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Mystery of connection speed in Netflix app in TV - with or without network switch

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Wistuplu

Regular Contributor
Dear fellow Forum members,

This might be more of a Netflix/TV topic, but I think I'll find more Netflix users here, than networking experts at e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/. Thank you for your insights.

There is a Netflix app in my smart TV. It allows testing connection speed. It consistently reports 29 to 33 Mbps when the TV is cabled to a gigabit switch. It consistently reports 89 to 90 Mbps when the TV is directly cabled to the router, bypassing the switch (THIS is consistent with my 400 Mbps internet speed and 100 Mbps Ethernet port in the TV). Many other tests show the switch and cable seem fine. But is an app supposed to be aware/sensitive to "going" through a switch ??

Plenty of details and test results below.

I'd like to understand where my reasoning/testing fails. But I can't understand this behaviour so far. (I know that in both cases, Netflix streaming will work fine https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306. And I definitely can plug it in the router and call it a day. But I like learning and understanding.)

Thank you very much in advance
Enjoy the weekend
Best regards

In a nutshell, we have:
ISP Modem (DOCSIS) -> Asus Router -> Netgear Switch -> (cable_3) -> TV

If the cable that enters the TV (cable_3) is plugged in the Switch, the Netflix app reports approx. 30 Mbps. If it's unplugged from the Switch and plugged directly in the Router, the Netflix app instantly reports approx. 90 Mbps. So maybe the Switch is ill... (Tested repeatedly, on different days, back and forth)

If cable_3 is plugged in the usual port in the switch, and the other end is disconnected from the TV and connected to a laptop instead of the TV, the laptop sees approx. 360 - 400 Mbps (not 30), so my full ISP connection speed. So, switch OK ?

I also tested the switch, and the same cable in the same switch port with iperf3. So, two laptops connected to the switch, one acting as server and one as client. Full details of the client below, for TCP and then for UDP. But I basically get the gigabit speed of the switch and laptops. So, switch and cable OK ? The maximum packet loss I got (at 400 Mbps on the "LAN" (just the switch)) was 0.011%.

The PS4 connected in the switch reports between 100 and 260 Mbps. I don't trust the speedtest of Sony anyway. But it's still way more than 30 Mbps. And also seems to show the switch is OK.

Maybe the Netflix server is the culprit ? But I always get 3 times as much as soon as I connect the TV to the router. So, the 30 Mbps is not explained by temporarily overloaded test servers at Netflix.

Maybe the Netflix app is the culprit. But is an app supposed to be aware/sensitive to being connected through a switch ??? By the way, this is now experienced with the Netflix app on the Panasonic TV, but I experienced something similar with the Netflix app in a Sony Android TV a couple of years ago.

I guess DNS might result in having you connected to different Netflix servers, but I don't see how the switch would change that. The DHCP is in the router, and doesn't change.

Your insights are very welcome. Thank you in advance. And please pardon any English oddity, from a non-native speaker.

Switch: Netgear GS308E - 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Smart Managed Plus Switch.
Tested before and after applying "Default settings".
Tested with V1.00.08EN and the newer V1.00.11EN


ISP: VOO in Belgium
Advertised connection speed: 400 Mbps. Reliable.
Primary DNS : 62.197.111.140
Secondary DNS : 109.88.203.3

Router: Asus RT-AC86U, Merlin 386.12.x (not that it matters)
DNS settings in ASUS router:
WAN DNS Setting: DNS Server: Default status : Get the DNS IP from your ISP automatically.
DNS Director: "No redirection" for the TV
Manually Assigned IP around the DHCP list for the TV (and the Netgear Switch)

Current TV:
Panasonic JZ1500E, model year 2021.
Not Android ("My Home Screen", previously known as "Firefox OS")
Ethernet port: 100 Mbps

