Visitor

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Friday, October 8th, 2021 5:16 PM

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High ping when gaming

I have been having high ping while gaming on my PC.  I am connected via ethernet from a Google Wifi Mesh with around 200mbps down.  The game says my best connection is from Northern California.  Based on reading other posts it seems my Downstream Power levels are too low.  Would this be the cause for high ping?  If so, how would I fix this?    

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Expert

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118.4K Messages

5 years ago

Yes. The downstream power is too low / weak and it may be intermittently fluctuating even lower out of spec. That can cause random disconnects, spontaneous re-booting of the modem, speed, packet loss, latency problems, and the un-bonding of channels.

In an effort to try to obtain better connectivity / more wiggle room, check to see if there are there any excess/unneeded coax cable splitters in the line leading to the modem that can be eliminated/re-configured. Any splitters that remain should be high quality and cable rated for 5-1000 MHz, bi-directional, and no gold colored garbage from Radio Shack, Home Depot, Target, etc. Splitters should be swapped with known to be good / new ones to test.

Also check the coax cable for any damage such as cuts, nicks, kinks, sharp bends, etc.

If there aren't any unneeded splitters that can be eliminated and if your coax wiring setup can't be reconfigured so that there is a single two-way splitter connected directly off of the drop from the street / pole with one port feeding the modem and the other port feeding the rest of the house/equipment with additional splits as needed and you've checked all the wiring and fittings for integrity and tightness and refresh them by taking them apart then check for and clean off any corrosion / oxidation on the center wire and put them back together again, then perhaps it's best to book a tech visit to investigate and correct.


Good luck with it !

Visitor

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10 Messages

@EG I just spoke with a Comcast representative.  He said the power levels were in spec and wouldn't change the results.  Thoughts? 

Expert

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118.4K Messages

They are wrong..... They didn't even mention the possibility of them intermittently fluctuating even lower. There is no wiggle room if that is happening. The power levels need to be stronger / more close to the safer (in spec) area of 0dB.

This is from the pinned Troubleshooting Tips post at the top of this board. Please read;

Specification      Min             Max
Downstream Power Level    
Cable Modems -10dBmV +10dBmV
Gateways and EMTAs -7dBmV +7dBmV
Downstream Signal to Noise Ratio 35dB -
Upstream Power Level +35dBmV +50dBmV
Upstream Signal to Noise Ratio 31dB -
Upstream Receive Power -2dBmV +2dBmV

 

Note: Not all modems will allow you to view the status page and some will have different URLs to access this info. If you are unable to access your modem’s status page, you can contact Comcast Customer Support and ask the support representative for these values.

 dBmV

Signal levels from an Arris 6183Signal levels from an Arris 6183Cable power levels are expressed as dBmV (decibel millivolts) or more accurately decibels relative to one millivolt. A millivolt is 1/1000 of a volt (10 -3 V or 0.001 V). dBmV is technically an expression of power in terms of voltage. We express it this way because we would be working with exceeding long numbers otherwise. In the simplest terms, a signal of 1 mV would be expressed as 0 dBmV. Stronger signals than 1 mV are express as positive dBmV values, while signals weaker than 1 mV are expressed as negative dBmV values.

 

Downstream

Theoretically the ideal downstream (Rx) or forward path level would be 0 dBmV. In real-world scenarios, it’s unlikely that modems would see 0 dBmV exactly. This is acceptable as long as the signal levels fall within the specified range. Negative values are no better or worse than positive values in the specified range.

 

(edited)

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Visitor

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10 Messages

@EG can you think of any other potential issues that would give high ping?  Previously, my ping to Illinois was 20-30ms.  But now it is always 70+ and it doesn't fluctuate like if there were ups and downs in power.  It just starts and stays higher than expected.  

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Expert

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118.4K Messages

@user_424167

Network traffic congestion (server and/or routing) can also be a factor. That power level issue should be addressed regardless.

I am not a Comcast Employee.
I am a Customer Expert volunteering my time to help other customers here in the Forums.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.

Was your question answered? Please mark an Accepted Answer!tick

Visitor

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10 Messages

@EG how would I try to optimize the routing?  It feels like since in my game I am getting better ping in California that routing could be an issue.   

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