Game ping issue - advice needed

[ashlan]

I'm in Perth WA on an ADSL 1500/256.

I'm wondering about how packets are sent to game servers. I have noticed I get 'very high' pings on the WA GameArena servers (120-130 average) which seems odd, and better ping to Adelaide servers (75-80). On Internode servers I generally get pings of about 80. The best ping I will get on any server is about 70.

The average for most servers I am on is about 40 (Internode / GA BF2 servers); I am generally the highest ping on any Australian server I am on.

Are packets/traffic from my PC in WA sent to/from a game server via NSW (Where Exetel is)? Is this how it works?

Are there any diagnostics i can run locally to see what is going on?

If this is the case, would I be likely to see a vast increase if I changed to an ADSL2 plan?

Obviously these pings aren't ideal, and i'd like to diagnose the cause and find a solution; far more preferrable to me than churning to a local ISP like iiNet - or would this be the only realistic alternative?

Thanks for all help/advice offered.

[austdata]

G'day Ashlan,
To be sure about why pinging Adelaide is better than pinging Perth, I'd need to see trace routes to both servers but I think you'll find that you are right and your connections go via Sydney or the nearest Exetel PoP.

If you were to change to ADSL2+ the ping times should stay about the same. The amount of information you can download for given period should increase.

I'm not sure changing suppliers would help but if I can see the trace routes, that would help. Although it's a basic command, quite a lot can be learnt from it.

Cheers,

Mike

[ashlan]

G'day Ashlan,
To be sure about why pinging Adelaide is better than pinging Perth, I'd need to see trace routes to both servers but I think you'll find that you are right and your connections go via Sydney or the nearest Exetel PoP.

If you were to change to ADSL2+ the ping times should stay about the same. The amount of information you can download for given period should increase.

I'm not sure changing suppliers would help but if I can see the trace routes, that would help. Although it's a basic command, quite a lot can be learnt from it.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks Mike.
Other Perth users on the same servers with iiNet (for example) on ADSL2 are achieving much lower pings (20-40) on the same servers I am using, which is what has prompted my querie.

I am very adverse to churning because I have always been very happy with many aspects of Exetel - however, if I want to achieve better pings, this might be my only option. With so few fellow Perth Exetel customers, this is a bit tricky to figure out.

I will post a tracert this evening and speak to you further next week when you've had a chance to review the info.

[ForumAdmin]

G'day Ashlan,
To be sure about why pinging Adelaide is better than pinging Perth, I'd need to see trace routes to both servers but I think you'll find that you are right and your connections go via Sydney or the nearest Exetel PoP.

If you were to change to ADSL2+ the ping times should stay about the same. The amount of information you can download for given period should increase.

I'm not sure changing suppliers would help but if I can see the trace routes, that would help. Although it's a basic command, quite a lot can be learnt from it.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks Mike.
Other Perth users on the same servers with iiNet (for example) on ADSL2 are achieving much lower pings (20-40) on the same servers I am using, which is what has prompted my querie.

I am very adverse to churning because I have always been very happy with many aspects of Exetel - however, if I want to achieve better pings, this might be my only option. With so few fellow Perth Exetel customers, this is a bit tricky to figure out.

I will post a tracert this evening and speak to you further next week when you've had a chance to review the info.

iiNet's games servers are in Perth.

You as a Perth user with Exetel are hubbed out of Sydney.

Your conection to an iiNet games server will obviously be much longer.

Later this year Exetel will activate a Perth PoP which will change this situation.

[ashlan]

PING test

Pinging 220.233.0.50 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 220.233.0.50: bytes=32 time=75ms TTL=61
Reply from 220.233.0.50: bytes=32 time=78ms TTL=61
Reply from 220.233.0.50: bytes=32 time=77ms TTL=61
Reply from 220.233.0.50: bytes=32 time=74ms TTL=61

Ping statistics for 220.233.0.50:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 74ms, Maximum = 78ms, Average = 76ms

TRACERT to telstra.com

Tracing route to www.telstra.com [144.135.19.10]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 4 ms 5 ms 5 ms HOMEPC.mshome.net [192.168.0.1]
2 78 ms 77 ms 77 ms 129.1.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.1.129]
3 112 ms 678 ms 78 ms 241.0.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.0.241]
4 73 ms 78 ms 77 ms 10.0.1.1
5 * 78 ms 78 ms 38.2.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.2.38]
6 78 ms 78 ms 79 ms 359-ge-0-0-0.GW5.SYD2.ALTER.NET [203.166.92.57]
7 80 ms 78 ms 78 ms 0.so-0-2-0.XR4.SYD2.ALTER.NET [210.80.33.193]
8 77 ms 79 ms 92 ms 0.ge-7-0-0.BR3.SYD2.Alter.Net [210.80.34.54]
9 79 ms 79 ms 78 ms FastEthernet2-2.ken17.Sydney.telstra.net [139.130.4.185]
10 76 ms 78 ms 78 ms TenGigabitEthernet8-1.pit1.Sydney.telstra.net[203.50.20.39]
11 79 ms 78 ms 79 ms pitt-tcom-r01 [139.130.185.254]
12 74 ms 73 ms 79 ms 144.135.19.84
13 75 ms 78 ms 104 ms 144.135.19.10

Trace complete.

[James D]

Having a 5ms ping to your own equipment (modem) is odd.

Are you connected through wireless or direct ethernet connection?

Also do you have another modem that you may be able to test?