Previous TV with similar behaviour:
SONY XE9005, also known as X900E. Model Year: 2017, Android.
Ethernet port: 100 Mbps
(NB: Completely unrelated to the topic but FYI, the Sony accepts USB adapters for networking. The Panasonic doesn't. )


iperf3 tests:

~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 52078 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr Cwnd
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 113 MBytes 945 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 112 MBytes 937 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 111 MBytes 929 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 112 MBytes 936 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 111 MBytes 934 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 112 MBytes 938 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 111 MBytes 934 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 1.09 GBytes 935 Mbits/sec 0 sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 1.09 GBytes 930 Mbits/sec receiver
iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 57753 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34516
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34537
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34531
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34514
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34548
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34532
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34525
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34527
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34521
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345294 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.007 ms 11/345286 (0.0032%) receiver

iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 37819 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34518
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34528
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34533
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34538
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34521
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34524
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34515
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34517
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345280 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.005 ms 0/345280 (0%) receiver

iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 53176 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34516
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34536
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34525
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34536
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34529
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34528
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34533
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345293 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.006 ms 37/345293 (0.011%) receiver
 
I think it might help to think about this as "my switch does not play nice with sub-1Gbps ethernet devices". That could be explained by things like poor buffering strategies. It's mostly on the switch to intermediate between your TV's 100Mbps
port speed and the router's 1000Mbps port speed, and the switch might not be doing a great job of that.

Since it's a managed switch, there might be knobs you can twiddle to try to improve matters. I'd look at options involving QoS, flow control, buffering, etc.
 
Dear fellow Forum members,

This might be more of a Netflix/TV topic, but I think I'll find more Netflix users here, than networking experts at e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/. Thank you for your insights.

There is a Netflix app in my smart TV. It allows testing connection speed. It consistently reports 29 to 33 Mbps when the TV is cabled to a gigabit switch. It consistently reports 89 to 90 Mbps when the TV is directly cabled to the router, bypassing the switch (THIS is consistent with my 400 Mbps internet speed and 100 Mbps Ethernet port in the TV). Many other tests show the switch and cable seem fine. But is an app supposed to be aware/sensitive to "going" through a switch ??



[/SPOILER]
I can't explain why your speed tests higher when directly connected to the router but the speeds you are seeing are comparable to what I'm seeing on my TV connected by an Ethernet cable to a fast Ethernet port on an endpoint switch. My backbone wired LAN is connected using Smart switches with with 1 gig ports. I use slower and older endpoint switches in media cabinets has more than a fast Ethernet port.

If I test using the network test built into the Vizio TV the test show 27.73 Mbps. If I test within the Netflix App on the smart TV it shows 26.03 Mbps. I never have any buffering even with 4K HDTV streams. To a PC with a 1 Gig Ethernet adapter I can get the 940 Mbps downloads expected most of the time. I attribute the lower speeds to the fact that the TV's processor probably can't do any more and the TV manufacturers don't install gig ports and the required more robust processor to handle the faster speeds as there is no need for it to stream online. If someone wants to stream from a home server then there might be a need for faster speeds.

Good luck with your research and perhaps someone else might have a solution.
 
I think it might help to think about this as "my switch does not play nice with sub-1Gbps ethernet devices". That could be explained by things like poor buffering strategies. It's mostly on the switch to intermediate between your TV's 100Mbps
port speed and the router's 1000Mbps port speed, and the switch might not be doing a great job of that.

Since it's a managed switch, there might be knobs you can twiddle to try to improve matters. I'd look at options involving QoS, flow control, buffering, etc.
I had no idea this could be a thing. But that sounds very interesting, I'll definitely look into that. Thank you for your interest.

The clients that seem to work fine with the Netgear switch are gigabit (2 laptops, and PS4).
The client that seems to not work fine has only a 100 Mbps port (and only about 30 Mbps speed measured; this is the TV).

