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Virgin Media: EPC2425/3925 Modem/Router and Speed Issues - POST HERE ONLY

  • 13-01-2011 3:31pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    OK, so there are literally hundreds of posts here concerning UPC speed and modem issue, most of which are practically identical, so it ends now. This first post will be an attempt to keep a list of issues and fixes, mainly for the EPC2425 modem/router, but also for general speed issues that people may experience. Most of the information here is not my own, but merely a collection and synopsis from various posts and posters on this forum. It is open to correction at any time. I also do not use an EPC2425, so I can't even vouch for the absolute accuracy of any of this information. Please make a mod aware of any addition or correction, by PM, or by reporting this post.

    First off, the EPC2425 is now the standard modem issued by UPC for new connections. It is a combined Cable Modem and wireless router. You cannot replace the modem with one of your own, as the modem needs to be provisioned by UPC, and it's highly unlikely that they will do this for a modem you provide yourself, even if you could get a cable modem. It is possible to disable the router, by switching it to bridge mode, and thus allowing you to add a separate wireless router of your own choosing. This may help to resolve some issues, but you cannot use the UPC phone service if you set the router to bridge mode.

    To change any setting on the modem, you need to log on to it. In a web browser, enter 192.168.1.1 which will bring you to the log on page. Leave the username and password blank. Press OK (not Cancel) to log on. Most of the settings you will want to change are under the Advanced tab.

    What settings you may need to change will depend on the problems you are experiencing. P2P (Torrent, etc) issues are mostly related to the IP Flood Detection setting, which is set to ON by default. Switch this OFF and it should help. Pingtest.net will also give you a very bad result when this is ON, but that's not really a problem. Only turn this off if you need to, and if you don't have any problems, then don't go messing with it.

    To check your pings, it's best to just ping a server in a command prompt. Open a command prompt (Run -> cmd) and just type
    ping www.boards.ie
    or try pinging other sites such as google.ie, or game servers (you can enter the IP address of your server if you want to).

    For gaming, you'll want the ping to be under 50ms (ideally 20ms or under). If it's over 100ms, then this will lead to problems.

    Streaming media to Xbox/PS3/media player can be problematic. See this post, but basically any streaming that relies on multicast will not work, if you're streaming between the wired and wireless LAN interfaces. There is nothing you can do about this, as it's a hardware/firmware issue, and no one can fix that for you, so don't waste your time asking. Replacing the router is the only solution.

    Bridge mode setup. Go to Setup - Basic Settings - Gateway Mode and change it to Bridge. You may need to restart the modem at this point. Once done, the built-in router will be disabled, and you can attach your own router to the modem. If you have UPC phone service, do not do this, because your phone will stop working. There is no way to get the phone service to work with the modem if it's in bridge mode, so again don't waste people's time by asking. When changing to bridge mode, the Cisco modem's IP will change to 192.168.100.1. You must use this address to access it if you want to switch bridge mode off again.

    Speed issues over Wifi but not when wired. Wifi speeds can vary, and are nothing to do with the ISP. Suggestions that UPC are deliberately slowing your Wifi speeds are a nonsense, and will not be allowed here. The ISP cannot interfere with your Wifi network, as this is completely out of their control. If you have speed issues, then test the speed with a wired connection to the modem. Speedtests done over Wifi are never going to be accurate. Issues with Wifi speed can be resolved by changing the Wifi channel. Use InSSIDer to check your local spectrum to see what channels are in use. Also, cordless DECT phones can cause interference with with Wifi, as can a multitude of other wireless equipment. A poor signal due to range, or crappy router (like the EPC2425), or crappy Wifi card in your computer can also be a cause of issue.

    Speedtest.net, and any of the other speed test sites, can be hit and miss too. Do not rely on them for accurate speed results. Your P2P download speed is also an inaccurate measurement method. A good way to determine your download speed would be to download a CD image, such as the Linux distros on Heanet. The best way to download is using a download manager, like DownThemAll for Firefox, or any other manager. A download manager will ensure you get the best speed. Give it a few minutes, and note the speed. You can cancel before downloading the full image, as you probably don't need it.

    Congestion Vs Contention issues are a common question. Read this, as it explains the difference in congestion and contention, and why contention is not the enemy, but congestion is.
    http://abc.catchwater.net/1n/newsletter200406/analogy
    If your speed varies throughout the day, especially during 6PM-12AM, then it is almost certainly congestion. If you can get max speed from your connection at any point, then there really isn't likely to be a problem that can be fixed.


    Any other questions about the EPC2425 modem/router should be placed in this thread, as should any questions relating to UPC speed issues.
    Tagged:


«13456760

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,118 ✭✭✭game4it70


    Ok so new place for upc issues so i copied and pasted my thread from yesterday.
    Hey all,
    I'm on 30mb service in dublin 16.

