Att computer nerds

[RICEY]

When Im bored I do a bit of online gaming, got sick of the kid watching over my shoulder so bought him a new PC so we can both play.

My PC is running XP Pro, his is running Vista Ultimate.

They are both connected to a Switch which is then connected to my ADSL modem.

Now the problem is Ill be happily playing and he will come along and boot his PC up and even simply web browsing causes my PC to lag up in the game and sometimes lose connection to the game server. Its like his PC is hogging all the bandwidth.

My question is, is there a way to limit how much bandwidth his PC uses so both PCs get an equal amount?

Its a 1.5 connection btw.

Cheers.

[adrenalin]

yea there is a program which limits overall bandwidth usage to a computer.

Im guessing he is downloading crap which is lagging the shit out of you as general browsing isnt really noticable

[RICEY]

nah hes right next to me so I know he isnt downloading

[Pav]

Yeah but some of those system tray programs running in the background might be using bandwidth and you don't even know about it. P2P programs, automatic updates, viruses etc..

[Niva]

update router firmware

[Steppo_GT]

programs that search for updates etc which are running in the backround dounload stuff without you knowing don't they?

[RICEY]

update router firmware

pcs arent plugged into router, they go into a switch which then goes into router so the router thinks its only one pc

[RICEY]

Yeah but some of those system tray programs running in the background might be using bandwidth and you don't even know about it. P2P programs, automatic updates, viruses etc..

no p2p software, updates possibly, always runs virus scans...

[kirbo]

I'd say your internet cannot cope. You need priority internets when gaming.

Some modems have a function called QoS which limits user bandwidth. Bit of google & wiki should bring you up to speed if no ones replying.

What modem are you using?

[DanWA]

Yeah 1.5 is pretty limited.

Get 8meg or 24meg.

Very few modems have QoS.

[MMM]

your internet connection seems to be shit house

i was downloading top gear today on one of mycomputers and playing a game on the net at the same time on another. Didnt have one problem, download machine running xp and mine running vista.

[varrjj_]

Ricey your internet is more than enough to handle a bit of web surfing and online gaming.

I think the issue is the Vista computer, make sure that it is compatible with the router and the switch. If it isn't compatible with the switch then there is not much you can do (except look for an update for Vista on the switch manufacturing website). Also check the router is compatible, if not update firmware or update Vista. If they simply aren't compatible there isn't much you can do.

Qos, or Quality of Service is about prioritising web traffic and by the sounds of it your router wouldn't have this functionality, and imo it's total over kill for domestic use.

Hope this helps.

[Logie]

what u playing these days ricey, aint seen u on anything since we played 2142 lol

[HANS YOLO]

When Im bored I do a bit of online gaming, got sick of the kid watching over my shoulder so bought him a new PC so we can both play.

My PC is running XP Pro, his is running Vista Ultimate.

They are both connected to a Switch which is then connected to my ADSL modem.

Now the problem is Ill be happily playing and he will come along and boot his PC up and even simply web browsing causes my PC to lag up in the game and sometimes lose connection to the game server. Its like his PC is hogging all the bandwidth.

My question is, is there a way to limit how much bandwidth his PC uses so both PCs get an equal amount?

Its a 1.5 connection btw.

Cheers.

google a program called 'Netlimiter' - can even set a quota on how much he can download and his speed :)

[esky]

pcs arent plugged into router, they go into a switch which then goes into router so the router thinks its only one pc

i think the switch might be your problem. seems an unusual setup,

for your setup shouldn't you be running modem into a router, both pcs into router on different ports. i think by using the switch and sharing a port, the computers take turns in transfering data, slowing you gaming a shit load.

i've got a pc hardwired, 3 laptops connected wireless (housemates) and the ps3 on for gaming. 1.5mb iinet connection handles it fine, all connected to a router, then to the modem

[Biante12]

if both machines can handle 1 gig networking up grade the switch to a gig switch. Vista is renown for running contious update checks. My work one was doing it constantly till i fixed the problem. removed vista and installed XP

[MMM]

if both machines can handle 1 gig networking up grade the switch to a gig switch. Vista is renown for running contious update checks. My work one was doing it constantly till i fixed the problem. removed vista and installed XP

hasnt slowed down my pc or others on my network, dont know why ppl harp on about how crap vista is. To me its a shitload better than xp

[varrjj_]

i think the switch might be your problem. seems an unusual setup,

for your setup shouldn't you be running modem into a router, both pcs into router on different ports. i think by using the switch and sharing a port, the computers take turns in transfering data, slowing you gaming a shit load.

i've got a pc hardwired, 3 laptops connected wireless (housemates) and the ps3 on for gaming. 1.5mb iinet connection handles it fine, all connected to a router, then to the modem

The setup is fine. A switch is a load balancer, so it will give 100% bandwidth if only one connection is being used, if two are being used it will give 50/50 to each.