Update:
I played with some options on the switch but none did help so far. (Activating Flow Control, putting the TV in a dedicated VLAN (port-based), setting rate control to 64 Mbps or 128 Mbps.)
BTW: The Sony TV that also showed some issue (in a landscape with the same switch) had also a 100Mbps port. But the Sony reached "fast" (like 80 or 60 Mbps) in other Android applications (like Analiti); and was struggling with some others (mostly Netflix). Maybe different applications result in different types of traffic that are differently digested by the switch. Still hard to believe.
 
Last edited:
I can't explain why your speed tests higher when directly connected to the router but the speeds you are seeing are comparable to what I'm seeing on my TV connected by an Ethernet cable to a fast Ethernet port on an endpoint switch. My backbone wired LAN is connected using Smart switches with with 1 gig ports. I use slower and older endpoint switches in media cabinets has more than a fast Ethernet port.

If I test using the network test built into the Vizio TV the test show 27.73 Mbps. If I test within the Netflix App on the smart TV it shows 26.03 Mbps. I never have any buffering even with 4K HDTV streams. To a PC with a 1 Gig Ethernet adapter I can get the 940 Mbps downloads expected most of the time. I attribute the lower speeds to the fact that the TV's processor probably can't do any more and the TV manufacturers don't install gig ports and the required more robust processor to handle the faster speeds as there is no need for it to stream online. If someone wants to stream from a home server then there might be a need for faster speeds.

Good luck with your research and perhaps someone else might have a solution.
Processor speed is definitely a factor in speedtests. Like when my AC86U couldn't reach gigabit in speed tests when I had gigabit conection a few weeks back.

But in this case, the processor in my TV is able to "speedtest" 90 Mbps when connected to the router. So, processor is probably not the factor here.
Thank you for the interest, the feedback and the nice wishes. Enjoy the weekend.
 
If the cable that enters the TV (cable_3) is plugged in the Switch, the Netflix app reports approx. 30 Mbps. If it's unplugged from the Switch and plugged directly in the Router, the Netflix app instantly reports approx. 90 Mbps. So maybe the Switch is ill... (Tested repeatedly, on different days, back and forth)

I suspect your TV is negotiating 100-Base-T half-duplex on the wire - 30Mbps sounds about right there...
 
oh - fwiw - fast.com is Netflix...

 
I think it might help to think about this as "my switch does not play nice with sub-1Gbps ethernet devices". That could be explained by things like poor buffering strategies. It's mostly on the switch to intermediate between your TV's 100Mbps
port speed and the router's 1000Mbps port speed, and the switch might not be doing a great job of that.

Since it's a managed switch, there might be knobs you can twiddle to try to improve matters. I'd look at options involving QoS, flow control, buffering, etc.

Hello again,

I think this is spot on. It must be a buffer/bufferbloat issue in the switch. The switch is sized for gigabit, and probably not super smart. So it might have buffers that are somewhat big for 100Mbps, and that negatively impact the functioning in specific circumstances. And the Netflix app might be a bit "special".

When the TV is connected to the router, the router has smarter queue management. (I don't have Cake enabled. But still, smarter than the one in the switch.) And I expect that's how the Netflix app works much better when the TV is connected to the router.

About fast.com which is operated by Netflix, I had tested fast.com in the browser of the TV. It didn't work. That browser is probably pretty dumbed down.

I tested fast.com in a laptop connected to the switch, but connected through a USB adapter that is NOT gigabit, only 100Mbps. I tested at 44 or 45 Mbps, while the Ookla speedtest reported 90, 93 or 94 in the same setup. So, both fast.com (operated by Netflix) and the Netflix app both show some oddity. This is the closest I was to reproduce the oddity.

I tested quite a few things with 2 laptops connected to the switch, both running iperf3 (one as server, and the other as client), one connected in Ethernet at 1Gbps, and the other connected through the USB/Ethernet adapter at 100Mbps. I couldn't generate any oddity.

I tried various things, and ways to force the slowdown before the switch, in the hope that the router would then apply some proper queue management. I never managed to improve much the test result in the Netflix app in the TV. (And by the way, I "reset to default" in the switch several times to avoid piling up changes.)