[austdata]

James D and Co,
Shouldn't ashlan's trace route from Exetel to Telstra be less?

11 79 ms 78 ms 79 ms pitt-tcom-r01 [139.130.185.254]
12 74 ms 73 ms 79 ms 144.135.19.84
13 75 ms 78 ms 104 ms 144.135.19.10

Mine, Melbourne to Sydney, doesn't add much time at all to the trip.

5 44 ms 42 ms 41 ms 38.2.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.2.38]
6 40 ms 41 ms 45 ms 359-ge-0-0-0.GW5.SYD2.ALTER.NET [203.166.92.57]
7 40 ms 41 ms 41 ms 0.so-0-2-0.XR4.SYD2.ALTER.NET [210.80.33.193]
8 42 ms 41 ms 41 ms 0.ge-7-0-0.BR3.SYD2.Alter.Net [210.80.34.54]
9 41 ms 42 ms 41 ms FastEthernet2-2.ken17.Sydney.telstra.net [139.130.4.185]
10 41 ms 41 ms 42 ms TenGigabitEthernet8-1.pit1.Sydney.telstra.net [203.50.20.39]
11 43 ms 41 ms 42 ms pitt-tcom-r01 [139.130.185.254]
12 41 ms 42 ms 41 ms 144.135.19.84
13 41 ms 42 ms 41 ms 144.135.19.10

Cheers,

Mike

[James D]

austdata,

What is your first hop time though (to the modem)

Mine is 1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms NB6PLUS4W.home [192.168.1.1]

[austdata]

austdata,

What is your first hop time though (to the modem)

Mine is 1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms NB6PLUS4W.home [192.168.1.1]

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.254

Very similar to yours.

[ashlan]

Having a 5ms ping to your own equipment (modem) is odd.

Are you connected through wireless or direct ethernet connection?

Also do you have another modem that you may be able to test?

Direct ethernet connection. Yes, i have another modem I can test with.

What might cause this 5ms delay to router if testing with another shows the same result?

[James D]

Some of the possible causes are firewalls or antivirus, if you get the same results with the other modem, then see if disabling these makes a difference.

[ashlan]

Some of the possible causes are firewalls or antivirus, if you get the same results with the other modem, then see if disabling these makes a difference.

Thanks James, i'll try disabling NAV first; seems a likely cause.

[ashlan]

Some of the possible causes are firewalls or antivirus, if you get the same results with the other modem, then see if disabling these makes a difference.

Result with NAV off:

Tracing route to telstra.com [144.135.19.10]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms HOMEPC.mshome.net [192.168.0.1]
2 73 ms 74 ms 74 ms 129.1.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.1.129]
3 45 ms 74 ms 74 ms 241.0.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.0.241]
4 74 ms 74 ms 74 ms 10.0.1.1
5 74 ms 74 ms 74 ms 38.2.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.2.38]
6 75 ms 73 ms 74 ms 359-ge-0-0-0.GW5.SYD2.ALTER.NET [203.166.92.57]
7 75 ms 74 ms 73 ms 0.so-0-2-0.XR4.SYD2.ALTER.NET [210.80.33.193]
8 45 ms 74 ms 73 ms 0.ge-7-0-0.BR3.SYD2.Alter.Net [210.80.34.54]
9 45 ms 74 ms 45 ms FastEthernet2-2.ken17.Sydney.telstra.net [139.130.4.185]
10 75 ms 103 ms 46 ms TenGigabitEthernet8-1.pit1.Sydney.telstra.net [203.50.20.39]
11 74 ms 74 ms 74 ms pitt-tcom-r01 [139.130.185.254]
12 45 ms 74 ms 45 ms 144.135.19.84
13 75 ms 74 ms 75 ms 144.135.19.10

Trace complete.

Thank you

[ashlan]

...Although, i intermittantly see this result: what is '4294967268'?

>tracert telstra.com

Tracing route to telstra.com [144.135.19.10]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 4294967268 ms <1 ms <1 ms HOMEPC.mshome.net [192.168.0.1]
2 73 ms 73 ms 74 ms 129.1.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.1.129]
3 45 ms 74 ms 74 ms 241.0.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.0.241]
4 104 ms 73 ms 75 ms 10.0.1.1
5 73 ms 74 ms * 38.2.233.220.exetel.com.au [220.233.2.38]
6 78 ms 76 ms 75 ms 359-ge-0-0-0.GW5.SYD2.ALTER.NET [203.166.92.57]
7 45 ms 76 ms 74 ms 0.so-0-2-0.XR4.SYD2.ALTER.NET [210.80.33.193]
8 74 ms 76 ms 75 ms 0.ge-7-0-0.BR3.SYD2.Alter.Net [210.80.34.54]
9 75 ms 75 ms 75 ms FastEthernet2-2.ken17.Sydney.telstra.net [139.130.4.185]
10 73 ms 75 ms 74 ms TenGigabitEthernet8-1.pit1.Sydney.telstra.net [203.50.20.39]
11 46 ms 74 ms 74 ms pitt-tcom-r01 [139.130.185.254]
12 45 ms 74 ms 74 ms 144.135.19.84
13 76 ms 111 ms 74 ms 144.135.19.10

Trace complete.

[CoreyPlover]

...Although, i intermittantly see this result: what is '4294967268'?

Underflow. It pretty much means -28 ms (which the computer represents as 2^32 - 28) and is usually a result of some timing bug in your CPU. Nothing to be overly concerned about