High Latency to EU Blizzard Servers - Afrihost 4mb capped

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Nuklear

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Hi gentlemen and ladies

After having a really pleasant time playing the Overwatch beta and getting around 160 - 180ms on my 4mb capped Afrihost line, I was rather unpleasantly surprised to discover that after the game's launch, I am now getting around 300ms.

Using Blizzard's looking glass tool I was able to get the following ping, MTR and Traceroutes:

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 169.0.54.187 (169.0.54.187), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 5.42.184.5 (5.42.184.5) 1.991 ms 1.973 ms 1.972 ms
2 Blizzard (Blizzard) 1.971 ms 1.973 ms 1.990 ms
3 37.244.9.100 (37.244.9.100) 1.907 ms 1.935 ms 1.939 ms
4 37.244.9.32 (37.244.9.32) 2.472 ms 2.475 ms 2.477 ms
5 212.73.205.157 (212.73.205.157) 1.936 ms 1.949 ms 2.435 ms
6 ae-2-70.edge5.Paris1.Level3.net (4.69.168.72) 1.913 ms 1.383 ms 1.059 ms
7 ix-ae-20-0.tcore1.PVU-Paris.as6453.net (80.231.153.65) 82.749 ms 82.924 ms 82.938 ms
8 if-ae-2-2.tcore1.PYE-Paris.as6453.net (80.231.154.18) 224.597 ms 220.438 ms 220.468 ms
9 if-ae-3-6.tcore1.L78-London.as6453.net (80.231.130.85) 232.025 ms 232.026 ms 232.026 ms
10 if-ae-11-2.tcore2.SV8-Highbridge.as6453.net (80.231.139.41) 223.414 ms 223.412 ms 228.803 ms
11 if-ae-14-2.tcore1.DVS-Bilbao.as6453.net (80.231.139.66) 226.741 ms 226.826 ms 226.824 ms
12 if-ae-10-4.tcore1.WV6-Madrid.as6453.net (80.231.91.105) 222.797 ms 223.801 ms 223.791 ms
13 if-ae-11-2.tcore2.WV6-Madrid.as6453.net (80.231.91.66) 225.632 ms 225.298 ms 225.378 ms
14 if-ae-7-2.tcore2.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net (80.231.159.29) 231.322 ms 227.904 ms 231.249 ms
15 if-ae-5-2.tcore1.KLT-Cape-Town.as6453.net (80.231.159.130) 245.654 ms 242.877 ms 242.091 ms


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------

PING:
PING 169.0.54.187 (169.0.54.187) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=1 ttl=41 time=253 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=2 ttl=41 time=253 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=3 ttl=41 time=253 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=4 ttl=41 time=251 ms

--- 169.0.54.187 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 2999ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 251.749/253.125/253.821/0.958 ms


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------

PING:
PING 169.0.54.187 (169.0.54.187) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=1 ttl=43 time=249 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=2 ttl=43 time=250 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=3 ttl=43 time=249 ms
64 bytes from 169.0.54.187: icmp_seq=4 ttl=43 time=248 ms

--- 169.0.54.187 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 2999ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 248.650/249.505/250.229/0.752 ms


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 169.0.54.187 (169.0.54.187), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 5.42.168.5 (5.42.168.5) 0.671 ms 1.041 ms 1.052 ms
2 Blizzard (Blizzard) 1.085 ms 1.128 ms 1.179 ms
3 37.244.10.102 (37.244.10.102) 1.392 ms 1.398 ms 1.469 ms
4 37.244.10.34 (37.244.10.34) 2.106 ms 2.116 ms 2.117 ms
5 adm-b5-link.telia.net (62.115.46.185) 1.015 ms 1.017 ms 1.018 ms
6 adm-bb3-link.telia.net (62.115.116.204) 1.645 ms 1.498 ms 1.479 ms
7 adm-b2-link.telia.net (213.155.137.207) 2.773 ms 2.838 ms 2.919 ms
8 tata-ic-144397-adm-b4.c.telia.net (213.248.82.234) 78.351 ms 78.397 ms 78.360 ms
9 if-ae-8-2.tcore2.L78-London.as6453.net (80.231.131.5) 226.658 ms 226.752 ms 226.736 ms
10 if-ae-19-2.tcore1.SV8-Highbridge.as6453.net (80.231.138.21) 221.740 ms 221.764 ms 221.811 ms
11 if-ae-1-3.tcore1.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net (80.231.158.29) 215.106 ms 215.081 ms 215.073 ms
12 if-ae-2-2.tcore2.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net (80.231.158.6) 215.162 ms 215.257 ms 215.247 ms
13 if-ae-5-2.tcore1.KLT-Cape-Town.as6453.net (80.231.159.130) 278.440 ms 228.361 ms 228.364 ms
14 41.206.164.54 (41.206.164.54) 228.153 ms * *
15 * * *