I enabled Flow Control in the switch on the port to the Router. No better.
I defined a VLAN group for the port to the TV and to the router. No better.
I defined "Rate Control" in the switch, at 64 Mbps, and then 128 Mbps. No better.

In the switch, I forced the port to the router at 100M. It was reported consistently as 100Mbps in the router. Didn't help and actually, even though Netflix would play any random show, it produced error NW-2-5 when testing speed in the Netflix app.
In the same config, the PS4 (connected to the switch) reported 60, then 40, then 50 Mbps. (I don't have much faith in Sony's speedtest. But at least, it was not failing, and reporting way above the 30-35 of the Netflix app.).

I reset the port in the switch to AUTO, and directly, the ports appeared as 1Gbps and the PS4 tested at 260 Mbps.

I tried to define, in the router, "Bandwidth limiter" at 90 Mbps in "Traditional QoS" for the TV. Again, the rationale being that if the slowdown happens closer to the router, the router can use some flavour of smart queue management. The Netflix app still reported slow, at 34 Mbps. Tested with several settings (90 Mbps max, 80 Mbps max, 70 Mbps max): no significant impact: the TV still reported between 34 and 37. Note that it might be significant though that the max I saw in the Netflix app on the TV was 37, which happened when I put the most stringent cap in the router (70 Mbps max for the TV).

Anyway, I decided to plug the TV in the router and call it a day.

Have a good day
 
Dear fellow Forum members,

This might be more of a Netflix/TV topic, but I think I'll find more Netflix users here, than networking experts at e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/. Thank you for your insights.

There is a Netflix app in my smart TV. It allows testing connection speed. It consistently reports 29 to 33 Mbps when the TV is cabled to a gigabit switch. It consistently reports 89 to 90 Mbps when the TV is directly cabled to the router, bypassing the switch (THIS is consistent with my 400 Mbps internet speed and 100 Mbps Ethernet port in the TV). Many other tests show the switch and cable seem fine. But is an app supposed to be aware/sensitive to "going" through a switch ??

Plenty of details and test results below.

I'd like to understand where my reasoning/testing fails. But I can't understand this behaviour so far. (I know that in both cases, Netflix streaming will work fine https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306. And I definitely can plug it in the router and call it a day. But I like learning and understanding.)

Thank you very much in advance
Enjoy the weekend
Best regards

In a nutshell, we have:
ISP Modem (DOCSIS) -> Asus Router -> Netgear Switch -> (cable_3) -> TV

If the cable that enters the TV (cable_3) is plugged in the Switch, the Netflix app reports approx. 30 Mbps. If it's unplugged from the Switch and plugged directly in the Router, the Netflix app instantly reports approx. 90 Mbps. So maybe the Switch is ill... (Tested repeatedly, on different days, back and forth)

If cable_3 is plugged in the usual port in the switch, and the other end is disconnected from the TV and connected to a laptop instead of the TV, the laptop sees approx. 360 - 400 Mbps (not 30), so my full ISP connection speed. So, switch OK ?

I also tested the switch, and the same cable in the same switch port with iperf3. So, two laptops connected to the switch, one acting as server and one as client. Full details of the client below, for TCP and then for UDP. But I basically get the gigabit speed of the switch and laptops. So, switch and cable OK ? The maximum packet loss I got (at 400 Mbps on the "LAN" (just the switch)) was 0.011%.

The PS4 connected in the switch reports between 100 and 260 Mbps. I don't trust the speedtest of Sony anyway. But it's still way more than 30 Mbps. And also seems to show the switch is OK.

Maybe the Netflix server is the culprit ? But I always get 3 times as much as soon as I connect the TV to the router. So, the 30 Mbps is not explained by temporarily overloaded test servers at Netflix.

