Can old/extremely long RG6 cause intermittent packet loss?

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TigrisJK

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Here's the setup. I'm in a gigantic old house at the moment, where the entry point for the cable internet line is on the opposite side of the house and on another floor. I'd estimate the cable has to run at least 50 or so metres before reaching the modem (and the hub for the Cat-5E that's running through the house).

I am aware of a significant signal drop between the entry-point of the house and the modem, about 11dbs last time I had a tech from the ISP come check it. Sadly, short of a full reno, there's not much I can do about the wiring in the house.

I have been experiencing significant packet loss (avg 20% at times) at peak hours/overnight, though during the day I see no significant packet loss at all. The ISP's (Rogers Communications... I know they're terrible, but it's all I get out here) tech support guys have alternatively told me it's a neighbourhood issue, or that it's just my house. I've run the modem and a laptop down to the basement to test it 'straight from the source' as it were, during long packet loss spells but the results were inconclusive, since after a successful test, restoring the original configuration seemed to work just as well.

I'd like to isolate my house as a factor and fix the wiring in my house if it's a problem eventually, so this is a multi-parter.

1. Can an old RG6 cause intermittent (and extreme) packet loss, as I'm experiencing now? Would it not be a regular occurence if it were the cabling and not external to the house?

2. If I do have to replace the wiring in the house, it'll be when some serious reno work is being carried out. But owing to the size and convoluted construction, I may have to run the wires quite a ways... maybe over 100m. What cabling would give me the least attenuation? Cat6 is rated to 100m, I know, but is there anything that'll give me more distance? POF, perhaps?

More questions as I think of them. Thanks guys. Meanwhile, I will continue to run the modem down to the basement when I'm getting issues to make sure it's not just the ISP's cabling outside being ass, because that's what I've been assuming it was for some time now (seems to happen a lot during wet seasons).
 
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Sorted it out. I did exactly that, I ran a gigantic Cat5e line that I crimped myself from where the cable enters the home and put the cable modem down there (in the basement)... and ran the cable through my halls and up the stairs as a temporary solution (till I can fish it later). Was still getting some loss issues (but less) so I called in a tech.

Luckily this time around the tech actually knew his business and got that I had done everything in my power to rule out the house, so he checked and replaced everything. Fab tech, actually, he redid the heads on all the cables going all the way out from the house to the junction box outside by the road.

I asked him to test the signal strength in the house while he was there, and rehooked...
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USAFRet

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I have been experiencing significant packet loss (avg 20% at times) at peak hours/overnight, though during the day I see no significant packet loss at all.
Click to expand...

That sounds like typical ISP oversubscribing.

If it is a neighborhood issue, as they have apparently stated, that is on them to fix it. Don't know about Canada, but in the US, anything up to the box on the side of the house is their problem. After that, inside the house is your problem.
 
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TigrisJK

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Precisely why I'd like to sort out whether not it's on my end. They've stated at times that it's a neighbourhood issue, but then at other times (when I've called and asked them to check) that I was the only one. Which is why I'd like to sort out everything in the house so they can't pin it on me.

Thing is, I know the cabling in the house is bad, it's been around for decades and I know I get signal loss in the cable length from the outside to my modem. I'm wondering if that signal loss can manifest itself as extreme packet loss... I didn't think so, but it's not my field.
 
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r0b0t2k

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So here is a couple of things to be concernd about, a long time ago I used to live with a friend and at night we would get severe packet loss but during the day it ran nominally after several calls to tech support they finally came out and discoverd a small cut in the line, moisture was getting in the line at night when the cool air would condensate the exetreme humidity here in Houston. That was solved by replacing the line from the pole to the house. 8-10 years ago.

Later in life, I rented a house, and after awhile I started to experience packet loss, several calls to customer service and a technician revealed that the line outside the home needed to be replaced. Also the TV trap, cause I do not by TV was rusted and causing attenuation issues. I got super lucky and they ran aireial RG-11 Thick Coax all the way to the demarc at the back of the home. After that there were no more issues
2 yeas ago.

Recently... Rented a home for me and my GF to move into. I simply picked up my modem and plugged it into the exsisting Coax at the new home, internet seemed fine, however I began to notice packetloss and bandwidth problems, this line had been installed some 8 years ago by road runner before comast got the region, and there was a splitter at the demarc that was running to cable throughout the old house. We removed the splitter since I do not have TV, the Service tech replaced the line from the pole to the demarc and now its a straight shot to the modem. No more issues, this was about 7 months ago.

So in all three instances it was not my equipmet but the line feeding my home.
Now that still may not be your issue.

So There is something else you could try.

You said you have cat5E running through the home, does any of it run near where the cable internet provider enters the home? If so you could terminiate the cable(RG-6) there, and put the modem there as well, run a cat5E cable to the wall where your pre exsisting CaT5E from your modem, then where ever all that CaT5E cable meets up, I am assuming some small patch panel in a closet or attic plug your router in there. You eliminate any coax wiring issues in your home and shorten the distance between your modem and the ISP. If you misunderstand me I could probably write this better.


Short version = Put cable modem where COAX(RG-6) enters home, Run cat5E from modem to PATCH panel/router. this way you only have to run one cable instead of rewiring entire home.


If you still have problems it is definitely the ISP's problem at that point.
 
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USAFRet

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at night we would get severe packet loss but during the day it ran nominally after several calls to tech support they finally came out and discoverd a small cut in the line, moisture was getting in the line at night when the cool air would condensate the exetreme humidity here in Houston.
Click to expand...

I had almost that exact same symptoms and issue.

During the day, fine. 3/4/5 nights a week, internet would completely die. It got so where I could predict to within 15-20 mins as to when it would die, based on temp and humidity.
One evening I called them and said "I'd like to report my daily internet outage, but not right this second....wait 15 minutes."
At 13:30 minutes, it died. I heard the guy gasp as it went down.

Turns out it was, as I had been telling them for weeks, one of their upstream boxes dying due to the temp/humidity.
 
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TigrisJK

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Sorted it out. I did exactly that, I ran a gigantic Cat5e line that I crimped myself from where the cable enters the home and put the cable modem down there (in the basement)... and ran the cable through my halls and up the stairs as a temporary solution (till I can fish it later). Was still getting some loss issues (but less) so I called in a tech.

Luckily this time around the tech actually knew his business and got that I had done everything in my power to rule out the house, so he checked and replaced everything. Fab tech, actually, he redid the heads on all the cables going all the way out from the house to the junction box outside by the road.

I asked him to test the signal strength in the house while he was there, and rehooked up the interior RG6 cable. Turns out I had two problems. The outside line was rusty and getting lossy, AND whatever damage the interior cable had suffered had gotten even worse. Soooo, the entire chain was pretty bust.

So, outside problem is fixed now, and I still have a Cat5e running through all my halls until I can fish a new cable through the walls.

Thanks for the help guys. Now I just have to sort out how to lay out any new cables if I'm to redo the wiring in the walls anyway.
 
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