Virgin Media Discussion Thread

Soldato
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Thanks, I had a google about those settings and all seems good. Will give them a shot, though mostly happy with the defaults.

*This is all just "feels" as I have not done any testing/logging of any sort. :cry:

You could just ssh in and use vi, it's really, really easy to edit/save a config.
 
Man of Honour
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I'm on the 1gig package with their new hub 4, but I'm lucky if I get 800mbps. That said that's not bad and I can't complain for £60 pm (i don't have the tv package) - that said, it would be nice to get the full service I pay for.

Is there a trick I'm missing? I've tried putting it back to router mode and ignoring my router just to test it - still no dice. In fact during the testing it changed to a weird IP address (72.x.x.x instead of the 92.x.x.x) and then didn't go above 200mbps (presumably that's a MAC address issue?).

I've been in touch with them several times - they've "reset" it a few times, but I'm still not getting full speed, uploads I'm getting close to 50mbps.

My guess is that the local network in my area is not fully upgraded? I'm less than 100m from the junction box so should be good for the speed.

All my network equipment should be able to cope with the speeds - I'm not testing this on wifi by the way.

Grateful for any tips.
 
Soldato
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@Freefaller what router are you using? And presumable you're wired via ethernet?

Also, what are you using to test speeds? I found on Chrome using speedtest.net to various servers I'd sometimes peak 850-900Mb then it'd drop off to 700-800Mb...

However if you use the Windows app for speedtest.net, it seems to eliminate some TCP/IP overheads and I then achieve ~950Mb pretty easily on a lot of servers. So in reality you're very likely able to achieve the speeds no problem, just the overheads and speed test sites not a great reflection.
 
Man of Honour
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I've tried 2 things.

Via my router - get around 700-800mpbs
directly via the virgin hub 4 - get roughly the same as above.

I have a linksys lrt224.

Yep plugged in with an ethernet cable.

I've use the SamKnows website, speedtest on chrome and the native windows app.

I'm around 10dBmV if that is an issue, I believe it shouldn't be clipping at that power level as the SNR seems good at 39 on average.
 
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To be honest I'm not too bothered, as it's pretty decent, but I may ask to downgrade to 500mbps as at least then I'll be able to max out my connection. I just don't like paying for stuff I can't exploit! :D
 
Soldato
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I've tried 2 things.

Via my router - get around 700-800mpbs
directly via the virgin hub 4 - get roughly the same as above.

I have a linksys lrt224.

Yep plugged in with an ethernet cable.

I've use the SamKnows website, speedtest on chrome and the native windows app.

I'm around 10dBmV if that is an issue, I believe it shouldn't be clipping at that power level as the SNR seems good at 39 on average.

Remove as many variables as possible. SH4 in router mode, use the native speediest app, wired connection and ideally something that's up to the job with an intel NIC. Power levels can vary slightly based on area, so ignore those for the moment. It wouldn't be unheard of for example for a crappy realtek NIC to struggle to get the usual 930Mbit+ you would expect on a gigabit connection, so if the above doesn't yield decent results, my next suggestion would be try another wired device if possible and look at the most recent drivers for the network chipset from the actual OEM rather than windows/board OEM.
 
Soldato
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To be honest I'm not too bothered, as it's pretty decent, but I may ask to downgrade to 500mbps as at least then I'll be able to max out my connection. I just don't like paying for stuff I can't exploit! :D

If your power levels are in spec as you say, it's time to drop VM a message/call/forum post. You may just need a new hub, but it could be loads of things. Have you tried a different cable? Tried from a Linux live USB (to rule out Windows issues)? Ultimately you'll probably need a tech to fix it if the basics are covered, unfortunately. You should be seeing a fairly solid >935Mbps.

Have you tried the SamKnows speed test built in to the SH4? You need router mode to do it, but it's worth a try to see what you're actually getting delivered to the hub itself by VM. At least then you'll know which side of the modem the issue lies.
 
Man of Honour
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If your power levels are in spec as you say, it's time to drop VM a message/call/forum post. You may just need a new hub, but it could be loads of things. Have you tried a different cable? Tried from a Linux live USB (to rule out Windows issues)? Ultimately you'll probably need a tech to fix it if the basics are covered, unfortunately. You should be seeing a fairly solid >935Mbps.

Have you tried the SamKnows speed test built in to the SH4? You need router mode to do it, but it's worth a try to see what you're actually getting delivered to the hub itself by VM. At least then you'll know which side of the modem the issue lies.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I've tried the sam knows on the SH4, after changing it back to router mode. It does show 1+ gig to the router - but from my 2.5gbe switch to my 2.5gbe pc it shows a variation of results (from 80mbps (!) to 600+) - I'm not sure I trust that bit of it if I'm honest. I've tried different cables, I've done internal network speed tests, all get the reported 2.5gb (minus overheads) - so I know the link between my switch and my pc / network is working.

I had an engineer come out and plug his analyser in, and it came back not at 1gig but well over 800mbps. He did say it was fairly new in our area and may take a while for the network to settle?

My only guess is that there's something funny going on between the coax and the LAN port internally of the SH4?