[Tre-Cool]

i'm hope that none of you guys work in i.t.

Ricey's explanation has pretty much summed up the problem, as soon as the vista machine boots up his internet dies.

To anyone that thinks it's because he's on 1.5mb connection is a clown.

Ricey, try disabling the UPNP service on his computer it could quite possible be telling your router to do some wierd stuff. http://www.updatexp.com/upnp.html

See link above.

If all else fails, you maybe able to get downgrade rights for his machine and put it back to xp.

Biante's is about the only helpful post in the thread so far.

[Gazza]

A Managed switch will do this. a normal switch, Gig or 10/100 will not. The router/adsl modem does all the work. Upgrade your adsl router to a half decent one with Qos. I have 3 pc's on here at once, with 1.5mb connection, and i can play cs:s etc, while d/l updates for vista + while the Mrs is using the other pc for browsing n stuff. Not the best way in the world, but it works.

There are other options, but prob not viable for only 2-3 pc's. oh BTW, upgrading a switch to a gig switch is completely pointless for anything less than 5pcs.

As for Vista, 3 of my pc's run vista, and have no complaints, and we are both power users. All machines have 4gb ram though :P As for vista doing updates, i dont notice it, i know it happens, as it tells me that its happening, but i dont have any inconveniences from it.

[RICEY]

I have the switch because the modem is a single port and the switch has both PCs, my xbox 360, PS3 and Wii plugged into it. All the consoles are off when Im on the PC.

Cant get ADSL2 here..

I cant see either PC telling the router do do anyhting because they both reach the router from the switch via one cable so as far as the router is concerned its only supplying data to one connection?

[RICEY]

Modem is Netcomm NB1300

Switch is D-Link DES-1008D

[Alt_F4]

I'll just add this on top... for XP (and probably for Vista), Windows reserves 20% of bandwidth for updates etc.
Search Google will show you how to eliminate this annoyance. (search: windows bandwidth reserve)

[colt75]

if u can get adsl 1.5, i think you most probably can get adsl plus (which is 8mb).. enter ur phone number onto some iinet.net.au or something and it will tell ya, i think 8mbit could even be cheaper if its with a reputable company as ur using their dslam(hardware)..

does YOUR computer have 2 network ports - if so go from your spare port to his port, instead of switch to his port.

but definetly check what proccess are running in his background

but it could even be time to upgrade to a 4 port modem, cheap these days..

[bhappy]

you need QOS setup if your modem supports it that will be the only fix.

on the vista machine run a netstat and see what incomming and outgoing connections are made.

[varrjj_]

Ricey if you aren't very technically minded I wouldn't recommend turning uPNP off, cause more problems than it will solve. D-Link are horrible network devices, you are much better off buying a router/modem/switch all bundled into one. The newer ones are all XP and Vista compatible and it should suit your needs. Your can pick up one for around $100-200 depending on how hard core you want to go. For a decent one I would recommend Netgear, or linksys, simple and powerful.

You don't want to have to be fucking around with plug and play devices and Qos, you just want to be able to plug it all in and it works.

Edit: www.austin.net.au is your friend. Generally pretty good with price and always decent to deal with for warranty and returns.

[Clontarf[X]]

Holy shitbags thats a lot of different solutions!

Ricey, when you say your net starts getting shitty when his computer starts up, does it continue to be shitty till you unplug it/turn off his machine?

If so, I'd be running an antivirus full scan on his machine. I'd also get someone to check over his LAN settings (IP address, all that). It sounds like there is a program or setting that's fucking things up for you.

Ask him if he uses any Bit Torrent programs, as with some shit modems, running torrents can cause all sorts of dramas.

Your setup (DSL Modem -> Switch -> Computers) is completely fine.

Feel free to PM me if you are still stuck. I do this for a living (for about 5 or 6 years now :))

[Lonewolf]

replace the router with a netgear dg834G
cheap, reliable, easy to configure and they work nicely

chances are its the router thats causing issues (not the actual connection method of router to switch).
Technically wont need the switch anymore unless you have more than 4 devices, if you do, then just daisy chain the switch to the new router.

whole bunch of other things it could be, but way too hard to troubleshoot without being onsite to test.

