Latency Spikes & Random Lag

Support Technical Support
1

I’ve been having lag issues for a while but they seem to have gotten much worse since patch to the point where there are times the game becomes unplayable.

Most of the time my latency will jump up to around the 300-400 range but it feels even worse than that. Other times my latency will be fine but my fps will jump all around from 20 to 100 then back again and even more often my game will just randomly freeze for a second or two - the latency, the ping and the fps all read as fine but the game itself gets hung up and I can’t do anything till it catches up.

My husband plays on the same wifi connection as I do and doesn’t have these issues (we have no way of hooking our computers up directly to our modem).

Typically if I log completely out of the game then log back in again the latency numbers will go back to normal but sometimes (especially if I’m in a raid) they will start climbing back up pretty quickly.

I have ran the looking glass tool and MTR and will include those findings - I’m not sure if they show the issue though.

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 Blizzard Blizzard 0.387 ms 0.381 ms 1.167 ms
2 24.105.18.3 (24.105.18.3) 1.192 ms 1.210 ms 1.211 ms
3 137.221.105.12 (137.221.105.12) 0.625 ms 0.701 ms 0.798 ms
4 137.221.66.16 (137.221.66.16) 2.568 ms 2.583 ms 2.758 ms
5 137.221.83.66 (137.221.83.66) 6.077 ms 6.108 ms 6.118 ms
6 137.221.65.68 (137.221.65.68) 9.838 ms 8.543 ms 8.501 ms
7 137.221.68.32 (137.221.68.32) 6.021 ms 6.028 ms 6.256 ms
8 12.245.64.9 (12.245.64.9) 5.824 ms 5.899 ms 5.886 ms
9 * * *
10 * * *
11 * * *
12 12.123.235.205 (12.123.235.205) 42.687 ms 42.728 ms 42.752 ms
13 99.164.208.55 (99.164.208.55) 43.207 ms 43.319 ms 43.323 ms
14 * * *
15 * * *

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 Blizzard Blizzard 0.331 ms 0.335 ms 0.343 ms
2 24.105.18.3 (24.105.18.3) 0.575 ms 0.717 ms 0.833 ms
3 137.221.105.12 (137.221.105.12) 1.520 ms 1.537 ms 1.544 ms
4 137.221.66.16 (137.221.66.16) 1.548 ms 1.555 ms 1.563 ms
5 137.221.83.66 (137.221.83.66) 5.975 ms 5.999 ms 6.009 ms
6 137.221.65.68 (137.221.65.68) 5.752 ms 5.667 ms 5.641 ms
7 137.221.68.32 (137.221.68.32) 5.863 ms 6.030 ms 6.025 ms
8 12.245.64.9 (12.245.64.9) 5.631 ms 6.159 ms 6.198 ms
9 * * *
10 * * *
11 * * *
12 * * *
13 99.164.208.55 (99.164.208.55) 51.233 ms 50.972 ms 50.614 ms
14 * * *
15 * * *

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

PING:
PING 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45) 56(84) bytes of data.

— 162.238.108.45 ping statistics —
4 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 3006ms

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

PING:
PING 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45) 56(84) bytes of data.

— 162.238.108.45 ping statistics —
4 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 2999ms

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 Blizzard Blizzard 0.654 ms 0.670 ms 0.681 ms
2 24.105.18.3 (24.105.18.3) 7.414 ms 7.826 ms 7.859 ms
3 137.221.105.12 (137.221.105.12) 1.635 ms 1.656 ms 1.664 ms
4 137.221.66.16 (137.221.66.16) 2.932 ms 2.955 ms 2.963 ms
5 137.221.83.66 (137.221.83.66) 6.387 ms 6.409 ms 6.417 ms
6 137.221.65.68 (137.221.65.68) 6.169 ms 5.916 ms 5.879 ms
7 137.221.68.32 (137.221.68.32) 6.033 ms 6.049 ms 6.055 ms
8 12.245.64.9 (12.245.64.9) 5.850 ms 5.857 ms 5.883 ms
9 * * *
10 * * *
11 * * *
12 * * *
13 99.164.208.55 (99.164.208.55) 43.642 ms 43.329 ms 43.560 ms
14 * * *
15 * * *

01/08/2019 18:06:57 UTC

PING:
PING 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45) 56(84) bytes of data.