@Avalon thank you as well, hopefully the above helps.
 
Soldato
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Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I've tried the sam knows on the SH4, after changing it back to router mode. It does show 1+ gig to the router - but from my 2.5gbe switch to my 2.5gbe pc it shows a variation of results (from 80mbps (!) to 600+) - I'm not sure I trust that bit of it if I'm honest. I've tried different cables, I've done internal network speed tests, all get the reported 2.5gb (minus overheads) - so I know the link between my switch and my pc / network is working.

I had an engineer come out and plug his analyser in, and it came back not at 1gig but well over 800mbps. He did say it was fairly new in our area and may take a while for the network to settle?

My only guess is that there's something funny going on between the coax and the LAN port internally of the SH4?

@Avalon thank you as well, hopefully the above helps.

Long time no speak mate, I hope you're well. If the hub's getting >1 gig from VM, then that rules out the WAN. It doesn't rule out the switch ports (on the hub itself) or chip on the hub though, so a new hub is worth trying. That said, you do say the switch and LAN have been ruled out... but also say your speed tests on the switch/LAN side vary between 80 and 600+ Mbps. That suggests an issue. How are you testing, exactly? Don't be scared to be verbose.

For a speedy resolution as possible, get onto VM for the new hub. Meanwhile, try wiring up your 2.5Gb desktop to the hub directly, no switch, in router mode. Test again. Use speedtest.net's native app, not a browser based test. Also try in a Linux live USB (any will do), to rule out Windows and driver issues. If you get poor results still, plug into a different port on the hub and test again. Basically rule out as many steps in the chain as possible and work from there. Do you have a single DOCSIS 3.1 channel on your downstream, showing on the hub's stats page? You should.
 
Man of Honour
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Long time no speak mate, I hope you're well. If the hub's getting >1 gig from VM, then that rules out the WAN. It doesn't rule out the switch ports (on the hub itself) or chip on the hub though, so a new hub is worth trying. That said, you do say the switch and LAN have been ruled out... but also say your speed tests on the switch/LAN side vary between 80 and 600+ Mbps. That suggests an issue. How are you testing, exactly? Don't be scared to be verbose.

For a speedy resolution as possible, get onto VM for the new hub. Meanwhile, try wiring up your 2.5Gb desktop to the hub directly, no switch, in router mode. Test again. Use speedtest.net's native app, not a browser based test. Also try in a Linux live USB (any will do), to rule out Windows and driver issues. If you get poor results still, plug into a different port on the hub and test again. Basically rule out as many steps in the chain as possible and work from there. Do you have a single DOCSIS 3.1 channel on your downstream, showing on the hub's stats page? You should.

Will give that a go later thanks - I do have a backup FTTC line that will keep the family happy whilst I fartarse around with it! I'll try the linux bootable as well, that's a great idea.

Cable Modem Status
Item
Status Comments
Cable Modem Status
Online
DOCSIS 3.1
Primary downstream channel
Locked
SC-QAM
Channel Overview Downstream Upstream
DOCSIS 3.0 channels
31
4
DOCSIS 3.1 channels
1
0

There speaks and engineer that doesn't know why the numbers are not right but doesn't want to escalate the issue. That's standard engineer speak for "I'd like to go home now please."

I just realised I used the word engineer... as a chartered engineer myself, I feel slightly ill now! :D
 
Man of Honour
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What 2.5 Gbps NIC is in your PC? Mine is absolute trash at maintaining any decent speed. Try something else if you can to rule it out.

It's the onboard one that comes with the motherboard, Realtek PCIe 2.5Gbe family controller. It shows a 2.5gbps link, and I've done intra-network speed tests and get well over 1.5Gbps transfers.
 
Associate
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@Freefaller have you tried fast.com set to minimum 30 connections.? This and torrents are the only 2 ways I can max out my ~1.2Gbps connection.
Monitor your connection in windows task manager while doing that. Mine sits at 1.2Gbps.

Edit:
Just tried it now and I’m getting about 650Mbps with 30 concurrent connections.
Honestly Virgin is a pathetic ISP. :(
 
Last edited:
Soldato
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@Freefaller have you tried fast.com set to minimum 30 connections.? This and torrents are the only 2 ways I can max out my ~1.2Gbps connection.
Monitor your connection in windows task manager while doing that. Mine sits at 1.2Gbps.

Edit:
Just tried it now and I’m getting about 650Mbps with 30 concurrent connections.
Honestly Virgin is a pathetic ISP. :(

Browsers are terrible at and over 1Gbps. Test again from the command line or a native speedtest.net app.
 
Associate
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Browsers are terrible at and over 1Gbps. Test again from the command line or a native speedtest.net app.
Tried Speedtest.net windows app and got ~800 then done fast.com in browser with 30 connections and that was fluctuating between 800 and 1.1
Yeah virgin is not a stable connection for me unfortunately. Some days it’s solid at ~1160Mbps whilst others it will drop by a lot. Upload is even worse.
 
Soldato
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Virgin are all over the shop for me lately ping spikes galore tried a different router in modem mode still no joy 350mb package hub 3. I’ve got onto them regarding the hub 4 and they just refuse to send me one
 
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