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------

MTR:
Start: Sat May 28 12:17:23 2016
HOST: Blizzard Loss% Snt Last Avg Best Wrst StDev
1.|-- 5.42.168.5 0.0% 10 0.6 0.7 0.5 1.4 0.0
2.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 1.2 1.3 1.1 2.2 0.0
3.|-- 37.244.10.102 0.0% 10 1.5 2.2 1.1 4.3 0.8
4.|-- 37.244.10.34 0.0% 10 3.1 4.1 1.0 19.7 5.5
5.|-- adm-b5-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.0
6.|-- adm-bb3-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 1.1 1.7 0.9 5.5 1.3
7.|-- adm-b2-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 1.6 1.7 1.4 2.7 0.0
8.|-- tata-ic-144397-adm-b4.c.telia.net 0.0% 10 78.7 78.5 78.2 79.5 0.3
9.|-- if-ae-8-2.tcore2.L78-London.as6453.net 40.0% 10 226.5 226.7 226.5 227.5 0.0
10.|-- if-ae-19-2.tcore1.SV8-Highbridge.as6453.net 0.0% 10 222.2 222.1 221.6 225.3 1.1
11.|-- if-ae-1-3.tcore1.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net 0.0% 10 215.6 215.4 215.0 216.0 0.0
12.|-- if-ae-2-2.tcore2.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net 0.0% 10 215.2 215.8 215.2 217.0 0.6
13.|-- if-ae-5-2.tcore1.KLT-Cape-Town.as6453.net 0.0% 10 228.7 230.2 225.9 248.4 6.4
14.|-- 41.206.164.54 0.0% 10 228.2 228.2 228.1 228.3 0.0
15.|-- 41.164.52.41 0.0% 10 224.6 232.6 224.5 300.4 23.8
16.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
17.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
18.|-- 169-0-54-187.ip.afrihost.co.za 0.0% 10 284.3 271.0 249.2 319.4 27.8


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------

MTR:
Start: Sat May 28 12:17:23 2016
HOST: Blizzard Loss% Snt Last Avg Best Wrst StDev
1.|-- 5.42.184.5 0.0% 10 1.0 0.8 0.5 1.4 0.0
2.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 1.3 1.3 0.9 1.8 0.0
3.|-- 37.244.9.100 0.0% 10 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.6 0.0
4.|-- 37.244.9.32 0.0% 10 0.9 1.2 0.8 2.6 0.3
5.|-- 212.73.205.157 0.0% 10 1.1 2.0 1.1 10.2 2.8
6.|-- ae-2-70.edge5.Paris1.Level3.net 0.0% 10 1.1 2.8 0.9 17.0 5.0
7.|-- ix-ae-20-0.tcore1.PVU-Paris.as6453.net 0.0% 10 82.8 82.8 82.6 83.6 0.0
8.|-- if-ae-2-2.tcore1.PYE-Paris.as6453.net 0.0% 10 223.7 221.2 219.4 223.7 2.0
9.|-- if-ae-3-6.tcore1.L78-London.as6453.net 0.0% 10 231.9 232.1 231.8 232.6 0.0
10.|-- if-ae-11-2.tcore2.SV8-Highbridge.as6453.net 0.0% 10 251.7 227.6 221.0 251.7 9.1
11.|-- if-ae-14-2.tcore1.DVS-Bilbao.as6453.net 0.0% 10 226.7 226.8 226.7 227.3 0.0
12.|-- if-ae-10-4.tcore1.WV6-Madrid.as6453.net 0.0% 10 223.6 223.5 222.9 224.9 0.3
13.|-- if-ae-11-2.tcore2.WV6-Madrid.as6453.net 0.0% 10 225.4 225.6 225.3 226.2 0.0
14.|-- if-ae-7-2.tcore2.PV9-Lisbon.as6453.net 0.0% 10 231.3 230.6 228.0 231.4 1.2
15.|-- if-ae-5-2.tcore1.KLT-Cape-Town.as6453.net 0.0% 10 229.3 232.5 227.0 252.2 7.3
16.|-- 41.206.164.54 0.0% 10 224.5 224.7 224.5 225.4 0.0
17.|-- 41.164.52.41 0.0% 10 231.8 232.6 231.8 237.6 1.6
18.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
19.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
20.|-- 169-0-54-187.ip.afrihost.co.za 0.0% 10 301.3 276.3 253.0 326.6 27.7


