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Need help isolating packet loss
I have an Orbi RBK50 with 2 satellites connected via ethernet backhaul and 300 mbps internet connection. I have an HDHomerun Connect Quatro attached to the router via ethernet. The HD box is used to stream OTA to my Amazon Gen 2 Firesticks and it also feeds Emby. I am experiencing dropped TV streams from the HD box. I logged the problem with Silicon Dust, they ran diagnotisics on the logs, and the dropped streams are due to packet loss.I am experiencing the loss on both wired and wireless Amazon sticks.
I need some help isolating the cause of the packet loss. I am not a network expert. I understand the basics, but my knowledge is not very deep. To isolate and replicate the problem, I have had the diagnostics run on a wired AFTV stick and HD box that are both connected directly to the router via ethernet and I am watching TV via the HD app on AFTV. Just to confirm, no switch between the AFTV and HD box. Packet loss is confirmed and has been replicated with this configuration. Having said that, I cannot "control" when the packet loss occurs. When I experience a dropped signal, I send the log to SD and they review and confirm the problem (always dropped packets).
I have swapped ethernet cables, so that is ruled out. I have run a 200 ping test to the AFTV and HDHomerun. I only experience packet loss against the HDHomerun box. How can I confirm if the packet loss is due to my router or the HD box? My Orbi FW is 2.1.4.10
As mentioned, I have logged the issue with SD and have also been on the Emby forum since HD is the primary tuner used by them and Plex. The issues I am experiencing with the HD box are not common, which leads me to believe it is FW related. The version of FW i have does not have the ability to enable QoS. All I have is Speedtest under QoS option. I believe HD uses the UDP protocol.
I am only experiencing streaming problems with HD. All of my other streaming services (Sony Vue, Netflix, HBO, etx) operate flawlessly.
Overall traffic on my network is relatively light. There are only two people in my household and it is rare to have two TV's streaming concurrently. Usually one TV with a smartphone and / or tablet going at the same time. My internet is fed to a cable modem (it is not a router) and connected to my Orbi via ethernet.
Any suggestions to help me isolate the root of the problem would be appreciated.
10 Replies
To isolate the problem you need to think about how things are physically connected. If the HDHomerun is streaming over-the-air (OTA) material, then the Internet should not be involved. This would imply your router is not routing the packets from the WAN to LAN interface, so the router should not be involved. Also, if you are streaming between the HDHomerun box and a wired device, with both devices connected to the LAN ports on Orbi, then the Orbi router is also not involved--the devices would be communicating directly over the switch fabric. If you see packet loss in that situation, then the problem is with your devices, or you have a defective switch.
If you are going from the Orbi router to an Orbi satellite, then it's more complex, so don't start with that.
If you can, start your testing with the HDHomerun and the playback device connected using a third-party switch between them. Then try with two wired devices connected to the LAN ports on the Orbi router.
This is helpful. Let me add a bit more clarity to my current configuration and then explain the test I ran this evening.
The Hd Homerun is streaming OTA material from my antenna. (Rg6 cable from antenna feeds into back of HD box). It does not have wifi capabilty. It must be connected to the network via Ethernet and obtain an IP address. You are correct, in theory, it should not require WAN, and only operates over LAN. It is currently connected to a LAN port of the router as is the AFTV stick. HD makes an app for the AFTV that is used to stream channels from the Hd Homerun box. Once connected to my network, I can watch OTA on any number of Tv's. All I need is the HD app on the streaming device. My plans are to eventually use Emby to take advantage of the DVR and electronic TV guide, but that is on hold until I get a stable environment. This current configuration as described is losing packets.
Based on your advice, I have an older d-link unmanaged switch. I connected the AFTV to it along with the HD box. In order for the AFTV stick to work in Ethernet mode, I had to connect a WAN feed to the switch to initiate the stream. Once the AFTV initialized and I could start the HD app, I unplugged the WAN. In short, I have the HD box and AFTV connected to a d-link unmanaged switch with no other devices or WAN. It is as though the HD box Ethernet is connected directly to the Aftv. It has been playing for 3 hours without a hiccup. I have never been able to get 3 hours of uninterrupted viewing. I plan to start it again tomorrow morning and let it run all day to confirm there are no issues. Assuming it can go all day, I think it is safe to say my packet losses are not related to the HD box or the AFTV stick. Would you agree?
So ruling out those devices, I am back to the Orbi router. How should I test to confirm or deny that it is causing my packet loss? Thanks so much for the help.
How exactly did you plug a WAN feed into the d-link switch?
Now try it again, but leave the WAN plugged into your d-link switch.
I would turn OFF the HD box and firesticks and test alone the system with out.
Does this HD box have it's own wireless broadcast? if so, this could be a source of interference since the Orbi already has wifi running.
Any external Gb switches in the mix? If so, what is the mfr and model of this switch? Managed or NON managed?
