Is Comcast throttling customers? Is there a data cap? Everything is so slow.

S

SomeGuy133

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Is Comcast throttling customers? Is there a data cap? It appears if I use 150GB in a month I get slowed from 3.5MBps to 1-1.5MBps but now I am only getting 400KBp -_-

If I had LTE inside my house from Sprint I would switch to my cell because this is plainly useless. I am trying to download NS2 and my ping skyrockets to 400-1000ms while downloading.

http://s12.postimg.org/vodirn4yl/comcast_throttling.png

I can't find anything new on Comcast and throttling and caps. They used to have a cap and charge extra but that was removed a while ago but has it changed back? Do they charge extra again or just cripple your connection? Its not like anyone is using the local node at 2-3 am -_-
 
Thats the time some companies like to do maintenance. Is it better now?
 
I'm a Comcast customer and I've been experiencing some slow speeds recently, as well. The website for bandwidth usage on my account still says they're not enforcing the 250GB cap. It's also the beginning of the month, so a new billing cycle would mean a reset anyway. In my case it slows down to <100 kbps during peak hours when as recently as the last week of April I was constantly getting my full 35 Mbps while downloading from Steam during the same time of day (17:00 - 22:00). I live in South Florida.

If this continues through the weekend I am going to try to raise some hell on Monday, that can be sure.
 
nope still crap. Also i remember this has happened before and stay that way til a new billing period i thought. I dont think i have hit my billing period yet.

at least i guess it correlates to a billing period because it'll be slow for a week and than go fast again before it slows again. Just seems like throttling to me.

its also now slower 2.5/2.5Mbps -_-

also i am in chicagoland area. I would dump Comcast but only thing is ATT and Comcast. WOW isn't in my area and megapath i cant use because a 1 Mbps upload would kill me. I can handle 2 or 3 Mbps upload but 1? uhg
 
Why not start a spreadsheet with Date, Time and Test speeds and watch it to make SURE it coincides with billing dates. I'd suspect that it's more likely that you have an issue with either your modem, line or local node, than Comcast throttling that blatantly.
 
Nate7311 said:
Why not start a spreadsheet with Date, Time and Test speeds and watch it to make SURE it coincides with billing dates. I'd suspect that it's more likely that you have an issue with either your modem, line or local node, than Comcast throttling that blatantly.
Click to expand...

i know its not my network because i have tested it. I also would be surprised to "random" issues so consistent. I'll start logging but does that mean Comcast does throttle?...on the record that is. I don't even break 250GB a month IIRC from last I check but when my PC hits ~150GB thats when it slows down.

and yep still 2.5-2.7 Mbps FYI
 
Possible, but I'd bet there's another explanation. Either proaction by calling them or Documentation is the best way to determine a problem rather than making assumptions.

Edit: in response to SomeGuy133
 
What type of traffic is on your network? Torrents? Youtube? Netflix? Try a VPN and see if that makes any difference. I know Comcast throttled Netflix in the past and a guy on Youtube used a VPN and his speed went back to normal - so I wouldn't put it passed them to be throttling people again ... damn monopolies!
 
I had 3 modems fail with comcast and @home who they absorbed.

The first was a 3com that would need to be reset and cool down after downloading or uploading a significant amount of data. The second was a motorola surfboard modem that kept restarting itself. The last was a motorola modem that would do something similar to what you're experiencing. It would just get slow and stay that way for some time.

Comcast is horrible overall. Their TV service is overpriced and bad, and they're a gigantic leech on local economies. However, cable modems are pieces of shit and die in confusing ways. I'd make sure your hardware is definitely working before jumping to conclusions about what is happening. It's probably more likely that they just gave you a terrible modem. I think they do that on purpose out of disdain for their subscriber base.
 
log into your cable modem and see what it is actually connecting to the physical line at.
When mine was doing that it was a bad amplifier in the line itself that took them a long time to figure out but the line levels was the clue that got them to move on it.
 
In my case, I have my own SB 6141. I know the signal frequency song-and-dance, and it was the first thing I checked. Line levels are well within spec.

My connection was fine this morning before leaving for work, so I'll hold the torch and pitchfork brigade until I get home tonight ;).
 
stormy1 said:
log into your cable modem and see what it is actually connecting to the physical line at.
When mine was doing that it was a bad amplifier in the line itself that took them a long time to figure out but the line levels was the clue that got them to move on it.
Click to expand...


This. The OP should log into the modem and check the signal stats. There might be something getting wet or chewed on or just going bad in the cable plant. This should be the first thing a repair tech would check. Have you called Comcast OP?
 
InternationalHat said:
I had 3 modems fail with comcast and @home who they absorbed.

The first was a 3com that would need to be reset and cool down after downloading or uploading a significant amount of data. The second was a motorola surfboard modem that kept restarting itself. The last was a motorola modem that would do something similar to what you're experiencing. It would just get slow and stay that way for some time.

Comcast is horrible overall. Their TV service is overpriced and bad, and they're a gigantic leech on local economies. However, cable modems are pieces of shit and die in confusing ways. I'd make sure your hardware is definitely working before jumping to conclusions about what is happening. It's probably more likely that they just gave you a terrible modem. I think they do that on purpose out of disdain for their subscriber base.
Click to expand...

Wow... Take off your tinfoil hat and join the rest of us. Any organization big enough to have a monster of a bureaucracy to keep organized is only going to move forward with project that make it money. "Disdain" has no place in that model. And considering your 3-modem story and mentioning "@Home" that was the 2002 timeframe, and after 13 years, I'd hope you've gone through more than 3 modems just due to technology changes, let alone equipment failure... Let help the OP fix his issue, rather than sharpening your vendetta against Comcast.
 