28/05/2016 12:17:23 UTC
--------------------


An afrihost support representative said that there was nothing to be done about the routing, but there had been a lot of disruption in international traffic over the weekend, with no resolution on the cards as of yet.

Apologies for the wall of text, does anyone have any suggestions about how the best way to resolve this latency issue would be? Would changing ISP's be the simplest solution?
 
For comparison, these are the stats for the same line after I switched to a free MWEB account for testing:

MWEB TRACE

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 197.89.24.142 (197.89.24.142), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 5.42.188.5 (5.42.188.5) 0.621 ms 1.089 ms 1.100 ms
2 Blizzard (Blizzard) 1.503 ms 1.520 ms 1.520 ms
3 37.244.9.100 (37.244.9.100) 2.062 ms 2.074 ms 2.182 ms
4 37.244.9.32 (37.244.9.32) 1.070 ms 1.075 ms 1.075 ms
5 212.73.205.157 (212.73.205.157) 1.144 ms 1.483 ms 1.613 ms
6 ae-120-3506.edge4.London1.Level3.net (4.69.166.5) 7.562 ms 7.576 ms 7.552 ms
7 MWEB.edge4.London1.Level3.net (212.113.14.122) 8.801 ms 8.802 ms 8.796 ms
8 be-4-778-thd-p-2.optinet.net (176.67.177.146) 152.885 ms 152.897 ms 152.440 ms
9 w1-po0-3-0-0.cpt-p-1.optinet.net (197.84.4.226) 151.897 ms 151.867 ms 151.945 ms
10 197-84-7-7.cpt.mweb.co.za (197.84.7.7) 149.555 ms 149.593 ms 149.602 ms
11 * * *
12 * * *
13 197-89-24-142.dsl.mweb.co.za (197.89.24.142) 184.673 ms 181.195 ms 178.378 ms


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 197.89.24.142 (197.89.24.142), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 5.42.172.6 (5.42.172.6) 0.702 ms 0.981 ms 0.993 ms
2 Blizzard (Blizzard) 1.102 ms 1.179 ms 1.320 ms
3 37.244.10.100 (37.244.10.100) 1.187 ms 1.308 ms 1.381 ms
4 37.244.10.32 (37.244.10.32) 0.973 ms 1.082 ms 1.083 ms
5 62.115.46.197 (62.115.46.197) 1.058 ms 1.273 ms 1.374 ms
6 adm-bb4-link.telia.net (62.115.141.16) 0.693 ms 0.550 ms 0.546 ms
7 ldn-bb2-link.telia.net (62.115.136.195) 5.642 ms 5.663 ms 5.659 ms
8 ldn-b5-link.telia.net (213.155.132.197) 5.704 ms 5.677 ms ldn-b5-link.telia.net (80.91.246.115) 7.220 ms
9 mweb-ic-300583-ldn-b5.c.telia.net (62.115.13.18) 13.070 ms 13.084 ms 13.085 ms
10 be-4-778-thd-p-2.optinet.net (176.67.177.146) 158.154 ms 158.122 ms 157.437 ms
11 w1-po0-3-0-0.cpt-p-1.optinet.net (197.84.4.226) 157.946 ms 155.420 ms 155.414 ms
12 197-84-7-40.cpt.mweb.co.za (197.84.7.40) 153.958 ms 154.115 ms 153.914 ms
13 * * *
14 * * *
15 197-89-24-142.dsl.mweb.co.za (197.89.24.142) 185.711 ms 177.545 ms 226.974 ms


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------

PING:
PING 197.89.24.142 (197.89.24.142) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=1 ttl=51 time=178 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=2 ttl=51 time=171 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=3 ttl=51 time=170 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=4 ttl=51 time=171 ms

--- 197.89.24.142 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 2998ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 170.800/172.984/178.295/3.078 ms


