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Forum Discussion
Video call jitters / latency
My config Cable modem Router RBR750 / 4.6.14.3 2x Satellites, both RBS750 / 4.6.9.11 Cat5 backhaul WMM enabled for both bands CTS/RTS 64 for both bands Distance of iMac from satellite â 7m Co...
Since the Macbook that is 3 meters from a satellite suffers only when using WiFi, my sense is that the router-satellite backhaul links are not relevant. "It's the WiFi." (Concrete walls indeed present horrible problems for WiFi, but this Macbook is not affected by concrete walls.)
So what could affect Facetime performance over WiFi?
- Perhaps the WiFi channel is heavily congested by too many neighbor WiFi systems?
- Perhaps RTS/CTS is slowing performance?
This article complains about Apple devices and RTS/CTS:
https://www.sniffwifi.com/2014/05/why-are-you-slowing-down-my-wifi-apple.html
There have been interesting discussions* on the forum regarding RTS/CTS
The original Orbi (RBR50) shipped with RTS/CTS set to 2347, and has remained at this default setting through every firmware update to the present. With AX systems, Netgear changed the default RTS/CTS to 64. (I have no personal knowledge as to whether the initial AX firmware defaulted to 64 or Netgear changed the default to 64 in a firmware update.)
*Internet searches also reveal a lack of consensus as to the "correct" or most appropriate value for RTS/CTS.
Apple recommends WiFi settings for home routers, but does not mention RTS/CTS:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT202068
Can you try changing the RTS/CTS setting from 64 to a higher number? (I would start at 2347)
It would be delightful if you could also change the RTS/CTS setting on the Macbook, but I have yet to find a setting for that. (Intel adapters have a setting called "Mixed mode protection that turns RTS/CTS on or off. I could swear that one of my laptops had a method to set the actual value specifically. - sucks getting old.)
p.s. Regardless of how one reads all those articles about RTS/CTS, it certainly should do no harm to experiment.
Thanks CrimpOn.
Scanning the wi-fi congestion with Apple's Wireless Diagnostics shows it to be reasonably but not overly busy. Thirty two SSIDs, so far from the busiest I've seen.
The scan suggests channels 11 and 161 for 2.5GHz and 5GHz respectively, but of course the Orbi never gives the option of the 100+ range. I believe these higher channels may be reserved for its wireless backhaul communication even though my backhaul is wired. It's a shame they aren't made available when backhaul is wired.
I have no experience of twiddling with RTS/CTS, and it appears from what you say that it's far from a science! That does seem very weird. One would expect quite the opposite from technology vendors given the expected precision of 'the digital', but c'est la vie.
A quick web search appears to confirm your assertion that RTS/CTS is not configurable on Apple devices. So that leaves the option of trying different numbers in the Orbi configuration.
But really? I can't believe it! I have a Macbook two metres from an Orbi satellite with cat6 backhaul, and while Waveform awards both the satellite and router an A grade in its bufferbloat analysis when I have a wired connection to them, the only way to get higher than a C grade with a wireless connection is to 'play around' with some numbers that appear, solely from your description, to leave Netgear itself somewhat confused! There is surely something else going on? Some other configuration problem?
Just for completeness, I will experiment with 2347 and report back. Thanks again.
I've been away for a few days, so only just had time now to test RTS/CTS set to 2347.
And Waveform's conclusion ...
đ„...
a C grade (for the Macbook wirelessly connected to a satellite two metres away with cat6 backhaul).
https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=94d9bae2-a41b-4595-baf3-babf65d64933
So it would look to me as if RTS/CTS isn't the thing we need to be tweaking here.
Bummer about RTS/CTS. Thanks for experimenting.
Are streaming applications besides Facetime affected the same way?
How is Facetime being tested?
(between devices connected to the home system, or by connecting to a remote device?)
Facetime.
Zoom.
Signal video.
All of them are jittery / laggy.
Not to the point where you can't use them, but to the point that you don't want to be on the call for long.
While both computer-satellite pairs get a Waveform C grade, the experience on the Macbook-2metre-cat6satellite is better than the iMac-concretewall-cat5satellite, as one might expect.
To your question about how we're testing / using the video apps, it's always with a remote computer.
In the hope of still achieving some improvement with RTS/CTS, I've just put it down to 256 rather than back all the way down to 64. No idea, but at this juncture I'll try anything!