR servers and the pings to them are shocking.

At the best of times my ping goes as low as 48-50 in UK, but usually it's around 65-70 and a little higher to France. I was with Magnet in my old apartment and my ping to the same servers would've been 22-25 and 25-30 to France, so there's a massive difference there.

My router is the infamous Technicolor TC7200 and my ping is the same when I am directly connected to the modem, choke is usually between 5%-15% and wouldn't be much packet loss. Anyone any idea's if I can do something my end or is it just UPC's routing to the UK is terrible.

moonboy52

I am with UPC in Waterford City and my pings to the UK are around 45ms-50ms as well.

MY buddy is in Limerick with UPC as well, and his pings are usually around 30ms-40ms.

I can only surmise that i have to go through an extra hop than my buddy in Limerick does, or the cabling is not as good.

MsStroggatrix

I am having problems communicating with a server in London - I'm getting 200ms pings. I am being routed through New York to get to London.

Dave147

Anyone else any idea's here? Going out of my ****ing mind that I can't game on my ****ty 100mb connection. Today the ping was 70ms with the choke about 15%. It was an absolute disaster it was so laggy.

Skittle

On the Thompson, make sure you have the firewall set to low. Otherwise it does packet inspection which slows things down.

Dave147

Already set to low, thanks for response all the same.

Dave147

Just ran a traceroute to my favourite server, it's routing me through New York lol, this just gets better and better UPC.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Jasperov>tracert 85.236.100.94

Tracing route to lon054.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.94]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 3 ms 3 ms 3 ms 192.168.0.1
2 14 ms 13 ms 17 ms 79.97.88.1
3 16 ms 11 ms 18 ms 109.255.251.94
4 97 ms 101 ms 99 ms 84.116.238.82
5 102 ms 98 ms 101 ms uk-lon01b-rd1-xe-1-2-0.aorta.net [84.116.134.134]
6 98 ms 99 ms 97 ms de-fra01a-ri2-xe-4-0-0.aorta.net [84.116.130.138]
7 100 ms 99 ms 102 ms 84.116.137.190
8 101 ms 100 ms 105 ms xe-4-1-0.edge1.NewYork1.Level3.net [4.78.132.93]

9 101 ms 100 ms 104 ms 4.68.62.26
10 113 ms 112 ms 117 ms be2063.mpd22.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.47.57]
11 205 ms 212 ms 245 ms te0-3-0-2.ccr22.lon13.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.80.126]
12 197 ms 210 ms 196 ms te0-0-0-27.ccr22.lon01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.0.245]
13 259 ms 208 ms 238 ms te3-1.ccr01.lon18.atlas.cogentco.com
[154.54.62.50]
14 334 ms 194 ms 192 ms krystal.demarc.cogentco.com [149.6.146.18]
15 236 ms 197 ms 220 ms lon054.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.94]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\Jasperov>

Cuddlesworth

That is a bit mental. If you can get through to a Engineer and past the helpdesk, they will be very interested. There is no way in hell UPC want Ireland to UK traffic routing across the Atlantic. I checked a couple more IP's in that subnet belonging to multiplay and they are routing across the Atlantic and back as well.

Dave147

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

That is a bit mental. If you can get through to a Engineer and past the helpdesk, they will be very interested. There is no way in hell UPC want Ireland to UK traffic routing across the Atlantic. I checked a couple more IP's in that subnet belonging to multiplay and they are routing across the Atlantic and back as well.

Believe it or not I couldn't give a **** about that if they could sort out the rest of the pings. I can't understand how Magnet could ping 20-25 to the UK and UPC can't even do 35. If I had a steady 35 ping to UK servers I'd be delighted. Anything over 50 is too high in this day and age tbh.

Cuddlesworth

Dave147 wrote: »

Believe it or not I couldn't give a **** about that if they could sort out the rest of the pings. I can't understand how Magnet could ping 20-25 to the UK and UPC can't even do 35. If I had a steady 35 ping to UK servers I'd be delighted. Anything over 50 is too high in this day and age tbh.

UPC have a very large and extensive network within Europe in which they prefer to use wherever possible. This does mean that unlike local carriers like Magnet/Eircom who want the lowest charges by going the most direct route, UPC might not route the most direct path because routing on their network costs them practically nothing. Its saves them plenty of money by doing this.

You are being a little melodramatic about 20ms on your pings though.

