Bufferbloat problems with XR1000

[MattyDoogs]

I've just recently learned about bufferbloat and when I used waveforms test it showed that I had high bufferbloat and half the download speed I pay for with xfinity (1200/40). Gaming has felt so inconsistent lately (Warzone is the main game i play) and I'm just looking for some help to see if I can get this sorted out.

here is the latest waveform test with qos set to never

https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=3cc3f3ff-cc38-4581-9baa-b01fab7841bc

and this is with qos set to always 75/75

https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=a862a8c5-8011-42be-9653-2f698c6d2c2e

I do get packet loss on ping plotter when running the test as well 

[Netduma Liam]

Welcome to the forum!

Could you perhaps share how you currently have QoS configured on the XR1000?

Can you also share a screenshot of a Ping Plotter test?

[MattyDoogs]

This is pingplotter with QoS at 70/70 with everything else being default.

[Netduma Fraser]

Looks like you may need to go lower with the percentage, experiment with it to find what works best. 70% is our recommended starting point but some may need to raise or lower it depending on their connection.

[MattyDoogs]

Lowered the download to 50% and it seems to have solved the packet loss. Another quick question about the ping plotter graph. How do I set up QoS to get the saturated graph to smooth out like it is while unsaturated. I was reading this article http://support.netduma.com/support/solutions/articles/16000074717-how-to-test-your-internet-ping but I cant seem to get it as smooth as the article makes me think I can. Any insight? 

[MattyDoogs]

This is the graph while watching one stream on twitch at 1080P 60

[Netduma Fraser]

So identify a value that you have seen gives the best results so far for example 50%, then try 5% either side of that value, if there is still room for improvement try narrowing it further etc until you land on a singular value that give you the best results

[MattyDoogs]

Its looking like 45% is giving me the best results. No packet loss and the graph on ping plotter didnt have as many spikes. Here is the waveform result. https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=9c686bd0-7334-4cc5-9b95-a8fe2cb1ff9d

and here is the ping plotter graph. 55% gave me the packet loss and 45% was right at 12:19:50ish.

 

[Netduma Fraser]

From the looks of it 45% does seem much more stable, give that a go for a little while and see how you get on with it! I would also recommend you do a baseline test with no devices running other than the PingPlotter device and no QoS so you can see what kind of variance your ping has in general. If your base ping has 5-10 ms variance then with QoS enabled that's what you should also aim for as it wouldn't be able to eliminate that inherent instability. 

[MattyDoogs]

Not sure what happened since I didn't change anything, but now at 45% it is scoring worse on the waveform test and also looking worse on the ping plotter graph.

https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=1514d199-843c-4312-85f4-739073bbef5c

[MattyDoogs]

Also in Duma OS it keeps telling me that the rapp took longer than expected when I'm on the QoS page.

[Netduma Fraser]

Your unloaded is 15ms so without doing anything your ping fluctuates by 15ms, with it under load it is the same as well so that's the best you can hope for really. If you refresh the page it should load correctly.

[MattyDoogs]

So there’s really no other way to get the connection to be more stable? I’m really just looking for more consistency in my internet especially while gaming. 

[Netduma Fraser]

QoS has achieved its job as keeping it as stable as possible given your connection, I assume you're doing these tests and playing over ethernet but if not that may make quite a big difference. It looks like you have a pure modem so that won't be affecting it, the only other thing you can do is change ISP and hope the base connection is more stable.  Unfortunately there is no real way to tell before hand if they're more stable but you will likely have more luck if you don't pick a provider that is oversubscribed in your area so by picking smaller providers and not the big names.

[MattyDoogs]

Yes all the tests have been done on my gaming pc which is hardwired to the xr1000 and unfortunately the only provider with decent speeds in my area is xfinity which I’m sure everyone around me has as well. So if this is the most stable it can be than I will have to live with it. Haven’t tried playing any Warzone with the new settings yet but I will definitely try it out. 

[Netduma Fraser]

If you're concerned about speeds for gaming it doesn't use much and having more doesn't mean a better experience either, let us know how you get on with the new settings!

[MattyDoogs]

I know gaming only uses about 5mbs, I was mostly looking for as stable a connection as possible. Also is there a way to set my download speed to 1200 in the QoS menu? I tried to set it manually but it wouldn’t let me go past 1000 and I’m not sure if that will cause any issues with QoS or traffic prioritization. Haven’t played on the new settings yet as I haven’t had time but I will try it out this weekend. 

[Netduma Fraser]

No that's not possible currently, shouldn't cause any issues as the router supports 1000Mbps. Alright keep us posted, have a good weekend!

[MattyDoogs]

Played a bunch over the past few days and the games felt really good. Didn't have any issues with bullet reg or packet loss. Thank you for all the help, I really appreciate it!

[Netduma Fraser]

Brilliant to hear that, thanks for the update!