TV 100Mbps ok behind router, but not behind switch

[Gosu]

Hello all,

is there someone who knows or could take a wild guess as why my TV keeps buffering when connected to a switch and not directly to the router ?
Of course, the TV is only 100Mbps, like all TVs apparently, but that's another topic

What works (when I stream heavy video files, I get between ~70 and ~95Mbps without any problem and files play without any pause):
TV directly connected to the Asus router
TV -> gigabit switch -> 100Mbps switch -> Asus router
TV -> gigabit switch -> another gigabit switch -> 100Mbps switch -> Asus router

What doesn't work (bandwidth keeps changing between ~30Mbps and ~65Mbps max and file keeps pausing/buffering because the bandwidth is not enough):
TV -> gigabit switch -> Asus router (that would be my ideal setup, according to my apartment layout)
TV -> 100Mbps switch -> Gigabit switch -> Asus router

Notes:
- When I play lower bitrate files, there is no problem.
- If I connect the TV to the Wifi, it works fine with heavy files.
- I tried different ports on the router, no luck.
- I tried to enable Jumbo Frame or disable Spanning tree on the router, but no effect (I set it back to Jumbo Frames disabled and kept STP disabled).
- I tried with a source on Internet/WAN (with plex) and on the LAN (with Jellyfin), exactly the same issue.
- I tried different cables, results are always consistent.
- It looks like it works as long as the router sees a 100Mbps connection being directly plugged in, otherwise it misbehaves as if there was a flow control issue....
- Asus router AX92U
- If I plug a PC in place of the TV, I can reach Gigabit speed without any issue.

My next move would be to try and set up port mirroring to capture the packets on Asus network port.

I'm at lost... not sure what else I could try ¿?
Any input would be appreciated

 

[Tech Junky]

Why make it complicated? Just use the wifi and skip the cable.

 

[Gosu]

Why make it complicated? Just use the wifi and skip the cable.

Wifi is not as reliable as cable, and I'd rather use the cable as it wouldn't make any sens to use wifi to go to the router to then go back through cable to the PC hooked to the TV.

But I keep it as an option.

Also, I would like to find a real solution, not stay ignorant and avoid the problem
Don't you think it should simply work with the cable without having to hog the Wifi for nothing ?

 

[Gosu]

also, I use the WOL feature, so I need the cable

 

[Tech Junky]

Well, if you want to get serious about it then dump the consumer gear and you won't have the issue.

Why you need 2 switches between the devices is baffling to start off with. If a switch between the TV and Asus causes an issue then you bypass it and get rid of the issue.

Asus isn't smart enough to do things like STP or jumbo frames anyway. The 100mbps port speed negates the option of using JFs anyway.

I'm going to assume you're source of media is a NAS or something of the like as no streaming service hits above 25mbps typically. If this is the case then put the switch where the NAS is and connect the TV to the same switch.

also, I use the WOL feature, so I need the cable

For what device?

 

[Gosu]

for the TV

 

[sfx2000]

Some specifics might be helpful...

1) TV vendor/model
2) Streaming App on the TV
3) Streaming Server - a specific as you can get

If you're getting buffering, it's usually due to a mismatch on the codec between the host and the client.

 

[Wistuplu]

I never found an explanation (my solution was to bypass the switch...). But my problem was similar in my eyes.

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

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...

www.snbforums.com

 

[bbunge]

I have a Samsung TV connected to a 5 port Netgear switch connected to the router. My Dish box is also connected to the Netgear switch as I wanted to pull just one cable to the router.

I have no issues streaming Amazon Prime, Acorn TV, YouTube or the Samsung channels.

Edit: Add to that list a Dish Joey which is MOCA (cable) connected to the Dish Hopper which is Ethernet connected.

 

[Gosu]

I never found an explanation (my solution was to bypass the switch...). But my problem was similar in my eyes.

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

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...

www.snbforums.com

It looks the same indeed... which makes me both happy because I'm not alone and sad because you never found a fix
What did you do in the end ? ditch the cable and use Wifi ?

 

[Gosu]

I have a Samsung TV connected to a 5 port Netgear switch connected to the router. My Dish box is also connected to the Netgear switch as I wanted to pull just one cable to the router.

I have no issues streaming Amazon Prime, Acorn TV, YouTube or the Samsung channels.

Edit: Add to that list a Dish Joey which is MOCA (cable) connected to the Dish Hopper which is Ethernet connected.

no issue streaming "low bitrate" from Prime or Youtube for me either. But I have the issue with "high bitrate" (~80Mbps).
From what I saw, Prime UHD content is streamed at about 30Mbps.

 

[Gosu]

Well, if you want to get serious about it then dump the consumer gear and you won't have the issue.

Why you need 2 switches between the devices is baffling to start off with. If a switch between the TV and Asus causes an issue then you bypass it and get rid of the issue.

Asus isn't smart enough to do things like STP or jumbo frames anyway. The 100mbps port speed negates the option of using JFs anyway.