Dave147

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

UPC have a very large and extensive network within Europe in which they prefer to use wherever possible. This does mean that unlike local carriers like Magnet/Eircom who want the lowest charges by going the most direct route, UPC might not route the most direct path because routing on their network costs them practically nothing. Its saves them plenty of money by doing this.

You are being a little melodramatic about 20ms on your pings though.

I don't understand how I'm being melodramatic, I used get a similar ping on ISDN in the 90's so a ping of over 60 to the UK isn't acceptable to me, it might be to you but for the games I play it makes a massive difference, also for the amount of time I spend gaming it is important, at the moment I don't even bother because it's so bad, choke is up around 15% too. I don't understand this attitude of just accepting **** service.

MsStroggatrix

I wouldn't mind a ping of 35ms to UK. That would be fine I am getting 200ms because the packets are being sent from Galway to London and then New York and back to London. Which is just stupid.

fl4pj4ck

I'm on 50MB UPC package and my pings starts at about 25ms on wireless with UK dervers (BF3). Have the technicolor modem too.

Dave147

MsStroggatrix wrote: »

I wouldn't mind a ping of 35ms to UK. That would be fine I am getting 200ms because the packets are being sent from Galway to London and then New York and back to London. Which is just stupid.

I'd love a ping of 35 to any server, mine to certain UK servers can go to 45-50 at the absolute best, but I think 45-50 should be the absolute worst ping I should endure to the UK. A high ping in CS is a nightmare, all CS players know this.

Dave147

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

I'm on 50MB UPC package and my pings starts at about 25ms on wireless with UK dervers (BF3). Have the technicolor modem too.

Where are you based? 25ms by default or did you have to do anything?

fl4pj4ck

Limerick, didn't do anything. most servers I play on are 35-40 tho.
Planning to switch to wired connection soon (or powerline)

moonboy52

My pings to a UK server i play BF4 on are as i was saying around 35-50. (Waterford City 30meg, the old plain Cisco modem)

Friends who are also on UPC get pings of 25. it is not a dealbreaker as i hold my own in BF4 but i would like a lower ping too OP.


Tracing route to 185.16.85.197 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms DD-WRT [192.168.1.1]
2 23 ms 8 ms 8 ms 188.141.118.1
3 7 ms 9 ms 9 ms 109.255.251.190
4 13 ms 13 ms 15 ms 84.116.238.106
5 13 ms 14 ms 12 ms dbln-t2core-a-ae-0-0.aorta.net [213.46.165.2]
6 24 ms 23 ms 24 ms ldn-bb1-link.telia.net [80.91.249.135]
7 36 ms 26 ms 23 ms ldn-b5-link.telia.net [213.155.136.75]
8 25 ms 25 ms 25 ms telia.bandwidth.co.uk [213.248.66.62]
9 24 ms 24 ms 24 ms 10ge-1-3-3.rt0.gds.bandwidth.co.uk [217.146.94.14]
10 24 ms 24 ms 28 ms 10ge-xe-0-1-1.ldn.uk.fragnet.net [217.146.92.6]
11 23 ms 23 ms 22 ms 185.16.85.197

fl4pj4ck

also wanted to mentioned that up until 2 weeks ago I had the cisco one on 30megs and the pings were +10ms higher

Dave147

moonboy52 wrote: »

My pings to a UK server i play BF4 are as i was saying around 35-50. (Waterford City 30meg, the old plain Cisco modem)

Friends who are also on UPC get pings of 25. it is not a dealbreaker as i hold my own in BF4 but i would like a lower ping too OP.

Constant pings of 35-50? Even at the busiest times?

This was my ping and choke just a few minutes ago on a French server, my ping used be 30 here on Magnet with 0 loss and choke.

moonboy52

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

also wanted to mentioned that up until 2 weeks ago I had the cisco one on 30megs and the pings were +10ms higher

The EPC2203 fl4pj4ck?

moonboy52

Dave147 wrote: »

Constant pings of 35-50? Even at the busiest times?

It is pretty solid at 35-50ms Dave. I had issues last year with ping spikes but UPC came out and replaced the cable coming into the apartment and that helped with the spikes


How are you getting that graph in the lower right? A built in CS thingy?

What is your traceroute to 185.16.85.197 Dave?

Dave147

That's net_graph 3 in console, I've used it from day one so I can compare easily to what I had before. This is an absolute nightmare, I barely play games because the lag is so bad, people don't realise the difference between 30 ping and 60-70 ping, it's frightening in an FPS like CS:GO.