QOS is over-rated unless both of you want to slam the connection at once.

[Mistikal]

replace the router with a netgear dg834G
cheap, reliable, easy to configure and they work nicely

+1.

Update the outdated gear (switch and router), and it should all work. I personally have a similar setup to you, except using the above Netgear router. My father does a fair bit of online gaming, and even when I'm downloading stuff, his game never slows.

See if you can get a rollback licence to switch your son's machine back to Windows XP.

andy

[1JZVL]

im just gonna say vista is evil*



*may or may not have anything to do with the problem :P

[ben351]

send your kid to bed with no dinner ... should teach him to hog your bandwidth

[RICEY]

Youre supposed to feed your kids dinner?

[ben351]

i feed kids candy ...

[RICEY]

I burn them with cigarettes till they cry then collect the tears and make them drink them.

Water bills been much lower since.

[ben351]

Water Wise ....

whats the worst thing about sleeping with 5 year olds ....

washing the blood stains out of your clown suit

[HANS YOLO]

When Im bored I do a bit of online gaming, got sick of the kid watching over my shoulder so bought him a new PC so we can both play.

My PC is running XP Pro, his is running Vista Ultimate.

They are both connected to a Switch which is then connected to my ADSL modem.

Now the problem is Ill be happily playing and he will come along and boot his PC up and even simply web browsing causes my PC to lag up in the game and sometimes lose connection to the game server. Its like his PC is hogging all the bandwidth.

My question is, is there a way to limit how much bandwidth his PC uses so both PCs get an equal amount?

Its a 1.5 connection btw.

Cheers.

Google a program called 'Netlimiter' - should help you sniff out what is hogging all your bandwidth

[Ryan1080]

I think if all fails, just get a new modem/router/switch/whatever all in one. I got a cheapie 120 dollar Dlink one with 4 ports and wireless, have four computers at home (2 XP and 2 Vistas), plus the PS3, bandwidth never gets affected...

[Biante12]

Mark

What antivirus/Internet protection software are you using on each machine. I know Optus have their own package which is supplied to them by a major brand. I have had two computers in during the last month, both running the optus software. This ended up being the cause of the problem as it is constantly (24/7) checking with the manufacturers for updates and reporting. Uninstalled the optus software, replaced it with Mcafee and problem solved.

[180SXTCY]

i also have a 1.5 meg contection and share it with my sisters pc. she connects via a wireless network however to my netgear wireless router. i can play online games whilst she surfs the net no problems.

[DTM-031]

Modem is Netcomm NB1300

Switch is D-Link DES-1008D

nb1300 is a fairly old modem also, may be worth checking if any firmware updates available. apart from that, have you checked if the connection has full bandwidth? should be able to download ~150kb/s with just your pc or just his

[kirbo]

Now I know your equipment things change a little.

It’s very likely that Vista doesn’t like your modem, this happens quite often.
Your easiest & cheapest option is to replace the modem. As for mentioned a 4port DSL modem would be suitable, as itd be an "all in one" box replacement.

The ultimate solution would be to downgrade the Vista PC to XP Pro. But this means your kid will be whinging while it gets reinstalled & may cost you more kesh than it’s worth (kid using internet). Unless you have a good mate that’s capable.


PS. I don’t know what I’m talking about because this is a forum.
PPS. Don't start fucking with firmware, services etc as you'll probably break the mainframe and cause a blackhole. Just buy a new modem ok.

[LNYMRKO]

Eeep, some bad advice in this thread haha.

I'd start by taking steps of eliminating possibilities of the cause by removing things one by one. I'd get rid of the switch/router whatever combo you are running as the more devices in the network the more points of failure it is prone to. I'd replace with all in one modem/router/switch/wireless. Connect all your PCs/gaming stations to that and laptop can use wireless if need be.

I'd also recommend downgrading to XP on the other machine.

[varrjj_]

Agree. If some of you work in I.T (as I do), a lot of us find it so fucken difficult trying to communicate with people that try and get too complicated. Why not try and come up with the simplest and cheapest solution for the customer. Spending hours trouble shooting to find out that the extremely old modem or the shitty D-Link was the problem.

[insane]

Well I think a major point has been missed here.. and that is unless I am mistaken most games still work over UDP rather than TCP, the thought being that you can direct more bandwith at it.

