terrible pings

[Lounger]

Pinging frantech.ca [184.105.208.5] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=368ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=371ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=379ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=371ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=367ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=370ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=367ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=374ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=369ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=369ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=368ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=365ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=366ms TTL=46
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=373ms TTL=46

Ping statistics for 184.105.208.5:
Packets: Sent = 16, Received = 16, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 365ms, Maximum = 379ms, Average = 369ms

That's on a 384 line, using Afrihost pre-paid, on the Hilton exchange. (033 343 xxxx).

Pinging frantech.ca [184.105.208.5] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=443ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=434ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=438ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=454ms TTL=48

Ping statistics for 184.105.208.5:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 434ms, Maximum = 454ms, Average = 442ms

 

[Shard]

Ping is shiit again tonight at around 200 on both accounts sigh

Yeah mine aint fixed, re-opened the issue.

 

[Shard]

Seems to ok tonight, maybe they fixed

 

[Grimster101]

I hope you guys get it sorted out...I've been trying for 18 months now.....telkom ruined my online gaming experience COMPLETELY because of their fail technology.

Sorry to hear that. I also hope yours gets sorted out. And yeah, it does ruin gaming experience. I tend to play mw2 now days since I got nothing better to play (Saving up for bad company 2 though) and when this lag happens it's unplayable.

Pinging frantech.ca [184.105.208.5] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=443ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=434ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=438ms TTL=48
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=454ms TTL=48

Ping statistics for 184.105.208.5:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 434ms, Maximum = 454ms, Average = 442ms

Harsh ._. We really need this to get fixed >_>

Seems to ok tonight, maybe they fixed

This morning was pretty good actually. Pings were back to their 350. Just had some lag start now though x-x

Pinging frantech.ca [184.105.208.5] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=394ms TTL=54
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=375ms TTL=54
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=385ms TTL=54
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=384ms TTL=54
Reply from 184.105.208.5: bytes=32 time=393ms TTL=54

 

[Pada]

You can't complain about international latencies when you're on a shaped connection!

 

[Makova]

I live in the Strand area and I've been having the really bad latency for about 4 months now. Doing a traceroute, the problem seems to occur at hop 2. I tested my connection with 3 different accounts (my uncapped 384 as well as 1 x unshaped going through SAIX and another IS pre-paid account). I get the same result regardless of which ISP I'm using - not that it's really relevant since hop 2, according to my ISP's tech support, occurs at the local exchange.

It's been quite a journey trying to get tot the bottom of this problem - ISP's are determined that the problem is at the exchange and Telkom is equally determined that their equipment is functioning properly. I also had a telkom technician at my house about two weeks ago and everything tested OK. Nowadays, the latency on hop 2 seems to be particularly bad (sometimes as high as 1500ms) from about 7pm to 10pm and almost all the time on weekends. After exhausting all possible avenues I can think of, the only thing that remains is over-contention at our Strand exchange. Explaining things like bad latency and congestion to a Telkom representative on the other side of the 0800375375 line is quite a challenge - (Bless their hearts, I've been giving them a really hard time lately). When you're eventually refered to an "actual" technician, they always seem to be set on bringing the ISP into the equation somehow. The "best" response I've actually had so far was that I'll just have to hang on until they upgrade the exchange ... some day.

I don't know what else to do. I'm truely lost ... how does one actually pursue matters like this futher? With high latencies like this, forget Skype, forget online gaming ... not to mention the irritation of having to spam the re-load button just so webpages load properly - that is if you can get past the google analytics refer page when using Google.

Just as another reference, a traceroute from my unshaped account (SAIX) managed by Web Africa.

Tracing route to www.webafrica.co.za [196.220.58.66]

over a maximum of 30 hops:



1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms www.routerlogin.com [192.168.0.1]

2 1463 ms 1458 ms 1382 ms dsl-185-83-1.dynamic.wa.co.za [41.185.83.1]

3 1182 ms 1163 ms 1093 ms vl105.cr.gw.cpt.za.wa.co.za [196.220.59.250]

4 940 ms 977 ms 1183 ms vl36.er.gw.cpt.za.wa.co.za [41.185.0.66]

5 740 ms 650 ms 665 ms vl38.cr.gw.cpt.za.wa.co.za [41.185.0.73]

6 567 ms 583 ms 599 ms fe0.er1.gw.cpt.za.wadns.net [41.185.0.4]

7 521 ms 526 ms 583 ms wa-acc1.wadns.net [196.220.39.253]

8 729 ms 794 ms 900 ms 196.220.58.66

EDIT: On a good leg, hop 2 usually sits at under 50ms - as I've mentioned previously, there seems to be a bit of a pattern as to when bad latencies occur, but for the most part it's very sporadic. You can have below 50ms for a few hours - even a half-day and then really really bad latency for the rest of the time.