    For the last 2 months my speeds drop down to anything from 8-15mb on average from appox 2pm until about 3-4am.I use upc's speedtest but get same results on magnet and speedtest.net. After 4am i get between 27 and 29mb constant.Upload speed never drops below 3mb.
    Does this sound like contention every with it lasting so long?

    Another weird thing is that last 3 night at 7.15 approx my net times out which i find odd.

    I rang them when i started having issues and as per usual they find no fault on there end.
    I rang them again a few days later as my net dropped for a few hours which it has never done unless there was a fault in the area.This time they booked a callout.They guys changed modem and wiring in the interior/exerior boxes but it made no difference.

    So over xmas i said i will leave it for a while naively thinking it may improve since they had rolled out the 100mb service.Needless to say it didnt.

    I tried ringing 3 times again tonight to get "disconected" each time they answered after being on hold for 20mins aprrox.

    I have 2 pcs with not virus or spware on them (fresh installs) and a lappy that i tried wired directly to modem each time to test with the router also taken out of the equation.
    So an ideas guys or am i just stuck with the contention?

    Ps. sorry for the long post and thanks for taking time to read it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    Not contention, but congestion. OP updated with more detail on this.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 Kromu


    Location: Dublin 18
    Package: 30Mbit
    Connection Type: direct Ethernet to router

    Have 30Mbit UPC connection (upgraded from 15Mbit few months ago), and the actual speed is never really beyond 22 Mbit for me in the last 4 months. I mean, when going to speetest.upc.ie I receive something like 28/2,6 Mbit but no site ever shows me transfer speeds over 2,5 MB/s. Sometimes @ about 5 am I see 3MB/s but thats it. UPC expert come over and replaced the modem and the connecting switch in my place, but it did not really improved anything.
    So my question is - is it called a 30Mbit service when it is just to UPC Server? Dublin D18 here. Back in November they changed the line or exchange and for a short while it was better, but just for a week. Modem is that Cisco 2425 or something.
    IP Flooding is off.
    Thanks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭lynchie


    Kromu wrote: »
    Location: Dublin 18
    Package: 30Mbit
    Connection Type: direct Ethernet to router

    Have 30Mbit UPC connection (upgraded from 15Mbit few months ago), and the actual speed is never really beyond 22 Mbit for me in the last 4 months. I mean, when going to speetest.upc.ie I receive something like 28/2,6 Mbit but no site ever shows me transfer speeds over 2,5 MB/s. Sometimes @ about 5 am I see 3MB/s but thats it. UPC expert come over and replaced the modem and the connecting switch in my place, but it did not really improved anything.
    So my question is - is it called a 30Mbit service when it is just to UPC Server? Dublin D18 here. Back in November they changed the line or exchange and for a short while it was better, but just for a week. Modem is that Cisco 2425 or something.
    IP Flooding is off.
    Thanks.

    Download the following ftp://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/centos/5.5/isos/i386/CentOS-5.5-i386-bin-DVD.iso for the most accurate speed test bar downloading it direct from a upc hosted ftp server. Wait for a minute or two before judging your average speed.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 Kromu


    You cant really use it for REAL speed since this is an ISO file. When you download something from a server and the file is not a ZIP file - you get some compression going on in the background. Same like when you, for example, download EXE files from Microsoft due to 1.1 to 1.3 compression you get speeds which are actually beyond your connection speed. And the ZIP files show max 2,5MB/s for me, at 5am - 3MB/s.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 13,727 ✭✭✭✭Inquitus


    Great post, I experience slower than quoted speeds at peak hours 6pm - 12am. Generally i get from 1.75MB/s to 2.5MB/s getting the full 3.75MB/s at quieter times. I guess this is just down to congestion and there's nowt can be done, not that it really bothers me much.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 Kromu


    Inquitus wrote: »
    Great post, I experience slower than quoted speeds at peak hours 6pm - 12am. Generally i get from 1.75MB/s to 2.5MB/s getting the full 3.75MB/s at quieter times. I guess this is just down to congestion and there's nowt can be done, not that it really bothers me much.

    The only thing is here then - so most time you get 20 MBit, while paying for 30MBit. Which is 8 EUR a month or 96 EUR a year difference. Just to make UPC happy. I don't agree with that :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 blamort


    Regarding subject UPC Blocking Megaupload

    MU Premium

    - without vpn : 35 Ko
    - with a VPN (Hostshield : free and not bad at all) = 783Ko for a 20MB connection. Not full 2Mo/s I got before but not too bad

    Haven't tried yet :

    - Google DNS : 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.8.4 looks to work in France were we have same issue with provider Orange
    - change MU port from :80 to :800

    Will try tonight, abroad for few days, so if someone wants to test...


  • Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭neonman


    As requested posting my question in the right place....

    Hi all, I change my setup password on my UPC EPC2425 modem some time ago and I'm trying to access it tonight but the password I "thought" i set up isn't allowing me access.

    Is there a way to reset this directly on the modem or am i screwed ?

    Cheers all,
    Neon


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    If you want to use another router/wireless device instead of the Ciscos built in functions but want to keep the phone functionality of your Cisco 2425 you can use the 'DMZ' method. There is a quick 'how-to' somewhere in this forum if you search for it, tis easy.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    neonman wrote: »
    As requested posting my question in the right place....

    Hi all, I change my setup password on my UPC EPC2425 modem some time ago and I'm trying to access it tonight but the password I "thought" i set up isn't allowing me access.

    Is there a way to reset this directly on the modem or am i screwed ?

    Cheers all,
    Neon

    You can reset the modems setting by using a pin in the 'reset' hole at the back of the modem. Hold it for about 5-10 seconds. The modem will reset to factory settings so it will need to grab the provisioned settings again so it will take about 2-5min to get its own UPC network settings again so don't worry if you cannot access the net for a bit after the settings reset


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,621 ✭✭✭Mad_Mike


    If you did a full reset it will restore the original password
    You will need to contact UPC, or find the original documentation, or sometimes, if you're lucky, its printed on a label underneath the router


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,156 ✭✭✭Iwannahurl


    New to this forum so apologies in advance for any noob nonsense.

    I received a text message from UPC today, announcing an unsolicited increase in speed "from 15Mb to 20Mb".

    Their instructions were to unplug the modem from the power supply, plug it back in and -- hey presto -- "even faster broadband". I am using wireless in the house.

    I decided to check the speed before and after following the above instructions, and used three online tests including UPC's own. I know about the variability in wireless speeds, but still there ought to be a noticeable change after such an upgrade.

    There was indeed a change: my broadband speed was hung, drawn and quartered.

    UPC's own pre-test indicated 4.05Mb download, 1.20 upload, ping 12ms.
    UPC post-test: 1.25 download, 1.13 upload, ping 13ms.

    Any thoughts?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,621 ✭✭✭Mad_Mike


    KeRbDoG wrote: »
    You can reset the modems setting by using a pin in the 'reset' hole at the back of the modem. Hold it for about 5-10 seconds. The modem will reset to factory settings so it will need to grab the provisioned settings again so it will take about 2-5min to get its own UPC network settings again so don't worry if you cannot access the net for a bit after the settings reset

    But that's his issue
    He said he changed the original setup password and I assume doesn't know it any longer


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    Mad_Mike wrote: »
    But that's his issue
    He said he changed the original setup password and I assume doesn't know it any longer

    This should reset all passwords to the defaults, including the setup password. You just loose any settings yea changed


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,621 ✭✭✭Mad_Mike


    Yes, it will. You're correct
    But, what he is saying is he doesn't KNOW the original password, so cannot put it into his pc to pair up with the router


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 Kromu


    I ended up writing an email to UPC asking to put me back to 15Mbit, since they are not able to provide 30Mbit and reimburse me with the difference paid. It's a pity though, because 15Mbit worked great and full speed for me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    Mad_Mike wrote: »
    Yes, it will. You're correct
    But, what he is saying is he doesn't KNOW the original password, so cannot put it into his pc to pair up with the router

    Think your confusing the wireless password/phrase with the routers setup & admin passwords. He was looking to know/change his 'setup password'


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 24,949 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Might be worth adding that the Cisco moves it's address to 192.168.100.1 once it's bridged.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    Spear wrote: »
    Might be worth adding that the Cisco moves it's address to 192.168.100.1 once it's bridged.

    Thanks for that :) always good to know. Pitty there isn't a way to keep the phone service when the Cisco is bridged


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  • Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭neonman


    Thanks for the replies guys. I tried the reset button at the back of the modem yesterday evening but I didn't hold it down for long enough as I still had the problem.

    Will try it later when I get home. Want to gain access to it to change to a different DNS service as the UPC's one is slow most of the time.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 673 ✭✭✭GekkePrutser


    Can anyone tell me what modem you get with the (new) 10mbit package now? (This is the only package on upc.ie that does not come with a WiFi router). I'm hoping it's something else than the 2425 but I'm fearing that I'll just get the 2425 with WiFi disabled or something.

    I'm definitely going for my own router and I would prefer not having to use bridging mode so I'm wondering if I get a 2203 or something if I just sign up to the 10mbit package first.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20 clancywigam


    Does anyone know how to prevent the ECP2425 from broadcasting its SSID? I did some googling and found a guide which says it can be done under the Wireless >> Access Control menu in the GUI.
    Tried this but there is no option that I can see.

