My home internet is extremely unreliable. I can't seem to know why?

Question

I am trying to troubleshoot a network connection. The connection is through an Ethernet cable, that goes all the way from my computer to my modem/router combo. What happens is that, with increasing frequency over time, my internet becomes unbearable: the ping jumps into the 300s, both download and upload speed fall dramatically. Initially I thought it'd be a router problem, since my old one was outdated to say the least. A man from my ISP came and switched it for a newer model and everything seemed fine for a couple of days, but then the problem came back and it hit harder.

I decided to ping a reliable server, ping google.com -t during one of these phases using this same computer, and this was the result. I'm at a loss for what can be done. Should I be complaining? What should I do? When I ping my home router from the computer the response is instant all the times.

Imgur album with all the details: http://imgur.com/a/msv9g

Answer 1

I'd suspect a problem with your internal wiring. I would suggest trying everything you can to improve it and most likely your problem will go away.

1. If you have any DSL filters, make sure they are in good shape and properly connected.

2. Make sure any devices connected to your phone line such as alarm systems or satellite TV receivers have proper DSL filters.

3. Disconnect anything not needed that is attached to the line.

4. Disconnect any lines that are tied to the existing line. For example, if all you have connected is the DSL modem and your phone box has three wires connected to the screws, only one of those goes to your modem. Find the two that don't and disconnect them at the box.

5. See if it's feasible to replace your existing phone wiring with new wiring. Perhaps you can run a line from the demarc to the modem and connect that to the incoming DSL line instead of your existing wiring.