I need smart people.

[chirs3 0]

It's a longshot, but you guys can't be any less helpful than tech support, so I figure it's worth a shot.

 

My X-Box Live connection, via Comcast Cable Internet, has always rocked. No lag or anything. Two weeks ago, my connection to Halo 2 (and only Halo 2) has gone to shit. I lag out of every game I try to play.

 

I called Microsoft. They did some crazy testing thingy and said I have packet loss (they said I have 11 / 25, and I need to be at 20 / 20 - I have no idea what this means), and that I needed to call Comcast.

 

I called Comcast. They pinged me, and said there was no packet loss.

 

I called Microsoft. They suggested that Comcast might have put up Firewalls that are blocking info, and that I needed to call Comcast.

 

I called Comcast. They said it wasn't Firewalls.

 

I called Microsoft. They said I should try buying a new Cat-5 Cable, and if that doesn't fix it, it absolutely has to be packet loss from Comcast's end.

 

I called Comcast. They did another ping and said I'm not losing any information, and that the problem has to be with the X-Box.

 

I am really confused. I'm going to go buy a new Cat-5 cable tomorrow, but if that doesn't fix it, I'm absolutely lost.

 

Is there anyone on here with a decent knowledge of both Comcast High Speed Internet, X-Box, and any other relevant information who can help me out?

[Guest Leelee]

Hard to say what's wrong...

 

First off, quite a few people on Live have been having lag issues for the last month... ever since MS shut down Live twice for "improvements", it's been lagging more than before. That may be the problem, itself.

 

Also, if you want to make sure your connection is working fine (ISP's will lie...), go to a site like dslreports.com, and run the tests they have there. Even if they are fine, cable connections aren't always consistent, though...

[admin 0]

Seriously, screw xbox live, get XBConnect or one of the many FREE alternatives, that works better, because it creates a connection between you and the other team, no server in between such as Microsoft's sucky ones.

[Guest Leelee]

You're right. But, many people's friends won't try to set up things like XBConnect. Plus, there's even more degenerates on there, compared to Live.

[chirs3 0]

Just to update:

 

-- Trying a new copy of Halo 2 didn't work.

 

-- A new Cat-5 cable didn't work.

 

-- Deleting my Halo 2 profile didn't work (duh, but MS suggested it anyway).

 

Gonna try and bring it over to a friends house sometime soon, see if my connection on his cable modem is any better.

 

A question, though, to you people who understand this technical mumbo-jump: when I called Comcast and said "Packet loss", they pinged me and said "No". Pinging is where they send useless data to my modem, and my modem bounces it back, right? Are there any other tests I should be doing, or asking them to do?

 

I tried the dslreports thing, but it never seems to work. I let the test run for over an hour (it says 5-20 minutes), and still get no mention of it being finished, and doing anything will cause it to be cancelled. Any other websites or tools I could try out?

[stahl 0]

I used to work for xbox customer care. It's comcast. It was so annoying when IP's would say everything is fine when they are cutting bandwidth behind your back. Any time there is lag, it's your IP. If something is wrong with the xbox live service, then there will be a message at xbox.com. Other than that it is always the IP.

[chirs3 0]

I used to work for xbox customer care.  It's comcast.  It was so annoying when IP's would say everything is fine when they are cutting bandwidth behind your back.  Any time there is lag, it's your IP.  If something is wrong with the xbox live service, then there will be a message at xbox.com.  Other than that it is always the IP.

 

So what should I say to Comcast when I call them up?

 

I'm a bit of a pushover, really, so I don't think the "Yell a lot until I get what I want" shtick is going to work. What can I tell them, or ask them to do, so they'll actually fix the problem instead of giving me the "it must be your X-Box" blowoff?

[David Blazenwing 0]

Threaten to dip their firstborn child in a pool of boiling hot mag-ma (said like Dr. Evil) if they don't give in to your demands.

 

Or just switch to Raodrunner. Bit more costly, but it runs like a dream (for me anyways...)

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Well, one thing you could do is tell them (even if it isn't true) that you've had it confirmed by several different sources that the problem is on their end and if they continue to refuse to help, they could be in breach of their contract (or something to that effect; just make it up and threaten legal action) for limiting your bandwidth when you signed up for X amount of bandwidth in the first place. Ask to speak to a supervisor and then, if they still give you shit, slip in the fact that you're extremely dissatisfied with their service and will switch to their competitor if they don't help you out. If that doesn't work, follow through and actually DO switch. It HAS to be on their end.

[stahl 0]

Dr Tyler has the best approach. There's nothing you can really tell them that will stop the cycle of them saying its something else. IP's are sneaky like that.

[MrRant 0]

You are all so stupid.

 

You have no concept of how the internet works, do you?

[stahl 0]

Tell me more.

[MrRant 0]

Well the first clue would be that only Halo is lagging out.

[chirs3 0]

I don't know if this matters or not, but I asked X-Box Tech Support how it could be Comcast's fault if my other XBL games are playable. They said my other games (all two of them - Burnout Revenge and Unreal Championship 2) might require less information and the sending thereof, so packet loss wouldn't affect those games as badly.

