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Forum Discussion
Device Link Rate on Nighthawk app
Hi,
I just added a new hi-res streamer to my wifi network and am trying to understand what I'm seeing on the Nighthawk app. I see the streamer connected to the wifi network in the Device Manager. It is not set up yet with any music source so it is not streaming yet, and its Link Rate shows as 24 Mbps. I have 2 other streamers on the network which I have been using for years, a BlueSound Node 2 which shows varying Link Rates of 52-65 Mbps, and a Squeezebox which shows varying Link Rates of 52-54 Mbps. Neither one of them was actively streaming during those readings. What is the meaning of these Link Rates and what affects their values? Can I control them and if so how?
(I would expect the new streamer to require and be able to run at a Link Rate that's at least as high as the old ones.)
Thanks for any insights.
4 Replies
Link rate is just that. The link speed between the router and the device.
You didn't put what "hi-res streamer" you had. Or how far away from the router it is. or what the interior walls of your home are made from.
the further from the router and the materials in the way, the lower the link rate will be.
The streamner is a Magna Mano Ultra MkII. I have moved it around from 3 ft in the direct line of site from the router to about 12 ft away with 2 walls in between and it seems to make no difference. When I check on it periodically with the Nighthawk app I get readings of anywhere from 24 to 75 Mbps which I don't understand. That's why I posted the question.
Is the Link Rate shown by Nighthawk a snapshot of the instantaneous one at the moment Nighthawk is made to show it (since it does not change while it is shown, but it changes between different Nighthawk "sessions")? Is it the "allocated" rate by the router to the streamer or the actual rate used by the streamer at that snapshot?
And what is making it change? The streamer's own "load"? Traffic on other devices on the network?
How can I protect/maximize the available Link Rate?
Since Nighthawk is displaying information I want to be clear what it really means.
Thanks!
Link rate will vary based on interference from other signals.
You'll also see it change between sessions as thats when it loads.