Maybe the Netflix app is the culprit. But is an app supposed to be aware/sensitive to being connected through a switch ??? By the way, this is now experienced with the Netflix app on the Panasonic TV, but I experienced something similar with the Netflix app in a Sony Android TV a couple of years ago.

I guess DNS might result in having you connected to different Netflix servers, but I don't see how the switch would change that. The DHCP is in the router, and doesn't change.

Your insights are very welcome. Thank you in advance. And please pardon any English oddity, from a non-native speaker.

Switch: Netgear GS308E - 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Smart Managed Plus Switch.
Tested before and after applying "Default settings".
Tested with V1.00.08EN and the newer V1.00.11EN


ISP: VOO in Belgium
Advertised connection speed: 400 Mbps. Reliable.
Primary DNS : 62.197.111.140
Secondary DNS : 109.88.203.3

Router: Asus RT-AC86U, Merlin 386.12.x (not that it matters)
DNS settings in ASUS router:
WAN DNS Setting: DNS Server: Default status : Get the DNS IP from your ISP automatically.
DNS Director: "No redirection" for the TV
Manually Assigned IP around the DHCP list for the TV (and the Netgear Switch)

Current TV:
Panasonic JZ1500E, model year 2021.
Not Android ("My Home Screen", previously known as "Firefox OS")
Ethernet port: 100 Mbps

Previous TV with similar behaviour:
SONY XE9005, also known as X900E. Model Year: 2017, Android.
Ethernet port: 100 Mbps
(NB: Completely unrelated to the topic but FYI, the Sony accepts USB adapters for networking. The Panasonic doesn't. )


iperf3 tests:

~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 52078 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr Cwnd
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 113 MBytes 945 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 112 MBytes 937 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 348 KBytes
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 111 MBytes 929 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 112 MBytes 936 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 111 MBytes 934 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 112 MBytes 938 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 111 MBytes 934 Mbits/sec 0 406 KBytes

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 1.09 GBytes 935 Mbits/sec 0 sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 1.09 GBytes 930 Mbits/sec receiver
iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 57753 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34516
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34537
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34531
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34514
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34548
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34532
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34525
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34527
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34521
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345294 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.007 ms 11/345286 (0.0032%) receiver

iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 37819 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34518
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34528
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34533
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34538
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34521
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34524
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34515
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34543
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34517
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345280 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.005 ms 0/345280 (0%) receiver

iperf Done.
ANONYMOUS_USERNAME@T15:~$ iperf3 -c 192.168.17.251 -u -b 400m
Connecting to host 192.168.17.251, port 5201
[ 5] local 192.168.17.24 port 53176 connected to 192.168.17.251 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34516
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34536
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34525
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34536
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34529
[ 5] 5.00-6.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34528
[ 5] 6.00-7.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
[ 5] 7.00-8.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
[ 5] 8.00-9.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34533
[ 5] 9.00-10.00 sec 47.7 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 34530
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-10.00 sec 477 MBytes 400 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/345293 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-10.04 sec 477 MBytes 398 Mbits/sec 0.006 ms 37/345293 (0.011%) receiver
That's normal. It's related in Netflix Throttling and Netflix Plan. Don't forget fast.com doesn't mean your Netflix speed.
Your network devices don't have any problem at all.
 
That's normal. It's related in Netflix Throttling and Netflix Plan. Don't forget fast.com doesn't mean your Netflix speed.
Your network devices don't have any problem at all.
Hello,

Thank you follower for the input. I also came to the conclusion that my network is OK.

About throttling and Netflix plan, I think they would apply equally when the TV is plugged in the switch or plugged in the router. And yet, I got very different results. So, I don't think throttling or plan explain the behaviour. See one of my test reports from message #1.
Code:
"If the cable that enters the TV (cable_3) is plugged in the Switch, the Netflix app reports approx. 30 Mbps. If it's unplugged from the Switch and plugged directly in the Router, the Netflix app instantly reports approx. 90 Mbps."

