weetmch's profile

Visitor

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4 Messages

Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 3:12 AM

Intermittent packet loss

I've having periods of 3-5 seconds of total packet loss every 10-30 minutes.  The interruption does not last long enough to impact streaming video but is annoying for work-related video/voice communication and incredibly disruptive to gaming.

I've run simultaneous continual ping tests from my PC to the modem and to Google/Yahoo.   I have seen no loss to the modem - only loss is seen to the internet pointing to an issue with Xfinity's network.

The Xfinity app recommended a modem upgrade and today I received and installed an XB8 to replace my XB7.  The problem persists.

I've had this service for more than a decade and this problem only started to occur in the last couple of weeks.

How do I get this resolved?

Accepted Solution

Visitor

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4 Messages

15 days ago

Update

Resolution: A technician visited my home and discovered a very old RF filter attached to my line at the Xfinity junction box on my street.  He removed this filter and my problem went away.  

Details: The theory is this filter was a left over from "when things were analog".  It hadn't been causing me serious problems until Xfinity recently changed up the frequencies they were using for my service.   When this happened the filter started to interfere with the upstream signal which caused an issue at the modem.  The modem would eventually take a recovery action which would purge all buffered packets and this manifested as an interruption in internet communication.

The technician also updated the cable connections at the modem itself with new connectors but this was not expected to have had a significant impact.

The technician was very good.  He had a ton of experience in the field and had already anticipated he would find a filter before opening the street box.  He was also very patient in trying to explain to me why this filter would suddenly cause me problems.  He also waited around long enough after the fix for my testing to verify the 10-minute cycle of disconnects had stopped.  

Disclaimer: The details above are my best understanding of what the technician was trying to tell me.  It may not be 100% technically accurate as I have only a layman's understanding of the technology. 

Official Employee

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1.4K Messages

Thanks so much for the update @weetmch we are glad to know the tech was able to resolve the current issues you were facing with your internet service.  If you need anything else please don't hesitate to crate a new post for us. 

 
 

 

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Expert

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110K Messages

@weetmch​ 

Thank you for circling back with the update. Good luck and be well !

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.

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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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4 Messages

23 days ago

A screen capture of my ping tests showing an example.  Note the timestamps showing basic duration.

(edited)

Official Employee

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1.8K Messages

@weetmch Oh, no! Sorry to hear about the trouble with your service. What other troubleshooting have you done? Were you able to swap out the coaxial cabling? How about the splitters? 

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Visitor

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4 Messages

Hey Linda,

Thank you for the reply.

No, I haven't done any troubleshooting from the modem outwards as nothing changed in my house.  Can a cable or splitter just "go bad" in some intermittent way for no reason?  Seems unlikely, right?  Would such a problem be detectable by the modem as signal noise, bad power levels or something else that would show up on a diagnostic?

Thanks,

Chad

Official Employee

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2.5K Messages

You're absolutely right to ask — it does seem strange for something to go bad without any recent changes on your end. But yes, believe it or not, coax cables and splitters can absolutely degrade over time or develop intermittent issues, even without being moved or damaged. Things like corrosion, loose fittings, or even slight internal wear can cause signal instability that doesn’t always show up in standard modem diagnostics, especially when it comes and goes in short bursts like you’re describing.

 

That said, you're also doing all the right things by running those ping tests — and the fact that there's no loss to the modem, only to external servers, is a really helpful clue. It could point to a signal issue happening between the modem and the network, which can sometimes be caused by those “last mile” components like coax runs, splitters, or even the drop line outside.

 

We can definitely continue to dig into this, but will need some account information. Can you initiate a direct message and start with your full name and address? To start a direct message, you must be signed in. Please click the "Direct Messaging" icon in the top right of the page next to the bell, and send your message to "Xfinity Support". Talk to you there!

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

Visitor

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5 Messages

22 days ago

Oh yeah, I’ve been dealing with the same issue. I’ve had it for a while it wasn’t critical at first, just really, really annoying. But recently, it’s gotten a lot worse. Every 2 to 15 minutes, I suddenly lose around 3,000 to 10,000 packets, which makes any kind of video or voice communication, as well as gaming, basically impossible. As I notice it happens more often with outgoing packet.

Expert

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110K Messages

20 days ago

@weetmch @XfinityAirelle 

Please circle back here and post any possible solutions for the issue here in these open public forums so that all readers here may benefit from the exchange / info. This is in keeping with the spirit for which these public help forums were originally intended. Thank you.

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