Fix Virgin Media bad ping & high latency issues
- Virgin Media is a British telecom provider that also facilitates Internet connections to a wide range of areas in the UK. However, many customers report Virgin Media bad ping issues.
- To fix ping spikes with Virgin Media, you should run regular ping tests, identify the cause of the problem, and try our easy 11 solutions below.
- Join our Virgin Media Troubleshooting Hub to fix other ISP-related issues.
- Discover more Internet & Network Solutions to improve your connection.
Virgin Media is a British telcom company that provides telephone, television, and Internet services in the UK. Unfortunately, many customers report Virgin Media bad ping, which interferes with their Internet-related activities. For example, ping spikes can be fatal for gamers and streamers.
However, we’re here to help you identify and fix ping spikes on Virgin Media networks. Let’s get started.
How to improve ping on Virgin Media?
Switch to a different device
The cause of your Virgin Media bad ping might not be on the ISP’s side but on yours. A faulty device is usually the problem, and the best way to test this theory is by temporarily switching to a different device to check your ping.
If you have multiple household devices, try using another laptop, desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Then you can run a speed tester (more on this later).
Update your router’s firmware
Your router might be the cause of ping spikes on Virgin Media, but it might be a hardware-related issue. Just like a computer, a router has an operating system that you can use to control its settings.
As such, consider updating your router firmware to make sure it’s equipped with the latest technologies, options, configuration settings, and security patches.
Remove any powerline network adapters
A powerline adapter is a great solution for home networks since it can forward data packets to your household devices using your existing electrical wiring and power sockets.
You can use it to connect a device with an Ethernet socket but without having to install in-wall Ethernet cables. However, if the powerline devices are too far apart, this can hamper your Internet speed. To check if it’s is the cause of your Virgin Media bad ping, simply remove your powerline adapter and run a speed test again.
Switch from Wi-Fi to wired mode
If your wireless network connection is at fault, you can easily test this by switching to wired mode. Just plug an Ethernet cable into the device that you typically use over Wi-Fi.
If your Internet connection is faster over Ethernet, it’s time to look into solutions to fix Wi-Fi issues. For example, too many devices might be connected to the Wi-Fi and hampering the network with resource-consuming tasks, like 5 people trying to watch different shows on Netflix at the same time.
Set the Virgin Media Hub from router to modem mode
- Connect your device to Hub 3 using Wi-Fi or wired mode.
- Use a web browser to visit 192.168.0.1 and log into the Hub 3 admin panel.
- Set the Hub 3 password (the default key is written down on the bottom of the Hub 3).
- Go to Modem Mode, select Enable Modem Mode, and Apply changes.
NOTE: In modem mode, your IP address changes from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.100.1.
Upgrade to a Gigabit connection
Many Virgin Media bad ping issues can be resolved by upgrading to a 1Gbps connection. It’s an ideal solution for gaming, streaming, torrenting, VoIP, and for people who work from home.
According to its website, Virgin Media can currently install Gigabit connections in several towns from Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Reading, and Southampton.
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Update your drivers
You would be surprised by the number of scenarios when a simple update of your device drivers can fix computer-related issues. And attempting to fix ping spikes with Virgin Media makes no exception.
Make sure to update your Windows drivers, especially the network drivers. You can do this manually or automatically by resorting to driver update software.
Flush DNS and reset Winsock
- Run CMD as admin.
- Type the following lines (press Enter between each line).
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
NETSH winsock reset catalog
NETSH int ipv4 reset reset.log
NETSH int ipv6 reset reset.log
exit
- Restart your computer.
Set custom DNS servers
By default, Virgin Media is in charge of your DNS requests. That means that your requests get automatically processed by your ISP. However, if their DNS servers are faulty, it can take a long time to finish processing.
In turn, this translates to slow Internet speed, such as a webpage that takes too long to load. Although it’s an ISP issue, you can control it by configuring DNS settings to set custom DNS servers.
We suggest using the following free and secure DNS servers:
- Google Public DNS
- 8.8.8.8 preferred (IPv4)
- 8.8.4.4 alternate (IPv4)
- 2001:4860:4860::8888 preferred (IPv6)
- 2001:4860:4860::8844 alternate (IPv6)
- Cloudflare
- 1.1.1.1 preferred (IPv4)
- 1.0.0.1 alternate (IPv4)
- 2606:4700:4700::1111 preferred (IPv6)
- 2606:4700:4700::1001 alternate (IPv6)
- OpenDNS
- 208.67.222.222 preferred (IPv4)
- 208.67.220.220 alternate (IPv4)
- 2620:119:35::35 preferred (IPv6)
- 2620:119:53::53 alternate (IPv6)
Use a VPN
- Download Private Internet Access (PIA).
- Set up PIA on your device.
- In the PIA main window, click VPN Server, and select Choose automatically.
- Press the big power button to connect to the nearest VPN server.
Made by Kape Technologies, PIA is a virtual private network solution that can help fix Virgin Media bad ping issues if we’re talking about a server-side problem. By connecting to a VPN server, you hide your IP address, encrypt your traffic, and bypass the ISP servers.
Therefore, Virgin Media is no longer in charge of forwarding your data, so you shouldn’t have to worry about Internet slowdowns anymore.
However, you have to rule out all other causes of ping issues, so make sure it’s not a local problem with your device, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet. Otherwise, you can end up doing more damage.
Private Internet Access
Quickly fix Virgin Media ping spikes by rerouting your Internet traffic through the VPN servers of PIA.
If you’re a gamer dealing with Virgin Media bad ping, check out:
Contact Virgin Media customer service
Finally, if you can’t fix your Virgin Media bad ping problems no matter what solution you try, not even when attempting to fix Ethernet problems, get in touch with the company’s customer service. They should send a field technician to diagnose your Internet-related issues and fix them.
How to check ping on Virgin Media?
- Test your Wi-Fi speed using Virgin Media’s speed tester.
- Run a broadband speed test using ThinkBroadband.
- Use pathping to test your network connection for ping, tracert, and packet loss at the same time.
Why is my ping so high on Virgin Media?
- A local issue with your: device, Wi-Fi or router, Ethernet cables, home telephone wiring, Virgin Media Hub, DNS settings, jitter.
- A server issue caused by Virgin Media: network congestion, traffic management, ISP routing, packet loss.
All aspects considered, you should be able to fix Virgin Media bad ping by isolating the problem, running ping tests, and trying various solutions. You can also reduce Virgin Media Hub 3.0 high ping.
What do I do if my Virgin Wi-Fi isn’t working?
If Virgin Media Wi-Fi isn’t working, check the Virgin Media service status, restart your hardware, change the Wi-Fi router channels, and so on.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, but you can prevent Virgin media from blocking IPTV.
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If your VPN isn’t working with Virgin Media, you can update or reinstall the VPN, configure router settings, or try other possible solutions.
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If Virgin Media Wi-Fi isn’t working, check the Virgin Media service status, restart your hardware, change the Wi-Fi router channels, and so on.