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------

PING:
PING 197.89.24.142 (197.89.24.142) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=1 ttl=50 time=202 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=2 ttl=50 time=329 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=3 ttl=50 time=177 ms
64 bytes from 197.89.24.142: icmp_seq=4 ttl=50 time=176 ms

--- 197.89.24.142 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3001ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 176.964/221.847/329.951/63.262 ms


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------

MTR:
Start: Sat May 28 13:05:52 2016
HOST: Blizzard Loss% Snt Last Avg Best Wrst StDev
1.|-- 5.42.172.6 0.0% 10 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.1 0.0
2.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 2.5 1.3 0.8 2.5 0.3
3.|-- 37.244.10.100 0.0% 10 1.0 1.9 1.0 3.3 0.5
4.|-- 37.244.10.32 0.0% 10 1.0 1.6 0.8 2.9 0.6
5.|-- 62.115.46.197 0.0% 10 2.0 1.5 1.1 2.5 0.3
6.|-- adm-bb4-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 0.6 1.2 0.6 5.3 1.3
7.|-- ldn-bb2-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 6.1 10.2 5.7 40.9 11.0
8.|-- ldn-b5-link.telia.net 0.0% 10 7.7 7.6 5.9 8.9 0.7
9.|-- mweb-ic-300583-ldn-b5.c.telia.net 0.0% 10 15.6 14.6 13.3 16.4 0.9
10.|-- be-4-778-thd-p-2.optinet.net 0.0% 10 154.5 156.3 154.5 158.2 1.2
11.|-- w1-po0-3-0-0.cpt-p-1.optinet.net 0.0% 10 157.5 157.4 154.4 158.4 1.0
12.|-- 197-84-7-40.cpt.mweb.co.za 0.0% 10 153.9 154.0 153.8 154.7 0.0
13.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
14.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
15.|-- 197-89-24-142.dsl.mweb.co.za 0.0% 10 184.9 183.4 178.0 201.1 7.5


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------

MTR:
Start: Sat May 28 13:05:52 2016
HOST: Blizzard Loss% Snt Last Avg Best Wrst StDev
1.|-- 5.42.188.5 0.0% 10 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.9 0.0
2.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.5 0.0
3.|-- 37.244.9.100 0.0% 10 0.9 1.0 0.7 2.1 0.0
4.|-- 37.244.9.32 0.0% 10 2.7 1.2 0.6 2.7 0.6
5.|-- 212.73.205.157 0.0% 10 1.1 2.6 1.1 15.3 4.4
6.|-- ae-120-3506.edge4.London1.Level3.net 0.0% 10 7.6 7.7 7.5 8.1 0.0
7.|-- MWEB.edge4.London1.Level3.net 0.0% 10 11.7 10.6 9.1 12.4 0.9
8.|-- be-4-778-thd-p-2.optinet.net 0.0% 10 157.6 152.8 150.7 157.6 1.9
9.|-- w1-po0-3-0-0.cpt-p-1.optinet.net 0.0% 10 152.9 152.3 150.3 154.1 1.2
10.|-- 197-84-7-7.cpt.mweb.co.za 0.0% 10 149.7 149.6 149.5 149.8 0.0
11.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
13.|-- 197-89-24-142.dsl.mweb.co.za 0.0% 10 178.0 177.3 169.9 212.0 13.0


28/05/2016 13:05:52 UTC
--------------------
 
i'm with CrystalWeb and this weekend i was getting around 250-300ms on average in game... I read on another forum Vox was decent averaging 170ms.
 
Interesting. On one hand, Im not adverse to just changing ISP to one that's going to get me better latency, it's a simple enough process. I'm just confused since I was getting decent ping on the exact same line during the open beta.
 
harties said:
i'm with CrystalWeb and this weekend i was getting around 250-300ms on average in game... I read on another forum Vox was decent averaging 170ms.
Click to expand...

Vox hit around 270 ping during the weekend as well.
 
Could be a general issue effecting many SA ISPs and their routing to the blizz servers. Just weird that the MWEB account was getting 170ms . :/
 
Ive had the same for the last couple of months, I am on Vox, tested using various ISPs but all gave me the same speeds so I guessed it was my line, which is acting up anyway.

OT: what servers are you on and are there any SA guilds?
 
Nuklear said:
Could be a general issue effecting many SA ISPs and their routing to the blizz servers. Just weird that the MWEB account was getting 170ms . :/
Click to expand...

lol probably because so many gamers left mweb, that they have enough capacity to handle traffic to that server :p
 
lol probably because so many gamers left mweb, that they have enough capacity to handle traffic to that server :p
Click to expand...

