Bandwidth hogging on my network

[tigerdriver]

A few days ago, I set out to install uTorrent on my computer.  I knew I need port-forwarding and a static IP address.  Rather than struggle with learning how to do this stuff in Windows, I purchased your Simple Port Forwarding program (v3.0.11), which seemed to work just fine.  I was downloading with uTorrent within a few minutes.

During my first phone conversation, the person on the other end complained that he could hear only every-other word.  I could hear the person at the other end perfectly. I tried placing the call again, and having that person call me; I tried phoning different telco numbers, including two in Austria.  Everyone had the same complaint:  I could hear them fine; they were losing syllables & words.

My telco is Vonage--which has served me flawlessly for three years.  It accepts the output from my cable modem, presumable so it can snarf the bandwidth it requires, and provides two RJ-45 outputs:  one goes to my router and the other to my handset network.

While on a phone call, I then went to my Vonage box and disconnected the line to my network Netgear WRT300N wireless router.  The problem instantaneously disappeared; when I plugged it back in, the choppy audio returned.  I repeated this many times.

I then browsed to Pingtest.net, which graded my line a "D" because it showed some packet loss, ping times in the 200-500 ms range, and about 20% jitter.

I looked at my process table; I had killed uTorrent before running the ping test, and there was nothing unusual running.  (And, no,  of course I don't run a firewall.)

I wrote a little javascript app to run Pingtest every 3 minutes.  I looked at my log after about an hour, and Bingo! on the 20th run pingtest produced normal results:   no packet loss, <20ms ping time, and 0-1% jitter.  I then ran the same test while I made multiple phone calls and experienced no problems.

Having been around network stuff for many, many years, I was willing to write this off an example of FM (f**ing magic), but alas, the identical problem returned today--and has now disappeared again, too.

I understand the reflex to blame the Vonage box,  but I subscribe to the "undo the last thing you did" theory of troubleshooting, and the last thing I did was run Simple Port Forwarding.  I may have done something wrong, or unauthorized, but I don't think I did.  I recall doing the following:

1. Make sure I get a static IP.  (It now invariably gives me 192.168.1.163.)
2. Forward the port required by uTorrent (62455), for which SPF nicely provided a dop box.
3. Update my router (Linksys WRT300N--it was in the list, and update succeeded).

Attached is a screen shot showing both SPF laid over an ipconfig screen.

Help, anybody?

Joe








[attachments over 25 days old deleted by admin]

[Shane]

Only way the port forwarding rule could have caused problems was if it is forwarding a port the voice over ip needs.

When this happens is there anything downloading or uploading? Is utorrent running when it happens?

If utorrent is hogging all the upload bandwidth because it is sharing files then you need to put a speed limit on the upload. you can do that in utorrent. If the bandwidth is being hogged by it, then not enough is going to vonage.

Which think of it this way. When you hear a person speak that is coming in on your download side, and you hear them fine. You download isn't maxed out.

But when talking to them, which uses your upload they don't get you well. So if utorrent is sharing files then that could be the answer. And as soon as you did the port forwarding rule this allowed utorrent to finally start sharing files. So the timing matches up. 

Shane

[tigerdriver]

No, as I said, I had killed uTorrent and checked the process table to make certain it hadn't left a helper around. (I also did a superstitious reboot.)

..
Joe

[Shane]

Still though, would like to know if anything else is running.

Lets run some tests and see what we can find.

First install my Simple Internet Meter Lite
http://www.pcwintech.com/simple-internet-meter-lite

This will let you keep an eye on the bandwidth on the system as a whole and the number of open connections.

When your phone calls start acting up again watch the bandwidth meter and see what it is showing.

If you need help how to use it just let me know

Shane

[tigerdriver]

Good suggestion--will do. 

..
Joe

[Evan]

Sorry to come in so late on this but...when you were getting the results from PingTest those should be reflecting your Internet provider's current condition...not the condition inside your home/work.  That sounds like your provider was having some networking problem and it could have just been a coincidence.

Was the router you did the port forwarding with (to set up uTorrent) used without any issues prior to the port forwarding?  In other words...if you reset the router to factory defaults does the Vonage issue persist?  Does it persist with the port forwarding rules?

Have you looked at  your router's advanced settings to see if there is a Quality of Service feature available so that you can set your Voice Over IP traffic to highest priority?

Does the choppy voice happen if you receive the call rather than make the call?

Evan