Packet Loss issues

For the past 2 days, I’ve been experiencing recurring intermittent packet loss and latency spikes on my Xfinity connection in The Bay Area, CA. This is affecting all real-time applications including online gaming, Discord voice calls, livestreams, and general internet stability. The connection does not fully go down, but every ~15–25 minutes there are noticeable interruptions lasting anywhere from a few seconds up to ~20 seconds.

What makes this especially frustrating is that raw speed tests still appear normal (roughly 900 Mbps down / 350 Mbps up), but packet consistency and stability are clearly not normal. During these interruptions:

Discord cuts out
Games freeze or rubberband
Streams buffer
Ping requests time out intermittently

I have already done extensive troubleshooting on my end including:

Full modem/gateway reboot (or cold reboot)
PC reboot
Ethernet troubleshooting
NIC power-saving settings disabled
Link speed testing (5Gb and 2.5Gb)
Continuous ping monitoring
PingPlotter monitoring
Testing both local gateway and external targets
Confirmed issue affects multiple devices/users in the household, not just one PC

Using PingPlotter and in-game network telemetry, I was able to confirm actual packet loss spikes occurring during the interruptions. The issue appears bursty/intermittent rather than constant slow speeds.

Additionally, I received a notice from Xfinity stating scheduled network maintenance/upgrades are occurring in my area on May 26th, which makes me wonder if there is already known instability or infrastructure work being done locally.

At this point I’m mainly trying to determine:

Whether others in the area are experiencing similar intermittent packet loss/jitter
Whether Xfinity can check for node congestion, upstream instability, signal noise, or packet loss history on the line
Whether this is related to the upcoming scheduled maintenance

Any insight would be appreciated because this issue is heavily impacting gaming, Discord, streaming, and other real-time applications despite normal bandwidth test results.

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XfinityDilary

Official Employee

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3.3K Messages

5 days ago

user_h9ng20 Hi there, I really appreciate you taking the time to walk through all of those troubleshooting steps and sharing such detailed findings. That’s incredibly helpful. I can also understand how frustrating this must be, especially with it impacting real-time applications like gaming and calls. Based on what you’re describing, along with the maintenance notification in your area, it’s very possible the intermittent packet loss and latency spikes are related to the ongoing network work. During maintenance or pre-upgrade activity, you can sometimes see exactly this kind of intermittent behavior even though speeds themselves look normal. At this point, the best next step would be to allow the scheduled maintenance to complete so we can determine if that resolves the instability. Once the work is finished, we’ll have a much clearer picture of whether the issue was tied to the upgrades or if further investigation is needed. If the issue continues after the maintenance window, please let us know right away. From there, we can take a deeper look at your line, including signal quality, node health, and any packet loss history. I truly appreciate your patience as we work through this, and I’m here to help every step of the way.

6

U

user_h9ng20

Visitor

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4 Messages

@XfinityDilary

Thank you for the response and for reviewing the troubleshooting information. I appreciate the acknowledgment regarding the possibility that the intermittent packet loss and latency spikes may be related to the ongoing maintenance and upgrade work in the area.

Since my original post, an Xfinity technician has already come out and replaced the coax cable running to the modem. After the replacement, my download speeds increased significantly (now seeing ~1.5 Gbps), which suggests there may indeed have been some signal improvement. However, the intermittent packet loss and latency spikes are still occurring, especially during real-time applications such as gaming, Discord voice calls, and livestreaming.

What makes the issue especially noticeable is that the interruptions are bursty/intermittent rather than constant slow speeds. During these moments:

Games freeze/rubberband
Discord audio cuts out
Streams buffer briefly
PingPlotter continues to show packet loss spikes

The issue also affects multiple devices/users in the household, not just a single PC.

If the packet loss continues after maintenance is finalized, I would definitely appreciate a deeper investigation into:

signal quality
node health
upstream stability
packet loss history
neighborhood node congestion
upstream instability
RF noise/ingress
maintenance-related instability
CMTS/node balancing issues
or any potential infrastructure-related issues in the area.

Thank you again for the continued assistance.

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4 days ago

0

XfinityRoberto

Official Employee

•

2.3K Messages

You're welcome. If the issue still persist after any work is done in the area, reach out back to us and we are happy to do some more digging.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer. tick

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4 days ago

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user_h9ng20

Visitor

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4 Messages

Hi, I wanted to follow back up since it is now the 27th and the issue is unfortunately still occurring even after the maintenance window and technician visit.

The intermittent packet loss and latency spikes are still happening across multiple devices in the household.

At this point, I’m respectfully requesting that someone take a deeper look at the network/line over the next several hours rather than just checking for basic connectivity or speed levels. The issue is intermittent and bursty, so short tests may not catch it immediately. I have continued monitoring through PingPlotter and in-game telemetry, and packet loss spikes are still being observed.

Would it be possible to have someone review:

node health
upstream stability
packet loss history
signal quality over time
or any ongoing instability affecting the area?

I appreciate the help so far, but the issue is still heavily impacting online gaming, Discord, streaming, and other real-time services despite otherwise strong speed test results.

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4 days ago

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XfinityRoberto

Official Employee

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2.3K Messages

@user_h9ng20, lets take a look at this for you. Please send us a direct chat message with your full name and complete service address to “Xfinity Support”. To do so, click on the chat icon located at the top right of this forums page.
Here's the detailed steps to direct message us:
• Click "Sign In" if necessary
• Click the "Direct Message” icon (upper right corner of this page)
• Click the "New message" (pencil and paper) icon
• Type "Xfinity Support" in the to line and select "Xfinity Support" from the drop-down list
• Type your message in the text area near the bottom of the window
• Press Enter to send your message

Let me know if you have any questions.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer. tick

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4 days ago

0

KGQVkgqv

New Poster

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3 Messages

Living in Bay Area, this seems exactly what happened to me after the maintenance on 5/8. Experience with Discord, Google Meet and video games has been degraded so much. Investigated with Wireshark and traceroute, suggests no issue with my home setup. Hope this can be solve, please let me know what information I can provide to help fixing the problem. Thanks!

Your Home Network

user_h9ng20

Packet Loss issues

XfinityDilary

user_h9ng20

XfinityRoberto

user_h9ng20

XfinityRoberto

KGQVkgqv

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