[TriLUG] OT: Relationship between Internet Speed and Video Latency

[Ron Kelley via TriLUG]

Sounds like you have done a good bit of troubleshooting.  Here are my suggestions:

* Does your laptop/desktop have enough horsepower to drive the hangouts app?

* Plug your laptop/desktop directly into your TWC modem (bypass everything on your network).  Does this improve the situation?

* Do the same issues happen if you use a different tool instead of hangouts (Skype, etc)?  Could be a Google issue.

* Do you notice a difference during the day vs night?  Could be a problem with many other full-time remote workers in your neighborhood.

* Can you visit a neighbor’s house to see if you have the same problem?  Could be something from the curb to your house.


In the end, it is all about eliminating everything you can control.  Also, don’t forget to replace *everything* you can when testing (different cables, different PC, etc).  It is easy to forget using the same cable to do your testing can be the issue.


Hope these tips help.



> On Apr 28, 2017, at 4:38 PM, Scott Chilcote via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello luggers,
> 
> We have an ongoing issue with receiving video over our internet
> connection.  It hasn't improved much, despite several changes and
> upgrades.  I'm hoping some of the more networking savvy members will
> share some insights.
> 
> By most yardsticks we have fairly decent cable broadband.  The service
> is 25X2. Recent online speed tests show above 40Mbps down, around 8
> going up. 
> 
> However, it's very rare that we are able to stream video without it
> being hitchy and lossy.  It's been that way for years.
> 
> I know that there are a beaucoup of contributing factors when it comes
> to getting video data from somewhere in the great cloud to a screen in
> one's house, but we've done our best to mitigate them. Changes made over
> the last couple of years include upgrading the entire path to our
> systems that display video to wired gigabit ethernet, including the
> firewall router, cat 6 cable, and network switches.  We also got TWCBC
> to replace the overheating refurb modem they originally dropped off with
> a new Arris DG1670.  I'm not saying that this was zero help, but not as
> much as hoped.  15-25% improvement is my guess. 
> 
> My biggest peeve is Google Hangouts, which my employer uses frequently
> for virtual staff meetings. 
> 
> It seriously does not help one's image to be the fellow at the meeting
> who stares back blankly after being asked a question, because the video
> came to a stop or started stuttering after the first syllable.  Or to
> get the first 1/3 of a set of instructions that two other people heard
> fine.  I've searched for help online many times, and tried several
> potential solutions. 
> 
> The only thing that helped so far is to pull the tab showing the video
> out of the browser window and to make it very small.  This reduces the
> amount of streamed data.  It provides a mild improvement, but not enough.
> 
> We also "cut the cord" and use video streaming for our modest TV needs. 
> We use amazon prime, and occasionally rent a package from a TV
> provider.  This often works better than Google Hangouts.  There have
> still been many programs where the streaming was too poor to make it
> worth the trouble.
> 
> We're not a high demand household.  When I'm working during the day I'm
> our only broadband user.  We don't have any devices that perform large
> downloads automatically.  I review our usage on the broadband router's
> logs, and it's typically very light. From what I've read, 25X5 should be
> plenty to support a single video stream - more likely two or three. 
> 
> I can't wait until Google Fiber shows up in our neighborhood, but
> they're keeping that a secret. 
> 
> Anyone have ideas regarding what might help?
> 
> Thanks as always,
> 
>   Scott C.
> 
> -- 
> Scott Chilcote
> scottchilcote at ncrrbiz.com
> Cary, NC USA
> 
> -- 
> This message was sent to: Ron Kelley <rkelleyrtp at gmail.com>
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