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Author Topic: Netflix on low-speed link  (Read 1557 times)

Weaver

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Netflix on low-speed link
« on: September 26, 2016, 12:43:15 AM »

This year I've started having a few reliability problems with Netflix on a 6.5 - 7.0 Mbps d/s pipe (measured true download throughout, presumed TCP payload, using various speedtesters). Res going crappy occasionally.

This could be to do with Mrs Weaver going nuts on the Internet at the same time of course, or machines doing their own thing and generating extra inbound traffic when they feel like it. I can of course compare the reliability or do speed tests when there are no other humans on the network in the middle of the night say, and hope boxes are being nice and quiet too.

If it isn't Mrs Weaver or naughty tin boxes doing there own thing, the question is whether unreliability of packet reordering (since I have a three-line combined pipe) is upsetting Netflix.

My question: Does anyone else use Netflix on a slow pipe? How much bandwidth do you really need?
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Weaver

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Re: Netflix on low-speed link
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2016, 12:45:18 AM »

It looks like 6 Mbps downstream on my iPad, from the evidence of ISP logs.

It could be there's no QoS prioritisation in use by Netflix? Would need to capture some traffic. If there is, my router doesn't speak QoS unfortunately. (Apart from prioritising small packets assuming they are VoIP or ACKs, which isn't going to be remotely relevant here of course.) However, maybe other routers in the chain, in much more important locations, do support relevant QoS.

I just wish Netflix would offer flat-out downloads (presumably TCP), like Amazon. Amazon is far better.
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Chunkers

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Re: Netflix on low-speed link
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2016, 07:40:50 AM »

We use Netflix and Amazon video in our house along with the kids using a lot of Youtube and video streaming.  Until recently we had a 10 Mbps down connection and we were always bumping into our own capacity related issues due to the number of users in the house so in general its hard to tell but I would say Netflix fared slightly less well than Amazon - I would see the fuzzies and very occasionally get a buffering delay.

At night when there were no users online apart from me and the wife both services were OK, but as we are using chrome I recently found this article suggesting we were only watching in 720p ....

C
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Weaver

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  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: Netflix on low-speed link
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2016, 08:32:55 AM »

I'm watching Netflix on an iPad only, using the Netflix app, not a web browser. I've no idea what res I'm getting. (I wonder if there are any settings relating to res, quality or bandwidth in the app now I come to think about it.)
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