TCP has to send packets back and forth to acknowledge send and recieve successful, UDP just sends them and doesnt care if you get them or not. Thus you can be running forward and then all of a sudden you are somewhere else, the connection has been interrupted.

Having said that, alot of the points people have made are valid, vista does have alot of crap in it, firewalls, updates, malware protection , phistlers and whatever its like welding yourself into a roll cage for your roller skates.

If you dont know what you are doing then all this stuff is on, yes it does cause alot of traffic and not only that its trying to determine if all that activity on your network (The blast of UDP packets that your game is using) is a hacker or whatever. Not only that but your router and machine is trying to do that too.

hubs vs switches, a switch would remember what port to send a packet to, a hub would just flood the whole thing to find out where to send it everytime a request came through thus again flooding your network with useless crap... some of the cheaper networking components can definately be to blame. This then opens a new chapter, NAT. Network address translation enables your router to pickup a packet you send from an internal (private) address on your network to the internet, re-address the reply with a your live internet IP so it comes back to the router, the router then picks up this packet again and re-addresses it to your computer on the internal network. MTU also comes into a factor, again your router must change the MTU from each packet that your computer sends from 1500 (default for a computer) to 1492 (default for ADSL) everytime it comes back and forth.

So you can see where I am going here... everytime one of those little packets gets sent back and forth things are happening to it. There is also alot more that I wont bother to go into, these are just the basics.

So whats the simplest answer? If you want to be king shit on the network you need to be the router. Every computer is capable of this and logic says that your computer is going to have a better chance of processing packets than that cheap little box you brought for $50. So what does this mean? use your adsl modem for just that.. a modem. Set it to bridge mode and set your computer to dial PPPOE, then set your computer as the default gateway and have your son's connect to yours.
1. Your gonna have control and packets are gonna come directly to you
2. If you want to limit your sons speed whilst he is on, this is a much better way to do it.
3, This is an even better way to find out what else is going in/out of your network connection (i.e spyware that just sends out info about you and your goat porn thats stashed on the computer) Spyware is a huge problem, big business and all it takes is 1 click of the wrong button and ur stooged.
Everyone makes money off spyware but thats a diff story for another day.
4. The more direct your connection the less change there is for a UDP connection to be dropped cos remember if its dropped it wont send you a new one, it will just keep sending.

So yes everyone does have a point, there are alot of factors involved, but my advice from experience is.. get someone who knows what they are doing to configure the router/computers because that alone can make a huge difference. 100 things need to be checked and it only takes a couple to cause huge huge huge differences in performance.

If that all fails then borrow some hardware of someone else and see if that fixes the trick. If you do go for something new go something that can do multiple bridge ADSL vlan. The belkin standard iiNet one does it, its tops, set it in bridge mode and then both of you can each dial your own PPPOE connections, different IP addresses and therefore you arent sharing one live address. iiNet supports it but i dont think i read who you are with for your net.

Ill stress again, dont try this stuff yourself, get someone who knows what they are doing... because it opens you up to all sorts of security holes, turning off firewalls and making yourself king dick on a live address can end in tears when the naked pics of you and the king of salam and 3 goats end up on the interweb because you have been hax0red.

Do it properly

If you have any questions feel free

[Slip_]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Slip_87SX/rkellywtfio8.gif

[Ryan1080]

^^^ LOL!

[varrjj_]

hahahaha that's awesome!

[kirbo]

lol Jimbo.
Unnecessary bantering.

Ricey (Self proclaimed noob) has a simple problem. Needs quick, cheap & easy fix. No need to make it complicated.

[confuzion]

http://i29.tinypic.com/102m5n9.jpg

[insane]

judging from that response I might start a class...

HOW to use those electrical doodas around your house to download pr0n and anything else you ever wanted.

Because lets face it, who doesnt want to download a whole pr0n movie in 4.5 minutes?

[insane]

lol i love it, quick and easy fix is to buy new shit? ok new modem, go to store, buy, bring home, try to configure... get pissed off, get it to work, problem may not be fixed, ok go replace something else, more running to store, more shit more trying to configure.

vs

Hey antilag nerd, come over and help me fix my broked network.

Yeah i can definately see your point....oh wait, no i cant?

[LNYMRKO]

Joe, is that you??

[R3N]

see if you can borrow a modem/router off someone and give that a go... if it fixes your problem, go out and buy a new one. easy peasy. i may or may not have a spare one at home you can borrow to see your equipment is the cause of the problems. i'll have to check

[kirbo]

I deal with retards on the daily. If Ricey follows my advice & it doesnt fix his problem I'll do reverse nuts in my brick (something I never want to do).