    Any help appreciated.


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 24,949 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Does anyone know how to prevent the ECP2425 from broadcasting its SSID? I did some googling and found a guide which says it can be done under the Wireless >> Access Control menu in the GUI.
    Tried this but there is no option that I can see.

    Any help appreciated.

    Set the access point type to disabled under basic wireless options.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,368 ✭✭✭✭Snake Plisken


    Just on the speed issue I rang them up last night as I was promised back in November that I was going to be "segmented" in WW50, but my speeds where so bad last night I wanted to see if this upgrade happened anyway I was lucky enought to talk to a helpful guy who put me onto second level to check about the upgrade to their node, he said due to the bad weather the work had been pushed out now to WW04(end of Jan) and that I should get close to max speeds during peak times, he admitted that it was a congestion issue and they had been over subscribed to the 30meg package in my area, Lucan South. They said I can Look for credit to my account from last may when I first raided the issue when I'm happy that the issue has been fixed.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 afertel


    Hi lads:

    Ok, since the last two weeks I haven't been able to download anything from megaupload, I only get very slow rates, no more than 80KB/s. Tired of this situation, I have made a test connecting throw VPN and I get I'm getting 1.2MB/s at the moment.

    I'm calling already to cancel my contract with them


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,207 ✭✭✭miralize


    KeRbDoG wrote: »
    If you want to use another router/wireless device instead of the Ciscos built in functions but want to keep the phone functionality of your Cisco 2425 you can use the 'DMZ' method. There is a quick 'how-to' somewhere in this forum if you search for it, tis easy.

    Can someone help me with this? Having trouble understanding what watty is saying
    watty wrote: »
    If you can't bridge, then set your separate router to a different subnet, i.e. 192.168.3.xxx for everything on LAN.

    Then give your router WAN port a static IP in the LAN range of the Cisco Router/Cable Modem and only plug the WAN port into Cisco.
    Disable WiFi on the Cisco
    Then on the Cisco make the IP of your standalone WiFi/Router a DMZ. Then all ports are forwarded both ways, it's almost like Bridge Mode. To the 3rd party standalone WiFi/Router it will look like the Cisco is in Bridge mode but as if your public IP is the LAN IP on the Cisco set up for DMZ.

    The actual Public IP is of course whatever it is.

    The way I read it is :

    Change the subnet of your new router to something that doesnt conflict with ciscos router (192.168.1.xxx)

    Find the ip your new router is using and add that as dmz of the cisco.
    How do I add a static IP to my new router in my cisco one?

    Really what I'm asking is what do I configure on my cisco router and my new router?

    UPDATE : So far I've added the mac address of my belkin router to the Fixed CPE IP Assignment and used that IP as my DMZ. Now on my Belkin do I select the connection type to 1483 Bridge (using UPC's default gateway) and I'm good to go? It was working a few hours ago, but i wasnt able to access the belkin router settings anymore


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 22,994 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kiith


    There's definitely something up with UPC and Megaupload. I'm getting awful download speeds, max about 100k per file. And that's on 20mb broadband. Going to ring them tomorrow and ask them what the deal is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,201 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    miralize wrote: »
    Can someone help me with this? Having trouble understanding what watty is saying
    The way I read it is :

    Change the subnet of your new router to something that doesnt conflict with ciscos router (192.168.1.xxx)

    Find the ip your new router is using and add that as dmz of the cisco.
    How do I add a static IP to my new router in my cisco one?

    Really what I'm asking is what do I configure on my cisco router and my new router?

    UPDATE : So far I've added the mac address of my belkin router to the Fixed CPE IP Assignment and used that IP as my DMZ. Now on my Belkin do I select the connection type to 1483 Bridge (using UPC's default gateway) and I'm good to go? It was working a few hours ago, but i wasnt able to access the belkin router settings anymore

    Hope the below info helps
    My setup;
    Cisco cable modem
    LAN IP: 192.168.1.1 /24

    New router; (connection to Cisco is connected to the new routers WAN/Internet port)
    WAN IP: 192.168.1.2
    WAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
    WAN Gateway: 192.168.1.1
    WAN DNS: 89.101.160.8 & 89.101.160.9 & 8.8.4.4 (these are mine, you can use others)
    LAN IP: 192.168.0.254
    LAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
    LAN IPs for DHCP: 192.168.0.1->192.168.0.100
    Mode: Gateway

    Working great for me.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,207 ✭✭✭miralize


    Thanks I'll give it a go tomorrow! If I have a problem, I'll post here.


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