 

[Lounger]

You need to escalate this with Telkom. Call 0800 375 375 and get them to do it. Make sure you get an escalation number. Sometimes they just don't do it

 

[Grimster101]

Pinging youtube.com this morning.

Ping statistics for 74.125.127.93:
Packets: Sent = 11, Received = 11, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 345ms, Maximum = 372ms, Average = 363ms

Seems to be better for me today
Also playing online yesterday was pretty good. Maybe it's finally coming to an end!

But then again, thats what I thought a month or two ago x-x

 

[Mr.Jax]

Makova, I have the exact same problem as you, totally different area though, and I'm 100% with you regarding over-contention.

Calling 0800DSLDSL, emailling [email protected], emailing [email protected] helps nothing!
I've had sessionswith the escalation centre about this three times now.

Each time, after they've tested your line, checked out the exchange and the discussion forwards on to an "oversubscribed exchange" then all communications STOP! They just stop trying to help you. If they can simply acknowledge/confirm the issues then we'll at least know for sure and take the neccessary steps ourselves into resolving the problem, which is: getting a different internet provider entirely.

Also thought about taking this to ICASA, but what good would that do ? Heard that they're just as, umm..."unproductive".

Poor management of their infrastructure causing this I suppose, which leads to the conclusion that the telkom management is a joke.

 

[Lounger]

Makova, I have the exact same problem as you, totally different area though, and I'm 100% with you regarding over-contention.

Calling 0800DSLDSL, emailling [email protected], emailing [email protected] helps nothing!
I've had sessionswith the escalation centre about this three times now.

Each time, after they've tested your line, checked out the exchange and the discussion forwards on to an "oversubscribed exchange" then all communications STOP! They just stop trying to help you. If they can simply acknowledge/confirm the issues then we'll at least know for sure and take the neccessary steps ourselves into resolving the problem, which is: getting a different internet provider entirely.

Also thought about taking this to ICASA, but what good would that do ? Heard that they're just as, umm..."unproductive".

Poor management of their infrastructure causing this I suppose, which leads to the conclusion that the telkom management is a joke.

We've had similar complaints. Telkom always says they're doing maintenance, but the work is never finished so the problem always recurs. There have been days where the line has been perfect and then we get a call to say they've fixed the fault, and sure enough, the latencies are huge the next day.

 

[Makova]

Thanks for the responses Lounger and Mr. Jax.

I have tried to escalate this matter myself twice now and in fairness, they called me back every time to get more info and as I've mentioned before, they've dispatched a technician to my house after the second escalation. However, you should know, all that the technician actually does, besides investigating the quality of the signal on your line and inspecting your micro-filter and any extensions you have (if any), is a simple glance at your router status to see if the line sync's up with the exchange. In the technician's (almost) exact words " ... if the little green light on your router comes up that says it's connected, our work is done ...". They don't even test latency - at least not in my case.

After showing the person the trace routes, he did say that there were maintenance going on at the exchange and I should monitor the connection again after 2 days and call back if the problem persists. I waited two days, the problem persisted, I called back and apparently they were doing some kind of software upgrade now.

After a week of really terrible, unresponsive internet browsing and no way to use Skype, I called again to follow up using my latest escalation reference number. The number simply disappeared from their system! They apologised profusely and requested I log a new fault (this was already my second attempt). Being completely sceptical about the whole ordeal, I reluctantly decided to try a third time, only this time the tech support said that they cannot escalate it because they cannot find any fault on the line and I must admit, at this time I was not really up to going through the whole latency explanation with them again.

I suspect that Telkom's helpdesk operators really have a very limited set of parameters they can work with, be it a lack of deeper technical knowledge, training or maybe even the tools they work with or the amount of help they are allowed to offer within their pay grade - I cannot say and I don't wish to come off as uncharitable towards them and the function they're trying to perform.

There might be hope though - on another thread, an MWeb representative came on-board and advised MWeb clients to report the problem with MWeb's tech support as they have apparently had some success in getting Telkom's attention on matters of exchange related problems. I've sent an e-mail to my ISP (Afrihost) and it appears that they might be able to help me take this matter further. I have to do a range of tests and send the results to them (which I'm in the process of doing), so I'll definitely keep you guys informed of what happens - perhaps you might also find a solution here.