— 162.238.108.45 ping statistics —
4 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 3010ms

01/08/2019 18:06:57 UTC

TRACEROUTE:
traceroute to 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45), 15 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 Blizzard Blizzard 0.308 ms 0.313 ms 0.329 ms
2 24.105.18.3 (24.105.18.3) 12.009 ms 12.271 ms 12.366 ms
3 137.221.105.12 (137.221.105.12) 0.547 ms 0.861 ms 0.891 ms
4 137.221.66.16 (137.221.66.16) 0.995 ms 1.036 ms 1.045 ms
5 137.221.83.66 (137.221.83.66) 5.909 ms 5.961 ms 5.988 ms
6 137.221.65.68 (137.221.65.68) 74.892 ms 73.253 ms 73.230 ms
7 137.221.68.32 (137.221.68.32) 6.555 ms 6.580 ms 6.586 ms
8 12.245.64.9 (12.245.64.9) 5.682 ms 5.709 ms 5.715 ms
9 * * *
10 * * *
11 * * *
12 * * *
13 99.164.208.55 (99.164.208.55) 43.281 ms 43.202 ms 43.847 ms
14 * * *
15 * * *

01/08/2019 18:07:02 UTC

PING:
PING 162.238.108.45 (162.238.108.45) 56(84) bytes of data.

— 162.238.108.45 ping statistics —
4 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 2998ms

01/08/2019 18:07:03 UTC

MTR:
Start: Thu Aug 1 18:06:52 2019 Blizzard 1.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.0
2.|-- 24.105.18.3 0.0% 10 0.5 3.4 0.5 24.7 7.5
3.|-- 137.221.105.12 0.0% 10 0.6 2.4 0.5 18.0 5.5
4.|-- 137.221.66.16 0.0% 10 1.0 2.7 1.0 16.7 4.9
5.|-- 137.221.83.66 0.0% 10 5.9 11.8 5.8 57.8 16.2
6.|-- 137.221.65.68 0.0% 10 27.0 36.4 5.8 148.2 55.8
7.|-- 137.221.68.32 0.0% 10 6.0 9.6 5.9 40.3 10.8
8.|-- 12.245.64.9 0.0% 10 5.9 6.2 5.8 8.8 0.9
9.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
10.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
11.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
13.|-- 99.164.208.55 0.0% 10 43.3 43.3 43.2 43.5 0.0
14.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

MTR:
Start: Thu Aug 1 18:06:52 2019 Blizzard 1.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 0.3 1.5 0.3 11.6 3.5
2.|-- 24.105.18.3 0.0% 10 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.0
3.|-- 137.221.105.12 0.0% 10 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.0
4.|-- 137.221.66.16 0.0% 10 25.3 6.7 0.9 25.3 9.4
5.|-- 137.221.83.66 0.0% 10 5.8 14.0 5.7 48.3 14.6
6.|-- 137.221.65.68 0.0% 10 58.8 52.9 5.8 180.3 65.7
7.|-- 137.221.68.32 0.0% 10 6.3 15.0 6.0 54.2 16.2
8.|-- 12.245.64.9 0.0% 10 5.7 6.8 5.7 11.0 1.9
9.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
10.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
11.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
13.|-- 99.164.208.55 0.0% 10 43.5 43.4 43.2 43.6 0.0
14.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

01/08/2019 18:06:52 UTC

MTR:
Start: Thu Aug 1 18:06:55 2019 Blizzard 1.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.0
2.|-- 24.105.18.3 0.0% 10 0.6 4.9 0.6 41.6 12.9
3.|-- 137.221.105.12 0.0% 10 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.0
4.|-- 137.221.66.16 0.0% 10 1.2 1.4 0.9 4.4 0.9
5.|-- 137.221.83.66 0.0% 10 5.9 12.5 5.6 40.6 11.5
6.|-- 137.221.65.68 0.0% 10 102.9 62.2 5.7 214.7 69.2
7.|-- 137.221.68.32 0.0% 10 6.2 7.7 5.9 23.2 5.4
8.|-- 12.245.64.9 0.0% 10 6.0 5.9 5.7 6.0 0.0
9.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
10.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
11.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
13.|-- 99.164.208.55 0.0% 10 43.5 43.4 43.2 43.7 0.0
14.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

01/08/2019 18:06:55 UTC

MTR:
Start: Thu Aug 1 18:06:58 2019 Blizzard 1.|-- Blizzard 0.0% 10 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.0
2.|-- 24.105.18.3 0.0% 10 0.7 1.0 0.5 4.3 1.0
3.|-- 137.221.105.12 0.0% 10 0.7 1.9 0.6 11.9 3.4
4.|-- 137.221.66.16 0.0% 10 1.0 6.5 0.9 45.2 13.8
5.|-- 137.221.83.66 0.0% 10 6.0 13.3 5.7 74.9 21.7
6.|-- 137.221.65.68 0.0% 10 6.1 29.3 5.8 150.1 45.3
7.|-- 137.221.68.32 0.0% 10 5.9 12.9 5.9 42.0 14.6
8.|-- 12.245.64.9 0.0% 10 5.8 5.9 5.8 6.1 0.0
9.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
10.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
11.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
13.|-- 99.164.208.55 0.0% 10 46.5 43.7 43.3 46.5 0.9
14.|-- ??? 100.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

