High ping & disconnect

[NetDumaR2User]

Hi,

I’m experiencing intermittent but severe latency and connection instability while using my Netduma R2, and I’d like help determining whether the router could be contributing to the issue.

Setup:

• ISP: Vodafone (DSL/FTTC)
• Router: Netduma R2
• Modem: DrayTek Vigor 130 (bridge mode)
• Previously tested: Vodafone Power Hub (all-in-one)

What I observed:

• With the Netduma R2 + DrayTek Vigor 130:
  • Bufferbloat improved significantly (A rating after QoS tuning)
  • However, after a couple hours on using this setup:
    • Very high latency in games (e.g. ~110ms in Overwatch, ~190ms in Minecraft)
    • Large spikes (400–600ms, occasionally up to 2000ms+)
    • General web browsing becomes very slow
    • Continuous ping test (8.8.8.8) shows normal latency (10–60ms) with intermittent huge spikes and occasional “General failure”
• Modem status lights:
  • DSL solid
  • LAN active
  • No obvious disconnect indicators
• When switching back to the Vodafone Power Hub:
  • Connection becomes stable again (no spikes or dropouts)
  • Latency is higher under load (bufferbloat), but no extreme spikes or failures

QoS configuration on Netduma R2:

• Anti-bufferbloat enabled (tested both auto and always-on)
• Currently set to ~85% download / ~75% upload
• This successfully reduced bufferbloat but did not prevent later instability

Key question:
Based on this behaviour, does this point to:

• a potential compatibility or stability issue between the Netduma R2 and DrayTek Vigor 130 (e.g. PPPoE handling, WAN drops, etc.), or
• is this more likely to be entirely upstream (modem/line-related)?

Also, are there any recommended WAN/PPPoE/MTU or advanced settings on the Netduma R2 that could help improve stability in a DSL bridge modem setup?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Netduma Fraser]

How long did you test with the hub connected again? If you're not experiencing it right away with the R2 then you should test with the hub for a good amount of time also. 

Are you noticing it happening randomly or more consistently during peak times for example?

Are you using PPPoE on the R2 then? Is it a possibility to have the draytek handle PPPoE instead to test? 

Too early to tell the cause at the moment.

[NetDumaR2User]

When using the R2 it got to the point where web pages would just not load at all.
I swapped back to the hub about 24 hours ago and not had any issues at all (except the odd spike for a few seconds when gaming) which is why I wanted to use the R2 for QOS.

I factory reset the DrayTek Vigor 130 and connected it. I have not logged in / configured it at all.

I set the PPPoE settings on the R2 under the WAN, Network settings. Is that the correct/best way?
I googled it and it said it's not possible to have draytek handle PPPoE unless you know how to do that?

 

[Netduma Fraser]

It could be due to using PPPoE with the R2 but you did enter it correctly there. Have the hub handle PPPoE then connect the R2 to the hub and connect all devices to the R2. Put the WAN IP of the R2 into the hub DMZ and then it'll be like having directly connected it. You won't have any NAT issues and hopefully it will sort out the instability you're seeing. 

It's probably not possible but bridge makes it sound like an option

[NetDumaR2User]

When you mention the hub, do you mean the vodafone power hub or the DrayTek Vigor 130? 

I've looked at the Powerhub settings and I have Static NAT/DMZ setting. 
The only setting on this page is "Exposed Host Function". 
Enabling it issues this warning:
Warning: By using the exposed host function you bypass the firewall of the Vodafone Power Hub. Please make sure that your computer is protected against attacks from Internet.

Is that the correct setting, are the risks real?

[Netduma Fraser]

The Vodafone hub, exposed host is another name for DMZ so you can use that. That's fine, the R2 has a firewall so safe to do so, just never put your PC in the DMZ.

[NetDumaR2User]

Where can I find my R2's WAN IP? 

Under the WAN section I have General & Network tabs. 
I can only see my previous PPPoE settings on the Network page. Do I keep these in here or select DHCP or Static instead?

 

I can see a DMZ setting under the LAN settings on the R2. Should I turn that on or do I keep that off?