I'm going to assume you're source of media is a NAS or something of the like as no streaming service hits above 25mbps typically. If this is the case then put the switch where the NAS is and connect the TV to the same switch.


For what device?

I don't need 2 switches, it was only to demonstrate what works and doesn't.

I appreciate your suggestions, but you are only trying to "avoid" the issue, not fixing it.
I want to find out how to fix it, I don't get why you tell me to invest in a professional switch, router and access point.

IEEE establishes standard, I'm not asking anything that would require any special or professional device.
Any basic switch, following IEEE standard, is supposed to to its job without issue.

In this case, there is something going on, and it shouldn't be that hard to fix.

Plus, I handle professional devices at work, and I have seen worst bugs and inexplicable things, so even if I go your way, there is no warranty I'll get better results. I might do all of it for nothing and lose money without understanding the issue.

The following doesn't spike your interest at all ??? You'd rather put everything in the bin and start over with professional devices ?

Works ok:
TV -> 100Mbps switch -> Asus router
TV -> gigabit switch -> 100Mbps switch -> Asus router
TV -> gigabit switch -> gigabit switch -> 100Mbps switch -> Asus router

Keeps buffering even though the setup is pretty basic:
TV -> Gigabit switch -> Asus router

 

[ColinTaylor]

Keeps buffering even though the setup is pretty basic:
TV -> Gigabit switch -> Asus router

What is the make and model of the switch? Are both of your switches the same?

 

[Tech Junky]

Asus router

Common problem. Seems to me it would be an issue with juggling more than a single speed to the port on the router. All of your "working" options have everything throttled back to 100mbps. I would venture to guess though if you had a test for gigabit devices you would probably see the same issue when it hits the Asus. The problem though is
A. no ISP link at 1ggi
B. no video source at gig
C. no device needing gigabit video

Frankly I don't care enough to sort out why your TV buffers when you use a gig switch. There's a solution but you choose not to use it. Consumer gear sucks when it comes to what they put inside of devices like a TV. OTA cards / streamers do the same with the 100mbps ports because typical HD streams are ~25mbps/channel. Even the 4K OTA ATSC3 boxes have a 100mbps port on them as well. The key is to feed them into a box that has capacity and speed and then pull the media from that instead of directly from a provider such as Amazon / Netflix / etc. if you want high bit rate media then put it on the LAN and avoid dealing with the headaches of routing it through the WAN/router and putting up with jitter / qos / ISP issues.

 

[Wistuplu]

What did you do in the end ? ditch the cable and use Wifi ?

In the end, I plugged the TV cable directly in the router, not in the switch.
By the way, my TV always had connectivity, no stuttering, generally all OK, in all setups (with or without switch). But it was reporting lower speeds when connected through the switch. And it felt like it was buffering a bit longer before starting a Netflix show, and ramping up a bit slower before reaching full 4K. So, it was never a real problem. But it was an opportunity to learn/experiment. In the end, I didn't learn much, accepted the mystery, and plugged the TV cable in the router directly. ;-)

 

[Gosu]

What is the make and model of the switch? Are both of your switches the same?

Hi,
thank you for your question.

I don't think the switches are at fault, as I've tried several dumb switches from different brands and the results are always the same:
as soon as the Asus port auto negotiate at 1Gbps, I have the issue.
If it negotiates at 100Mbps (because the connected device is 100Mbps), then it works full speed, no matter if there is a Gigabit switch in the chain and as long as the Gigabit switch is not directly plugged into the Asus port.


For instance:
Netgear GS108Ev2
Netgear GS105
I tried also 2 old devices provided by 2 different ISP. There is no brand except the ISP:
- 1 router (BT Home Hub 3), but I didn't use the WAN port, only the LAN switch
- 1 AP repeater, again I didn't use anything fancy, no routing, no wifi, only the LAN ports.

On the old ISP router, it has 3x100Mbps ports and 1Gbps port. (see picture).

I did more tests yesterday evening and I also tried several Speedtest in both configurations
What works (no buffering at all and Speedtest shows 95 DL /95Mbps UP):
TV (from 100Mbps port) -> (to 100Mbps port) old router (from 100Mbps port) -> (to 1Gbps) Asus

What doesn't work (movie keeps buffering and Speedtest shows 70 DL / 95Mbps UP):
TV (100Mbps) -> (100Mbps port) old router (1Gbps port) -> (1Gbps) Asus

Since I can reproduce it with Speedtest and not only the video streaming, I'll try with a PC and I'll connect it to a 100Mbps switch to reproduce the TV setup.

 

[L&LD]

Have you tried with new, quality, Cat5e cables?

 

[sfx2000]

This really does look like a device issue - e.g. the TV itself on the ethernet implementation. Could be on the HW side, or at the OS level with the ethernet driver itself.

It could be something as simple as the TV saying "I'm gigabit" at the port, but the SoC is not a gigabit MAC, rather 100Mbit.

samsung tv stutters over ethernet - Google Suche

If it works fine over WiFi, and "some" ethernet connections, this says it's the ethernet on the TV.