WinMTR Statistics

WinMTR statistics

Host % Sent Recv Best Avrg Wrst Last
myportalwifi.com 0 379 379 0 17 998 2
192.168.1.254 1 375 374 1 18 980 8
162-238-108-1.lightspeed.tpkaks.sbcglobal.net 1 371 369 18 41 1497 23
99.164.208.54 0 379 379 18 39 1007 21
12.123.235.206 0 379 379 32 57 1011 35
dlstx409me9.ip.att.net 2 364 360 31 49 1031 44
12.244.90.238 4 336 325 0 67 360 148
ae1-br01-eqda6.as57976.net 4 328 315 0 75 364 159
et-0-0-4-br01-eqch2.as57976.net 4 328 315 0 77 363 160
be1-pe01-eqch2.as57976.net 4 328 315 0 73 362 159
chi-eqch2-ia-bons-02.as57976.net 5 324 310 0 76 365 167
24.105.62.129 5 324 310 0 78 365 164
WinMTR Statistics

WinMTR statistics

Host % Sent Recv Best Avrg Wrst Last
myportalwifi.com 1 489 488 0 20 1000 1
192.168.1.254 1 485 483 1 22 1015 2
162-238-108-1.lightspeed.tpkaks.sbcglobal.net 0 492 492 17 46 1777 25
99.164.208.54 1 481 478 18 42 1023 18
12.123.235.206 1 489 488 32 61 1035 35
dlstx409me9.ip.att.net 1 485 483 31 56 1077 32
12.244.90.238 1 485 483 32 53 1034 63
ae1-br02-eqda6.as57976.net 1 485 483 60 78 1055 71
et-0-0-2-br02-swlv10.as57976.net 0 493 493 60 88 1066 63
et-0-0-67-pe02-swlv10.as57976.net 1 481 478 60 82 1072 66
las-swlv10-ia-bons-04.as57976.net 1 481 478 60 77 1074 68
137.221.105.2 0 492 492 60 84 1068 61

Is there any other information that might be needed to figure out what the problem is?

2

Your home network is responding really slowly, which would cause the spikes and lag. 1000ms is 1 total second delay, and you should be seeing 10ms for these lines in the test. It kind of seems like you’re overloading either your network card, or the router/modem, and that’s why your husband can play without issue.

Can you temporarily plug in to see if that resolves the issue? If not, could you try a mobile network with a phone data plan? If none of these are feasible, you might look into a powerline AC adapter, which can send ethernet signal via your power outlets. But this won’t fix the problem if it’s the network card in your computer.

1 Like
3

Could I just replace the network card in my computer? I can’t plug directly into the internet and I don’t have a mobile hotspot thing. I’m not sure what a powerline AC adapter is but I could see about that I guess.

I have the lag issues even when he’s at work and therefore not online so I’m thinking its probably not the router/modem (although thats just a guess). Also, do you think it might help if I switched from connecting to the portal to connecting (via wi-fi of course) to the modem? Sorry, I’m not super internet/tech savvy so any help is really really appreciated.

4

A powerline network adapter is a way to connect your computer to your router with a wired connection without running an actual network cable between the two.

It’s a pair (or more) of little devices that plug into electric power outlets near (in this case) your computer and your router, and also have wired network jacks to go from the device to the computer or router.

The devices basically use the household power wiring as a bridge between wired network devices. It’s like having a long wired network connection, allowing you to not have to use Wi-Fi.

I use this between my WoW gaming computer and my router and my local latency is virtually nil.

1 Like
5

If that didn’t blow up the incredibly sad & old wiring in my house I don’t think it would work because I simply don’t have the correct kind of outlet (three prong) or enough outlets where our computers are.

It does seem like an incredibly useful product that I will keep in mind if we ever move our computers or upgrade our stupid outlets finally. Thank you for the suggestion.

1 Like
6

Hey Navanya,

Something else that you may want to try: If your router supports both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi bands you may want to try connecting to the one you’re not currently connected to and see if it works better for your situation. If you’re not sure, usually you will see two different wifi names (like MyWifi and MyWifi-5G for example) to indicate which one is 5Ghz.

1 Like
7

I have three different options - Portal which is 2.4, Portal Fastlane which is 5Ghz, and the normal ATT one which is also 5Ghz - I’ve tried them all and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I have noticed that before connecting it will show the option as having a strong signal but often times once I connect it will drop down to being a medium or weak signal.

8

Sounds like it’s just a case of wireless interference if switching the wifi band doesn’t help. You may want to try getting your router positioned closer to your PC if possible. There’s tons of different things that can affect wireless connections unfortunately.