[Netduma Fraser]

On the R2 System Information page, on the V hub it would be the IP shown for it in Devices or LAN Settings. Remove them and switch to DHCP. 

Keep DMZ off on the R2 itself

[NetDumaR2User]

Under DHCP the IP address is blank. Do I make my own IP address up? 

[Netduma Fraser]

No you don't need to enter anything there

[NetDumaR2User]

Sorry, this process is confusing me.
I select DHCP on the R2 but then all the fields are blank.

You told me I have to put the WAN IP of the R2 into the hub DMZ - I've found the DMZ field on the hub, but where can I find the IP that I need to put in there? Could you send me a screenshot of this please?

[Netduma Fraser]

Yes switch to DHCP on the R2, you don't need to enter anything in any of the ID boxes there.

The IP you need to put in the DMZ on the V hub can be found in two places, check one of these:

1. On the R2 System Information page in the Network Status panel - it's right in the centre of the page
2. On the V hub it would be the IP shown for it in Devices or LAN Settings. Wherever you see your connected devices on the V hub, whatever the IP that is shown for the R2 that's what you need to enter into the DMZ

[NetDumaR2User]

Thanks for the clear instructions. I believe I have got it now.

My current set up is
Vodafone Power Hub plugged into power, DLS plugged into hub, Wan plugged into hub connecting into R2 Wan. Wifi on hub disabled.
In hub 192.168.1.1 I've gone into the Static NAT/DMZ setting and enabled Exposed Host Function. 
My public IPv4 Address is my IP which I cannot change.
My Local IPv4 Address is what I found on the Duma R2 in system information WAN IP. 

In the R2 I have the Wan connected to the hub.
Ethernet into my PC.
PC has successfully connected to the internet and my phone connects via wifi successfully.

I can still edit the hub settings in 192.168.1.1 and can also edit Dumaos in 192.168.77.1

Does this set up sound 100% correct to you?
Should this resolve my latency issues?

 

How can I be certain that Exposed Host Function is safe and that the firewall on the R2 has enabled successfully? 
Would it be safer to use a VPN on 24/7 now that I have turned on Exposed Host Function, or will that not make any difference? 

 

Anything else that I need to change or consider?

 

Thank you!

[Netduma Fraser]

Yes that all sounds correct. If the issue is caused by the bridge mode/R2 using PPPoE then yes it would resolve those issues. 

The R2 firewall is constantly on, there is no way for a user to disable it, you are definitely safe in that regard. No you don't need to use a VPN. 

The DMZ just allows all traffic to pass through to the router unimpeded which is essentially what was happening by having the draytek bridged to the R2 so you would have been relying on the R2 firewall in that scenario as well.

So far so good, you may need to re-fine tune your QoS settings but it should be fine as is, just monitor it and come back if its not quite right

[NetDumaR2User]

Thank you.
I haven't tried gaming yet so not experienced any spikes.

I used auto-setup on the QOS and enabled it as Always.
It put download to 62% and upload to 100% 

I ran a Bufferbloat test and it came back grade D. I adjusted the download and upload to 60% each and got the same results on the test.

Previously when using the PPPoE settings with the Draytek and same QOS settings I got grade A on the bufferbloat test (when the R2 was stable initially).
Any ideas why it would have reduced to D, and if this means QOS isn't working correctly? 

[Krush]

... il doit désactiver le contournement du test de vitesse également... si tu veux optimiser ce test web ...

 

 

[Netduma Fraser]

As the physical setup has changed the same settings for QoS may not work as well so you'll just need to fine tune it more - don't rely on auto setup just adjust it manually - we usually suggest starting at 70% then adjust by 10% up or down (it doesn't always have to be lower) until you get to a value that's pretty good then try 5% either side of that value to see if it can be improved further. Download & Upload also don't need to be on the same percentage, you may have different percentages where they each give the best results.

It is important you have set the speeds you pay for/expect into the router though so it's using that as the basis, otherwise if you've left it with the speeds the in built speed test came back with for example then you may have them set too low and then you're then making it even lower than needed with the percentages.