So this is, for me, a 'normal' nettest result:

Today I'm getting:

Since the most recent patch I've been getting these consistently horrible results and accompanying dreadful lag in any map containing more then 2 players (I pvp).
Has there been any server side modifications recently that might have caused this, or is this something on my end that I need to sort out?

Any help or tips would be appreciated, the game is really unplayable for me with lag right now

My tracert is pretty normal too, but for the recdord, here is todays tracert:

Any handy internet tricks I can apply to resolve the issue?

Your 'normal' net-test results are too low to to be considered 'Broad-band' with the recommended values in the 300 - 500 range for the first and third columns, while yours can't even break 75....

Are by chance are you using a wireless router (which sacrifices Bandwidth for wireless convenience), and if you are, have you tried a direct wireless connection to the router?

the nettest server is not a game server so unaffected by game patches
your ports 80 and 443 are also very low which normally are not affected by the game but something either with your system rter or ISP . Those ports are checked as reference ports.

to elimnate cryptic servers you can do a port test using a web based site.

http://www.firebind.com/col.php

Yeah, my internet is very slow and of poor quality, but usually I can play away with a managable ammount of lag/disconnections. I didn't realise I was that far behind normal broadband, lol. the only thing I realised was how much lower my current numbers are compared to my 'normal'.

I am using a wirleess router, but I am plugged into the back of it with an ethernet cable, if that helps?

That other test:
I guess that probably means there is a problem with my router/firewall or something?
What is port opening/forwarding? Might that help?

Were is you router setup? Your modem? A lot of these slow down issues are caused by both or one of them overheating. Most routers nowadays sacrifice cooling for design. If you have a modem or router that has the vents on the bottom. And have less than 2 inches of air room. Unplug them let them cool for a day. And prop them up on legs. or slant them. I ran into this issue a while back. When my router was cooking itself. The net would randomly die, slowdown, and even blue screen my PC.

I tried propping my router up to improve the airflow and have seen no improvement over that last few days.

If this is a problem with m y ISP what can I say when I call them up? What do the numbers in my nettest represent? Bandwidth? Speed? I need something to go on here when I try and sort this out.

My nettest columns have been consistently in the 5-15 range for this last few days, while my speed on any speedtest that I perform is running fairly normal.

This is what is confusing me. My online speed tests says normal, yet I have horrendous lag in game and the nettest comes up saying that whatever it measures is going at 1/4 of normal.

What the heck is up? Is it my problem? Is it cryptics problem? Is it my ISP? Is there anything I can do to help? (I see 'Port' in the nettest, would opening ports or something help at all?) Could my ISP be throttling my bandwidth, and would that be showing up in speedtest results?

Please help, the game is utterly unplayable

The ports the game uses is 7000-7500 . Speedtest would not detest prot throddling and besides most ISP set up thier management softerware to improve the results of speedtests to get better results they can market.
on the nettest that atari posted when they had STO support.
Solution #3351 on the Atari support site!

Network Troubleshooting with NetTest

You can measure your connection to Cryptic games by using our Network Test Application - Nettest.exe

Nettest measures your ability to connect to and receive data from our servers. It can be used to identify network related issues caused by network hardware, ISPs (Internet Service Providers), or network infrastructure that exists between your system and our servers.

Network issues, such as disconnections, lag, and rubberbanding are often caused by the factors above, so using Nettest is a great way to identify these issues. I hope this might help a bit!

Note: This program is for advanced users with a basic knowledge of PC Networking

Instructions:

1. Download the tool by clicking this link and save it to your desktop
2. Double click the file and let the program run
3. If any of the numbers in the second column come back as less than 250 KB/sec, then a network issue has been identified

What do the columns represent?

* Port - The port that is being tested. Commonly, ISPs and Network hardware/software filter traffic by port, so testing traffic across different ports is crucial.
* First Column - "Actual RX RATE" - This is how much data the nettest tool was able to receive from our servers per second
* Second Column - "NIC TX RATE" - This is how much the network card was sending per second
* Third Column - "NIC RX RATE" - This is how much the network card was receiving per second
* Fourth Column - "IDLE TX" - This is how much the other data was being sent while the test was running
* Fifth Column - "IDLE RX" - This is how much the other data was being recieved while the test was running
* Sixth Column - "TEST PACKETS" - This is how many test packets were sent/received. This column should always show 500, if it does not, there is a network problem.

Link to the support page: http://www.atari.com/support/startrekonline

Link to Nettest.exe: http://files.champions-online.com/nettest.exe