[Gazza]

Because lets face it, who doesnt want to download a whole pr0n movie in 4.5 minutes?

I'd rather d/l over 2 hours off the neighbours un-secured wireless :boink:

[Ryan1080]

I'd rather d/l over 2 hours off the neighbours un-secured wireless :boink:

LOL! My friend's apartment block has like 6 unsecured wireless nets haha, I leave my laptop there sometimes for a day or two haha!

[varrjj_]

http://www.scmagazineus.com/Singapore-teen-charged-with-stealing-wireless-internet-access/article/34120/

Even if it was 2006 :(

[insane]

before wireless was the in thing, we stole internet from some dudes house through his bluetooth keyboard connection, 1km down the road. it did however require a huge ass amplifier connected to a wireless antenna pointed at his house mounted 2m off the roof of a 2 story house but still... success!

[Lonewolf]

Joe, is that you??

hahahaha.


insane: i take it you dont work in IT?
Most people that do wouldnt go to such lengths to type such a post, especially one that has to deal with end user support.

[CyberNetiC]

i thought this was a thread discussing the awesomeness of upcoming starcraft 2, :(

[varrjj_]

before wireless was the in thing, we stole internet from some dudes house through his bluetooth keyboard connection, 1km down the road. it did however require a huge ass amplifier connected to a wireless antenna pointed at his house mounted 2m off the roof of a 2 story house but still... success!

That was a joke right?

[insane]

Why would it be a joke?

and yes i once upon a time i started out in the service desk, then local support and then my own consultantcy business etc.. everything from graphic design/flash animation to unix admin/networking/server admin and the list goes on and on.. I just liked to do something different all the time.

Yeah i know your pain, the dreaded 8th OSI layer, the things that use you as their brain center for problem solving or simple logic, and then even when you point out their obvious lack of even thinking it through on their part, all you get is that "oh well that was easy" and oh you are ready to stab stab stab.

truth be told, sometimes I miss being the go to guy when someone has a problem, especially if its the hot receptionist... now I am an SAP ABAP developer/SAP security analyst so I only deal with other functional SAP people. Theres nothing quite like only getting 4-5 phone calls a week from people who actually know what they are talking about, its bliss.

Quite possibly the greatest upside, that one retard that sees you in the office and knows you are in IT, they confront you with that pending muppet doom and then with a sigh of relief like you just narrowly missed my nuts being cut off , you can utter "call the service desk" and walk off.

There is a fair bunch of antilag that work in IT, I say re-open the muppet call of all time thread...

[varrjj_]

Just curios how the internet was stolen from the computer via bluetooth? I've heard of BlueSniping, but that requires the device to not be behind any walls and stuff. So yeah, how?

[insane]

Are you serious?

What makes you think Bluetooth is secure or something???

example: http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11266

[kirbo]

Bit like MACs using the exact same remote.

[CyberNetiC]

he means the bluetooth cant actually reach that far!

[varrjj_]

^^
The amount of loss you would get in the signal, it would be unusable. So i'm curious how you manage to steal a usable internet stream over bluetooth?

[LNYMRKO]

and yes i once upon a time i started out in the service desk, then local support and then my own consultantcy business etc.. everything from graphic design/flash animation to unix admin/networking/server admin and the list goes on and on.. I just liked to do something different all the time.

No offense, but isn't that list a little broad to be covered by one company? Jack of all trades kinda thing? I know for the most part, IT companys generally only look after their own specialty area, mine for example being networking/server installs/consulting etc.

Do you have separate teams that do their own specialty?

Pretty sure we're getting off-topic here hahaha.

[insane]

if you read my original post.. antenna mounted 2m off the roof of a 2 story house... house in a high area pointing directly down into some dudes house aways away.

The big secret is just like you suspect... range and signal to noise... but its possible and you are quite right, its not like 24 megabit dsl, it was useable, free and 5 years ago when 150k down 25k up was mad leet

I bet you think that 2 mobile phones positioned correctly in a room couldnt cook an egg from their radiation either?

[insane]

haha off topic, you cant say attention nerds and then get pissed off when you get their attention

[insane]

oOooO this website must have wild claims!! 500m!!!

http://www.lesswire.com/products/net_comp/spp_module.htm

[DRKWRX]

so your saying two phones pointed at each other can cook an egg? lol like to see that haha.