Since switching to GFiber, my connection has been dropping for a few seconds about once an hour. It normally sits around 20 ms, sometimes rises to 80 ms, and then occasionally jumps to 1,000–9,000+ ms before recovering. Those larger spikes cause serious problems.
I've checked the optic jack, router, and switch lights but haven't noticed anything obvious. I've also replaced hardware and cables, flushed DNS, and tested different Cat5 outlets and rooms. The home has wired Ethernet connections in several rooms, and I'm not completely sure how the internal wiring is distributed. The ISP says they don't see a fault, but they've already provided an extender and a replacement router. What should I test next, and could this be an issue somewhere in the ISP's network rather than inside the house?
4 Answers
Document every outage with timestamps, test results, and the support ticket numbers. If repeated calls don’t resolve it, ask for a higher-level network technician or file a formal complaint with your state utility regulator. Some providers only take a recurring intermittent fault seriously after there’s a clear record and an official escalation.
Run continuous pings while the problem is happening and save the results. Ping your router’s local address and a reliable internet address at the same time. If the router ping stays normal but the outside ping jumps, the issue is probably beyond your home network. A traceroute or pathping during an outage can also help show whether the delay begins at the ISP or farther upstream.
The Ethernet jacks in different rooms usually connect back to a patch panel or small switch, not a mysterious splitter in the wall. Before opening anything up, temporarily connect one computer directly to the ISP equipment with a known-good cable and monitor it. If the spikes still occur there, replacing the house wiring won’t fix the problem.
This sounds more like an ISP-side or outside-plant problem than DNS, Ethernet cables, or the wiring inside your walls. Ask the provider to send a technician and specifically investigate the fiber terminal, neighborhood equipment, and upstream network path. Keep pushing for an escalation if the first support agent only checks whether the modem is online.
I’ll start collecting logs so I can show them exactly when the spikes happen instead of relying on occasional speed tests.