I bet your problem is 99% likely that you are on an oversold node. The node is where they convert from fiber to coax and you can have anywhere from just yourself to 300 people on a single node all "sharing" the connection.

I happen to be on a Comcast node that currently has 608 people on it. (Yes, double it's typical capacity.) So my speeds go to crap when everyone gets home to work and gets on the internet. I'm cancelling my connection soon since Comcast all but told me they won't be splitting out my node.... hooray for the most hated company in the world!!!
 
I've hit close to the 250 mark any I haven't experienced any throttling that I could notice. I'm in Chicago, pilsen neighborhood, so I don't have another option for decent internet speeds other than Comcast.
 
CamaroZ28 said:
I bet your problem is 99% likely that you are on an oversold node. The node is where they convert from fiber to coax and you can have anywhere from just yourself to 300 people on a single node all "sharing" the connection.

I happen to be on a Comcast node that currently has 608 people on it. (Yes, double it's typical capacity.) So my speeds go to crap when everyone gets home to work and gets on the internet. I'm cancelling my connection soon since Comcast all but told me they won't be splitting out my node.... hooray for the most hated company in the world!!!
Click to expand...

i don't think 3 am has anything to do with an overloaded node plus its a consistent speed issue 2.7Mbps for hours and hours and now onto days. Still 2.7Mbps
 
Sounds like it could be a corrupt configuration file if the signal levels are ok, have had that happen also.
Called them they replaced the file and rebooted the modem problem solved.
 
SomeGuy133 said:
i don't think 3 am has anything to do with an overloaded node plus its a consistent speed issue 2.7Mbps for hours and hours and now onto days. Still 2.7Mbps
Click to expand...

I am on an overloaded node and for 2.5 weeks straight I couldn't do anything because my latency was over 4000ms and speed in the 5Mbps range. Techs have verified my line and signals were perfect multiple times and told me it was all do to node congestion....
 
Well in my case my full bandwidth came back on Sunday morning and it has been running well all night. We'll see what happens after work.
 
Still very consistent at 2.5-2.7Mbps up and down. Odd how both are so perfectly synchronous. I scheduled a call time for Sunday but Comcast never called -_- I will have to hunt them down again. What crappy CC.
 
Comcast's two main problems (outside of customer service) are:

A) Overloaded loops

B) Overloaded peering points

Unfortunately, they don't want to upgrade either of them. Hell, they've been offered FREE peering upgrades and turned them down.

Why? Because they're still trying to middle-man services like Netflix.
 
Well its possible that my speeds were having issued because they are upgrading my area maybe? My dad got a new modem so we went form DOC2 to DOC3 or whatever the scronym is. We were getting 120ish/20ish Mbps earlier today but now i am back down to 6/6Mbps so i am thinking they might be upgrading this whole area to DOC 3 hence the crap speeds.

i ran over 40 tests all hours of the day for several days and i was only getting 2.5-2.7 up and down until new modem and then it was perfect but now crap as stated above so i'll see if in the morning it goes back to 120/20 ish Mbps
 
Them upgrading from Docis 2.0 to 3.0 can cause issues. We ran into something very similar at work when Brighthouse upgraded a bunch of our remote sites from D2 to D3.

I also ran into something interesting with Comcast. There was a house down the way with a loose connection into a powered splitter/amplifier that was sending bad signals back down the line and causing slowness, and rebooting modems.

Keep calling them and complaining about speed, they will get it taken care of, they did in our neighborhood.
 
fantastic. Its getting slow by the day and they won't have a tech out til the 24th of may...wtf

Any ideas of things i can do on my end to see whats wrong and fix it. I went from one day good speeds to progressively worse speeds.

We put that brand new box in and for the first hour or something it was crazy fast. I checked it 8 or so hours later and it was down to 6Mbps up and down and now I am rocking 2MBps up and down. The speeds never get better no matter time of day resetting or whatever. They only get slower as time goes on. Comcast over the phone days everything is fine on their side...like they would tell me otherwise -_-
 
Is this wireless or cable? Multiple devices?
What does a tracert to mirror.symnds.com and xyz.csail.mit.edu look like?
Do you have your own router connected to the comcast box?
//Danne
 
I go from gig switch to router to modem. I had full speeds before no problem but then it started to crap. I tried direct connection to modem. It is some ARES with 2 phone lines, 4 ethernet and maybe wireless? When i tried direct connect my PC couldn't get internet. I haven't had time to trouble shoot why that was an issue. This stuff is in the I beam in the basement so not easy to reach so over the weekend, I am looking to take it all down and put it on a shelf or table for easy access.

I am in Chicago and the Comcast phone couldn't tell me why I am showing up in Indiana on geo location and tracert shows it as IL something but location on geolocation shows Indiana.

http://i.imgur.com/XIKABq3.png
 
Check all your connections in house to make sure they are tightly connected.
 
ianshot said:
Check all your connections in house to make sure they are tightly connected.
Click to expand...

did that part. They are all snug. Is there an outside connection? I see a cable comes through the wall in the basement directly to the modem but no clue where it does.

thats the only coaxial cable i see.

for spicifics like kinds i'll have to get that tonight after i take my last final

EDIT: I am not getting 1.5-1.7Mbps -_- How does it just consistently get slower and slower and slower?
 
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Since you seem to be ignoring my posts how about fixing your network first, you have double NAT so either bridge router modem and/or remove your router.
//Danne
 
I had this happen with my Comcast about a year ago and after replacing my modem, it went away. Been rock solid ever since.
 
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