C:\Users\Jasperov>tracert 185.16.85.197

Tracing route to 185.16.85.197 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 3 ms 3 ms 3 ms 192.168.0.1
2 13 ms 11 ms 11 ms 79.97.88.1
3 11 ms 13 ms 10 ms 109.255.254.94
4 18 ms 17 ms 23 ms 84.116.238.86
5 28 ms 17 ms 17 ms 213.46.165.94
6 34 ms 35 ms 36 ms xe-2-3-0.lon21.ip4.tinet.net [89.149.183.190]
7 38 ms 37 ms 38 ms bandwidth-technologies-gw.ip4.tinet.net [77.67.8
2.246]
8 29 ms 30 ms 29 ms 10ge-3-2.rt0.thn.bandwidth.co.uk [217.146.94.1]

9 30 ms 28 ms 28 ms 10ge-1-3-3.rt0.gds.bandwidth.co.uk [217.146.94.1
4]
10 29 ms 32 ms 29 ms 10ge-xe-0-1-1.ldn.uk.fragnet.net [217.146.92.6]

11 26 ms 40 ms 25 ms 185.16.85.197

fl4pj4ck

moonboy52 wrote: »

The EPC2203 fl4pj4ck?

no it was something like 24xx

moonboy52

This is the one i have:

What stops me from upgrading is getting the Thompson or the Technicolor. If i cannot bridge with my Asus RTN16 i dont want to know about it. I may try and phone and see if i can wrangle a Cisco 3925 out of them.

fl4pj4ck

thats not the one, my was black I think it's 2425

Neon_Lights

The NSA has something to do with this Routing to the US and back

moonboy52

Dave147 wrote: »

Tracing route to 185.16.85.197 over a maximum of 30 hops

Those pings seem fine Dave.

Here is my traceroute to your server and i am aslo getting routed through NY. You should definitely phone them up

Tracing route to lon054.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.94]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms DD-WRT [192.168.1.1]
2 23 ms 21 ms 22 ms 188.141.118.1
3 42 ms 20 ms 21 ms 109.255.254.190
4 117 ms 102 ms 117 ms 84.116.238.110
5 117 ms 115 ms 146 ms nl-ams05a-rd2-xe-2-0-1.aorta.net [84.116.134.117]
6 * * 116 ms us-nyc01b-rd1-gi-2-0-0.aorta.net [84.116.130.26]
7 115 ms 147 ms 114 ms 84.116.137.190
8 177 ms 117 ms 117 ms xe-4-1-0.edge1.NewYork1.Level3.net [4.78.132.93]
9 117 ms 117 ms 119 ms 4.68.62.26
10 118 ms 120 ms 122 ms be2061.ccr22.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.3.69]
11 201 ms 225 ms 191 ms te0-5-0-4.mpd21.lon13.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.84.142]
12 221 ms 191 ms 188 ms te0-1-0-3.ccr21.lon01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.74.41]
13 198 ms 199 ms 207 ms te3-1.ccr01.lon18.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.62.50]
14 197 ms 199 ms 198 ms krystal.demarc.cogentco.com [149.6.146.18]
15 203 ms 200 ms 191 ms lon054.multiplay.co.uk [85.236.100.94]

Dave147

I've been on the phone with them, they want me to call their premium number 1550 924 124 to help me with the networking issue, besides the fact that 1550 is barred by default, why should I have to pay them to fix this? Also I don't think they will fix it, as I don't think they will stop their horrific routing practices which leaves me unable to play on my favourite servers.

Think I'll cancel this evening and move back to Magnet, I got UPC mainly in for gaming, and don't intend on paying a cancellation fee if it is not fit for it's purpose, wonder if they are going to pursue me or write it off.

kaimera

Mine on the 200MB and 3925 box, I'm going via austria apparently when I connect to my usual german CSS server

pings sub 50ms. no probs playing.

Dave147

kaimera wrote: »

Mine on the 200MB and 3925 box, I'm going via austria apparently when I connect to my usual german CSS server

pings sub 50ms. no probs playing.

Wonder is the Cisco box making any difference? Probably not but I'm no expert. Sub 50 to Germany is pretty good, suppose routing through Austria doesn't make much difference anyway, as opposed to Amsterdam to France.

Dave147

moonboy52 wrote: »

Those pings seem fine Dave.

*Those* pings are perfect, problem is I don't get pings like that anywhere I play.