Suddenly having UDP and TCP network disconnects

I have a new and very annoying problem. Suddenly three rides ago I started to have UPD and TCP network disconnects. Of course, this has been happening in my PP rides and boom I stop and the pack is gone. I have never had this ever happen. I use zwiftalizer 2.0 and never had these network issues. Noting has changed in my network or game set up. Any clue?

Intermittent wifi? It’s possible a neighbour moved something like a microwave, that’s now affecting reception

Riding with the bots will generate a lot more UDP data so if you are going to get drops due to congestion related issues, bots will do it (as will large group rides/races). Have you tried a reboot of your router, tried using ethernet rather than wireless and generally shut down surplus wireless devices (headphones, phones/tablets etc).

Zwift did make a change (see below) and this could be related however I would expect the drops to occur regardless of density of riders around you if it was this.

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I live far enough away from others that moving a microwave should not be an issue. I have tried wired and wireless connections and BTW it has also happened a few times while riding alone this morning.

I read the changes and I have a feeling that that is the problem. I do not have any idea what any of the port stuff means or how to change it. I have had drops when riding alone but not as noticeable as when you fall out of big pack.

Wired vs wireless was to be my next question- intermittent connection issues can be a bad cable.

Sounds like you are experiencing an issue with load , not firewall

What device do you use for Zwift app? That change effectively pushes data down an encrypted path so since you can ride, its unlikely the the change itself is causing the problem but as encryption adds overhead to a data stream, it could well be related. Also, if you dont play with your firewall settings or have a vpn running then the port changes will just work for you.

Things that you can easily do are:

  • explain to your ISP whats happening and you want to check network error stats before/after to help isolate where errors are occurring. Day 1 check - they should either clear all counters or note baseline counters. Note that if router is provided by them they should be able to see both sides of the router (useful)
  • hard ethernet wire your setup for a few days
  • do not use ANY bluetooth/wireless devices near your environment except essential
  • re boot ALL your devices including internet router
  • ride for a few days and if still occuring, call ISP again and compare results. If clean, its your devices and we can jump into how to check those.

FYI, network troubleshooting fro drops is difficult remotely!

As Andrew pointed out, all sorts of weird stuff can cause issues (fan’s, fridges, tv’s etc). They dont have to be new to your environment either, just moved around a bit.

It is not the cable that I used. A load issue when I am riding alone and have gigabit speed internet?

That is not nice. I am trying to solve a problem and I am just telling you what my set-up is. If I had all of the answers why would I post the problem. You have been helpful just understanding that there was an update.

Is there a chance that your network issues coincided with Zwift’s rollout of an encrypted network stream in the most recent update?
Just trying to think out side of the box. Several user apps that were using the unencrypted stream no longer work for obvious reasons but are there other local network/router/firewall spill over?

According to a Zwift software engineer the answer is no. I have my doubts about it being no.