Heh, and so the cycle continues again until they become saturated with people chasing that sweet sweet underutilised bandwidth.

I've been out of the country for 3 years, so I'm not really clued up on which ISP is going to be the best. Mostly gaming and game related downloads with some netflix on the side. Any suggestions?

@Jouda: I was able to kick the WoW habit a while ago thank god. Diablo and now recently Overwatch not so much.

I'm wondering if it's wishful thinking to hope that this increased latency is a short-term issue that will resolve itself -_-
 
Nuklear said:
Heh, and so the cycle continues again until they become saturated with people chasing that sweet sweet underutilised bandwidth.

I've been out of the country for 3 years, so I'm not really clued up on which ISP is going to be the best. Mostly gaming and game related downloads with some netflix on the side. Any suggestions?

@Jouda: I was able to kick the WoW habit a while ago thank god. Diablo and now recently Overwatch not so much.

I'm wondering if it's wishful thinking to hope that this increased latency is a short-term issue that will resolve itself -_-
Click to expand...

Well I'm using Afrihost and I'm happy with them, get 720p on Netflix with 4mb line. Don't torrent much , but general game downloads run at full speed ,no issues there, I get 180-200ms on European BFH servers.
 
It has nothing to do with ISP routing and everything to do with certain routing coming from Blizzard and the international peering partners their hosts work with, so we've reported it but we don't readily get feedback on this easily as ISPs...
 
krustyrsa said:
Well I'm using Afrihost and I'm happy with them, get 720p on Netflix with 4mb line. Don't torrent much , but general game downloads run at full speed ,no issues there, I get 180-200ms on European BFH servers.
Click to expand...

Yeah it seems to be a routing issue on Afrihost's part. I get 180ms ping to Paris servers using speedtest.net, however pinging blizzard servers directly is giving me in the region of 300. Just really weird that I was getting lower ping before launch, and now its all just gone to hell.
 
DJ... said:
It has nothing to do with ISP routing and everything to do with certain routing coming from Blizzard and the international peering partners their hosts work with, so we've reported it but we don't readily get feedback on this easily as ISPs...
Click to expand...

Oh I see, thanks for weighing in. Any idea why it would have changed in the month or so since open beta?
 
Nuklear said:
Oh I see, thanks for weighing in. Any idea why it would have changed in the month or so since open beta?
Click to expand...

I'd be lying if I tried to answer on their behalves. It's a question only they can realistically answer but when I have a chance I'll try to get more info for you...
 
Hi,

I had same issue on both crystal web and afrihost accounts.

When you do speed test check latency to Paris is around 180-200 but in game it just flat higher +40 or so from Thursday. Tuesday and Wed i had my usual 180ms.

Crystal web: 250ms
Afrihost: 240ms

My friend of mweb has his usual pin.
 
Detka said:
Hi,

I had same issue on both crystal web and afrihost accounts.

When you do speed test check latency to Paris is around 180-200 but in game it just flat higher +40 or so from Thursday. Tuesday and Wed i had my usual 180ms.

Crystal web: 250ms
Afrihost: 240ms

My friend of mweb has his usual pin.
Click to expand...

This sounds like pretty much the exact same thing that I am experiencing, although my ping is now usually 300+. Pretty frustrating. Hoping it's something that get resolved quickly, I was really stoked about how playable overwatch was at 180ms.
 
Installed wtf fast latency is back to normal... it does seem like pathing issue on the network on few isps

Try free trial and see how it goes. i might actually purchase if it stays like this
 
Detka said:
Installed wtf fast latency is back to normal... it does seem like pathing issue on the network on few isps

Try free trial and see how it goes. i might actually purchase if it stays like this
Click to expand...

Tried WTFast last night. Latency went down to around 180. RTT was still just over 200 but definitely a marked improvement. Free trial lasts for 2 weeks, so hopefully Afrihost gets their ducks in a row by then, otherwise I may just change ISP in favor of axxess or webafrica.
 
I have the problem on crystal web/afrihost/telkom mobile so it is something weird that does not affect every ISP.

Your RTT will always be 20-40 higher then your ping since its a round trip.
 
Hi DJ,

can you check what could possible change from last thursday?

It is not only Overwatch but if I do speed tests I get 300ms to Paris and 180 to London. And bascily any VPN fixes all of the ping issues.
 
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