Xfinity issue with Zoom “connection unstable”

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@LesStressT wrote:

 

and is based off of one file downloaded/uploaded helps.

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FWIW, many, if not most speed tests these days use multiple simultaneous streams to more simulate real life conditions / reveal network stress.

Pouyant, 

To be honest, speed tests only tell you the speed for that particular moment in time and is based off of one file downloaded/uploaded so it wont tell you your speed throught the length of a whole zoom session. If your connection or packets are lost during a meeting, a speed test will never tell you so.

My first thought is have you tried testing Zoom  with other devices?  If so, are they also experiencing the same issues or is it just the one device? This can help narrow it down to either the laptop or if it is truly a network or service issue. You can use Zooms Test meeting (http://zoom.us/test) so you don't have to use youre work's Zoom. I suspect other device may work and its isolated to your one machine.

One device = device related or compatibility with router settings

Multiple devices = Network(router) or service related

Since its a work machine,  is this device on VPN? Many VPNs signicantly throttle internet speeds, so try the speed test while on it. Have you tried Zoom without VPN? Youre internet speed is only as fast as its weakest link! Are you using any SaaS applications?  

Next time it occurs, or while testing on Zooms site, check out Task Manager > Performance > wifi.  Is your Send/Receive fluctuating or flatlined?  (This is not a measure of internet speed, its your connection to the router).  If its flatlined, youre simply losing connection to your router. Its not likely a service issue.  If its fluctuating, you may want to evaluate things such as applications open that interact with the internet (browsers, vpns, firewalls, antivirus).

If other devices work, perhaps check your router settings, maybe even do a simple power cycle. I recently had an issue and found the "free" Advanced Security in the Comcast provided router was causing significant problems for me.

I guess i  sort of went on a rant here. Let me know if any of this helps.

Video conference apps are tough because they don't use much bandwidth (I have no problem with Zoom on a 70Mbs/5Mbs plan), but they also can't buffer much, or people would be talking over each other.  So, any little glitch is going to affect them.  In my case, on Wi-Fi in the same room as the router is terrible, but all problems go away when wired. I assume the OP checked that when the ethernet was plugged in, it was actually used – this is not automatically the case 100% of the time.

For example, if your wired LAN happens to be running at 100Mbs for some reason, Windows will probably stick with the faster Wi-Fi connection unless you adjust some parameters.

So I have a work Macbook Pro and a personal MacBook Pro and this happens on both. I have hard wired the work laptop to the router and my personal one is on Wifi sitting right next to the router.

I use both laptops in my parents house (they have a much slower Verizon Fios service) and there is no problem ever whatsoever. 

I have tried running packet drop tests and such but nothing seems to be wrong, speed tests are amazing packet drop tests seem perfect, honestly not sure what else to try!

I'm having a similiar issue with my son's Zoom (for school). 

He logs into his teachers' classes and he gets kicked out every 10 minutes or so. 

I've tried logging him in on other devices, both on wi-fi and hard-wired. I did find out through this process that Comcast had me on a 300 Bmps gateway (combo router and modem) although I was paying for the 1000 Bmps package. 

I've tested accounts, devices, and connections to the internet. 

The only thing that does work is when the school's tech person logs into his district-issued device remotely while he's logged into class. Something about that connection works for him. 

@EG 

I was able to capture the Upstream and Downstream power levels on the Arris TG3482G (see below). Are these normal? 

The stats are o/k.

Thank you so much for your help, I know you are not a Comcast employee so really appreciate the time and expertise 🙂

Are these events also all normal?

Okay, I'm going to share some months long research and fiddling with regards to Zoom. I have had a lot of issues with Zoom over the past 9 months, and I believe I have solved the problem (fingers crossed). It's been working for over a week without issues since I found the culprit. Over the past 9 months I have attempted to fix the issue. I started with 250Mbps service from Xfinity and a Netgear Orbi AC3000 mesh setup with a router and 2 satellites. Since the starting point, I have upgraded my broadband connection to Gig service from Xfinity, tried Xfi pods, directly connected via ethernet (ran new line to my office) and I finally ended up with a Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 mesh setup with a router and 2 satellites. So, what was the problem and what is the fix??? A lot of WiFi routers implement something called SIP ALG (the included link below explains what this is), and it is on by default. The issue is that it's usually poorly implemented or cannot handle a lot of SIP connections. This bogs down Zoom and makes it perform poorly. Over a week ago, I discovered this with the help of the Internet. I disabled this feature, and literally all of the Zoom issues have gone away. If you have been struggling with Zoom issues when EVERYTHING else appears to work, look for this option in your router and disable it. https://www.voicehost.co.uk/help/sip-alg-and-why-it-should-be-disabled-your-router

@dmala02 Thanks for sharing this! I suspect this is what I'm wrestling with. So to reflect back to you your discovery, so I understand the fix, the basic idea is to get a WiFi router and connect it to the Xfinity router / modem, place the Xfinity box in bridge mode, and disable SIP ALG on the downstream WiFi router? Is that correct? 

I can only connect to zoom if I’m in my house, or some other place with wifi. 
But if I’m out and about, my Xfinity Mobile won’t connect to Zoom, “network unavailable”. Doesn’t matter where I am😡😡😡

hard to run my business.