And I have no doubt fast.com and the Netflix app might (and do) report different figures. However, they are the only tests that generated weird figures when connected to the switch. So they must have some commonalities. See this test report from my message #8:
Code:
I tested fast.com in a laptop connected to the switch, but connected through a USB adapter that is NOT gigabit, only 100Mbps. I tested at 44 or 45 Mbps, while the Ookla speedtest reported 90, 93 or 94 in the same setup. So, both fast.com (operated by Netflix) and the Netflix app both show some oddity. This is the closest I was to reproduce the oddity.

Enjoy the evening
Cheers
 
Hello,

Thank you follower for the input. I also came to the conclusion that my network is OK.

About throttling and Netflix plan, I think they would apply equally when the TV is plugged in the switch or plugged in the router. And yet, I got very different results. So, I don't think throttling or plan explain the behaviour. See one of my test reports from message #1.
Code:
"If the cable that enters the TV (cable_3) is plugged in the Switch, the Netflix app reports approx. 30 Mbps. If it's unplugged from the Switch and plugged directly in the Router, the Netflix app instantly reports approx. 90 Mbps."

And I have no doubt fast.com and the Netflix app might (and do) report different figures. However, they are the only tests that generated weird figures when connected to the switch. So they must have some commonalities. See this test report from my message #8:
Code:
I tested fast.com in a laptop connected to the switch, but connected through a USB adapter that is NOT gigabit, only 100Mbps. I tested at 44 or 45 Mbps, while the Ookla speedtest reported 90, 93 or 94 in the same setup. So, both fast.com (operated by Netflix) and the Netflix app both show some oddity. This is the closest I was to reproduce the oddity.

Enjoy the evening
Cheers
1. What is the type of UTP cable? 5E, 6, 7, 8?
2. Did you terminate the cable yourself?
3. What is the length of cable from TV to the switch?
4. Have you changed a power adapter for the switch?
 
Hello,

1. labelled as CAT5 (router to switch) and labelled as CAT5E (switch to TV). Both tested recently at 1Gbps with iperf3 (and also seemingly with Etherate a couple years back based on my notes, although I don't remember much of this).
2. No
3. Between 1,5m and 2,1m
4. No, still the original one from the Netgear package, bought brand new in March 2020
Best regards
 
Hello,

1. labelled as CAT5 (router to switch) and labelled as CAT5E (switch to TV). Both tested recently at 1Gbps with iperf3 (and also seemingly with Etherate a couple years back based on my notes, although I don't remember much of this).
2. No
3. Between 1,5m and 2,1m
4. No, still the original one from the Netgear package, bought brand new in March 2020
Best regards
If everything is ok the power adapter or switch is dead maybe.
 
Last edited:
If they were dead, I wouldn't observe this (from original post):
Code:
If cable_3 is plugged in the usual port in the switch, and the other end is disconnected from the TV and connected to a laptop instead of the TV, the laptop sees approx. 360 - 400 Mbps (not 30), so my full ISP connection speed. So, switch OK ?

Plus the gigabit I observe when testing "through" the switch with iperf3.

I think it's all good, except that the Netflix app (and even fast.com) are a bit picky when testing speed in some circumstances.
 
If they were dead, I wouldn't observe this (from original post):
Code:
If cable_3 is plugged in the usual port in the switch, and the other end is disconnected from the TV and connected to a laptop instead of the TV, the laptop sees approx. 360 - 400 Mbps (not 30), so my full ISP connection speed. So, switch OK ?

Plus the gigabit I observe when testing "through" the switch with iperf3.

I think it's all good, except that the Netflix app (and even fast.com) are a bit picky when testing speed in some circumstances.
It happens when the power adapter is dead too. If a power adapter is dead unpredictable things happen like some devices show correct speed and connection except some other devices. This issue also happens with defective UTP cables, RJ45 plugs and ports(1 or more pins got bent or corroded). So, you must check everything. Everything.
 

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