Tips for streaming on LAN with slow connection

[benbour 12]

Hey there.

 

I have a Kodi box out in my workshop that gets a slower LAN connection because it's connected to a WiFi range extender that's plugged in outside my house. It direct plays but I can't really watch any content from my emby library on it. I'll get constant buffering and it can only play for a few seconds before freezing up. I am able to steam online content though. My guess is that the direct play requires more bandwidth than what's available. I've tried changing the speed within the emby addon but it doesn't have any affect.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for this particular Kodi box? All others inside the house not on the range extender work fine.

 

Thanks.

 

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[Guest asrequested]

Does your kodi box have AC bandwidth? Or is this due to signal degradation? You could try using an AP instead of an extender. That would improve your signal.

[Jdiesel 1431]

Hey there.

 

I have a Kodi box out in my workshop that gets a slower LAN connection because it's connected to a WiFi range extender that's plugged in outside my house. It direct plays but I can't really watch any content from my emby library on it. I'll get constant buffering and it can only play for a few seconds before freezing up. I am able to steam online content though. My guess is that the direct play requires more bandwidth than what's available. I've tried changing the speed within the emby addon but it doesn't have any affect.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for this particular Kodi box? All others inside the house not on the range extender work fine.

 

Thanks.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Which Emby addon are you using? Emby for Kodi or EmbyCon? There should be quality settings in the settings for both addons although they are named slightly different.

[benbour 12]

Emby for Kodi...I have tried adjusting quality and have put it on the lowest HD setting but I think since it's using direct play, it ignored this setting...should I force this particular Kodi to transcode?

 

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[mastrmind11 722]

Do do you have a coax jack in your workshop?  If so, I highly recommend a MoCA adapter on each end.  If you spend enough time out there to warrant a tv that can stream, it's well worth the $$.

[Swynol 375]

if you want to spend money then look at ubiquiti air fibre. You can beam the signal from your house to the workshop. This will give you amazing speeds but alot of money. the range is something like 10km...

 

There's usually an option to lower the bitrate in the apps, never used the Kodi one so not sure where it is. Lowering the bitrate will probably cause the file to transcode to a lower quality but it shouldnt buffer then.

[BAlGaInTl 288]

Do do you have a coax jack in your workshop?  If so, I highly recommend a MoCA adapter on each end.  If you spend enough time out there to warrant a tv that can stream, it's well worth the $$.

 

If you are only going to do one, you could also consider the cheap DECA adapters that convert coax to Ethernet used by DirectTV.  I think you can get a pair of them for pennies.  I paid less than $10 for a pair.

 

I did this for a while on my home network and it worked great.  Much better than the powerline I was using before that.

[benbour 12]

Thanks for all the suggestions...I do have coax ran in there so I may have to try the DECA adapters...since I moved my office (and router) I've noticed the connection issues. The router is actually physically closer to the workshop than it was before, but there's probably some interference now. It's only about 50 ft from my house. The router is an Asus rt-n56u on asuswrt firmware. I have a range extender connected wirelessly to it, and that's plugged in outside at the side of the house with a direct line of site to workshop. The extender is a tplink n300. I'm connected to 2.4 range out there.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[mastrmind11 722]

Thanks for all the suggestions...I do have coax ran in there so I may have to try the DECA adapters...since I moved my office (and router) I've noticed the connection issues. The router is actually physically closer to the workshop than it was before, but there's probably some interference now. It's only about 50 ft from my house. The router is an Asus rt-n56u on asuswrt firmware. I have a range extender connected wirelessly to it, and that's plugged in outside at the side of the house with a direct line of site to workshop. The extender is a tplink n300. I'm connected to 2.4 range out there.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Range extenders suck, period.  Hard wire it w/ MoCA or DECA and you'll be solid.  Good luck.

[JeremyFr79 228]

Surprised noone has mentioned Ethernet over power adapters, I used those once to get network out to a detached garage, had no problem with having 3 3MP security cameras running 24/7 over the connection.  Would support an Emby client no problem and can be had for around 50-70 bux.

[zigzagtshirt 55]

Coax ---> moca---> switch ---> kodi box

                                          ----> Unifi AC Lite (to give yourself some Wifi in there)

[Guest asrequested]

I say chuck one of these on the side of your house and never worry about it again.

 

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lr/

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015PRCBBI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502223888&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=unifi+ac+lr

[mastrmind11 722]

Indeed, Unifi is so good.  I've got a single AC-LR in my attic that replaced 3 consumer grade routers.  I get wifi in my basement 3 floors down.  But, no wifi will ever beat a hard wired setup.  I like @@zigzagtshirt's idea... best of both worlds.

Edited August 9, 2017 by mastrmind11

[BAlGaInTl 288]

I was considering a Unifi setup...

 

I picked up 3 x OnHub Routers cheap and set them up as a mesh.  I now get great coverage around my house.  I miss some of the advanced routing features, but it's dead simple to manage.  It was a pain to get set up initially because you have to force updates before you can turn them in to a mesh, and Google WiFi complains about using an OnHub as a mesh point.  Once it's running though, the coverage and handoff between hubs is excellent.  I used to have multiple access points in my home and it was a PITA.

[benbour 12]

Holy Smokes the wheels have been turning now LOL. I happen to be a sysadmin and found some APs we are not using (Meraki MR16). Since these are APs only and cannot really do any routing (connecting to my isp, advanced dhcp, openvpn, etc) I was thinking of simply disabling the wireless capability of the router and letting the meraki AP do that for me. I have 3 spares so if it works the way I'm hoping, I can setup a mesh and ensure dead spots are covered.

[benbour 12]

quick follow up here. I know this post has gotten off topic in regards to Emby specifically, but it's a great topic nonetheless. I've went ahead and ordered a Ubiquiti router which looks awesome.

 

I'll use its PoE to run an access point outside and I'll be good to go. This company has it right with an excellent product lineup, thanks everyone for the recommendations!

Edited August 11, 2017 by benbour