 

Keep in mind I have no idea what I'm talking about here, that's just what they said.

[stahl 0]

That's correct, some games require more bandwidth than others.

[MrRant 0]

That's correct, some games require more bandwidth than others.

 

BS. We are talking packets of data that are relatively small. Chances are the server(s) that are running Halo may be somewhat overloaded.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhocking that Rant defends Comcast.

 

Some games DO require more bandwidth than others, you can see that very easily if you have a bandwidth monitor and any friggin' PC game ever. The fact that there's packet loss -- not lag -- suggests that yes, it's on the ISP's side.

[MrRant 0]

Fool.

 

The bandwidth we are talking about are in kilobytes at the most. Have you ever checked to see how many packets are being sent out on most online games?

 

If it were an actual issue with his bandwidth than he would be having lag on all games due to packetloss. PACKET LOSS causes lag and packet loss is rarely confined to just one server unless there is an issue at the server outside of the ISP network.

 

Thanks for playing though.

[stahl 0]

BS. We are talking packets of data that are relatively small. Chances are the server(s) that are running Halo may be somewhat overloaded.

 

Sorry but I worked for the horses mouth. I understand the behind the scenes stuff regarding xbox live. The only servers that really have problems are EA servers that xbox doesn't control. People with decent connections never have any problems with lag/slow down or anything else regarding the live service. I know for a fact that xbox live had a problem with Verizon for a few days in the summer. Verizon said it was us and we said it was verizon. Kind of odd when all Verizon and only verizon customers were having slow down, lag, and failed connection problems with the service. Call volume went up tremendously during those days and I actually helped make a script for the agents to relay to customers after we investigated the issue. It was Verizon being in the end.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Kind of odd when all Verizon and only verizon customers were having slow down, lag, and failed connection problems with the service

 

Ding ding, we have a winner.

 

My roommate plays Halo 2 on XBLive all the friggin' time and doesn't have these lag issues. In fact, he played it as recently as last night and did fine. It's not the XBL servers.

[Guest Leelee]

XBL servers have issues, as well.

 

Like I posted before, many people have been saying lag is a problem with Halo 2 in the past month.

 

And Rant is right about bandwidth. I had a shitty 768/128 connection, and I rarely had problems unless I was playing in a large group.

[MrRant 0]

Kind of odd when all Verizon and only verizon customers were having slow down, lag, and failed connection problems with the service

 

Ding ding, we have a winner.

 

My roommate plays Halo 2 on XBLive all the friggin' time and doesn't have these lag issues. In fact, he played it as recently as last night and did fine. It's not the XBL servers.

 

Tsk. Tsk. Did you read my post? Do you know how data is routed on the internet?

 

Answer? No.

Edited December 2, 2005 by MrRant

[stahl 0]

XBL servers have issues, as well.

 

Occasionally, and when they do there is an announcement in the utilities the agents use to get information for the customers. If there was an issue with the halo servers, then the agents would be upfront with it.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Yeah, I read your post. And yeah, I know how data is routed on the internet. However, if MS is saying the packet loss occurs before the data leaves the Comcast network, it's not hard to conclude from this that yes, the problem is on Comcast's end. If they're generally just saying "It's packet loss", the solution is very freakin' simple: run a traceroute from the console and find out where the packet loss is occuring.

[MrRant 0]

Yeah, I read your post. And yeah, I know how data is routed on the internet. However, if MS is saying the packet loss occurs before the data leaves the Comcast network, it's not hard to conclude from this that yes, the problem is on Comcast's end. If they're generally just saying "It's packet loss", the solution is very freakin' simple: run a traceroute from the console and find out where the packet loss is occuring.

 

And MS would know this how? No it's not. You clearly DO NOT know how routing works nor what is/and is not Comcast's network.

 

Nice try though. Keep reaching for the stars.

[stahl 0]

Microsoft doesn't need to know that. All they need to know is that everything is fine on their end.

[chirs3 0]

Yeah, I read your post. And yeah, I know how data is routed on the internet. However, if MS is saying the packet loss occurs before the data leaves the Comcast network, it's not hard to conclude from this that yes, the problem is on Comcast's end. If they're generally just saying "It's packet loss", the solution is very freakin' simple: run a traceroute from the console and find out where the packet loss is occuring.

 

Is there any way a dummy like me could do this? If so, how?

[chirs3 0]

Comcast came to check my modem out today. I wasn't here for it, but according to my dad, the guy said that every few minutes, my signal is dropped entirely, and recovers a few seconds later. He doesn't know how or why, but they're going to inspect the lines tomorrow to try and find the problem.

 

So I guess it was Comcast's fault after all.

[Boon 0]

pwn.

[jwpeer 0]

Most things are usually comcast's fault in the end.

 

But it's fun arguing with their customer service techs, and getting refunds every month because they can't correctly diagnose service problems.

 

They're really good at my current location though, so that's always a plus.