For about a month, my latency has repeatedly jumped from around 20 ms to as high as 3200 ms roughly once every minute. It affects online games and voice chat. I'm using a TP-Link Deco mesh node connected wirelessly to another node downstairs, with my computer connected to the nearby node by Ethernet. I've tried several fixes, but the issue continues. When I ping my router, latency stays below about 16 ms, while pings to 1.1.1.1 are the ones that spike. My connection is probably fiber-to-the-home. What should I test next to determine whether this is an ISP problem or something with the mesh setup?
2 Answers
Run traceroute or a similar path test while the connection is normal and again during a spike. Compare where the latency begins. If the first hop outside your home network suddenly becomes slow, that points toward the provider or an upstream routing issue. If the delay starts at the local gateway or mesh node, investigate the home network instead. It’s also worth checking for cloud backups, large uploads, updates, or other traffic that could cause bufferbloat.
Run two continuous ping tests at the same time: one to your router’s local IP address and one to 1.1.1.1. If the router stays stable while only 1.1.1.1 spikes, the problem is probably beyond your home network—possibly the ISP or an upstream route. If both spike together, focus on the Deco connection, Ethernet, or local network.
I already tested them side by side. The router stayed around 16 ms, but 1.1.1.1 climbed as high as 3200 ms.