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Video streaming stopping/buffering very bad

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DerekD
New Poster

Video streaming stopping/buffering very bad

Hello, i had just started with Hughesnet 3 weeks ago and from day 1 could not stream video without it buffering every 3 seconds. VERY frustrating. I very rarely watch any video online but my wife likes to watch her soaps at night and has a hard time. You know what they say happy wife happy life SO i tried to take the bull by the horns and fix it myself since i am a little tech savvy. i have read some posts on here to try different things. basically i had go on Hulu and low the video quality to low and make sure everything in the house was not connected to the wifi. The video did get better but still buffers every 20 to 30 seconds. I am so disappointed in this. Please help. I was so excited to get Hughesnet since i was on a DSL with only a 1.5 mbps but did not buffer at all and now to go to a service witch advertises multiple devices streaming at the same time but i cant do one. i have done multiple speed tests with having a few just a little over 3.0 mbps. One more thing to top this off, the technician that installed the dish left bolts and nuts loose on the dish and left tools on the dish AND had mud on the carpet inside our house!

5 REPLIES 5
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@DerekD

 

If you haven't already, please try pausing, or turning off, the Video Data Saver.   This may help with the buffering issue.  You can pause, or turn off, the Video Data Saver both through the HughesNet Usage Meter, under Video Settings, or at the HughesNet MyAccount site, under Settings.  

 

What is Video Data Saver?  

 

If this does not help, please create an account at testmy.net and run a few download speed tests using the manual 25MB test size.  Please be sure to run the tests with a single device that is connected directly to the modem with a LAN cable and with the WiFi of the HT2000W disabled.  To disable the WiFi of the HT2000W, please see 5.c. of Section 6, entitled "How do I manager my built in WiFi modem?", of this PDF.    

 

After you've run a few tests, please paste your testmy.net Results page URL into your reply.  It will look similar to the following...   https://testmy.net/quickstats/YourUserName

ok that did help some but now when watching a video it is very grainy and i mean to the point where you can barely make out someones face but then it gradually gets better to where its very good then it stops and buffers and starts all over again. any ideas to fix this? on another note why is it when i click on something or start an app that there is a delay before i get response? Oh and one more question, with that switched off will it use more data?

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@DerekD

 

First, the data question.  It's likely that having the Video Data Saver off while streaming will cause you to use more data, as the streaming service will see the higher available speed and kick up to a higher resolution, which requires more data.  This is also most likely why it started out grainy, then improved.  This is normally why I just pause the Video Data Saver instead of turning it off when I need a higher resolution for something.  This way, it will automatically kick back in after four hours.  Normally, I watch things in 480p or less to save data, but when I need that higher resolution I pause the VDS.  Then, if I forget to re-enable it, it turns back on on its own after four hours.    

 

With this said, why you're still buffering, even with the VDS off, might be due to an overall speed issue.  This might also account for the improved video quality when you turned the VDS off, though you shouldn't have had to as you were already lowering the video resolution at the source.  The VDS is supposed to allow enough speed, when on, to view videos in DVD quality (480p), but when that doesn't work it may be an indication of a speed problem.  And, though a lower resolution video shouldn't really be improved by turning off the VDS, as a lower resolution video requires speed that is already under what the VDS being on allows, it sometimes is.  Why this is I have absolutely no clue.  

 

Because it may be a speed issue, it would be a good idea to get a few speed tests in using the instructions I posted in my previous reply.  But, with this said, though it's requested that you run the speed test with a LAN connected device and with the WiFi in the HT2000W disabled, if you don't have this ability just please make sure to use a device that's close to the HT2000W modem and with all other WiFi devices off.  It's requested that the tests be performed with a LAN cable connected device and with the WiFi disabled to eliminate any problems that the WiFi could be causing and any bandwidth sapping that could be occurring due to another device using the internet at the same time, via WiFi.  But, it's fully understood that, as time goes on, less people have devices that can be connected with a LAN cable.  So, if you don't have a LAN cable connectable device, please just ensure that all other WiFi devices are off (not standby, but actually off), and be close to the modem when you run the tests so that you get a good signal, but if you do have a LAN cable connectable device, please run the tests with that and disable the WiFi in the HT2000W while running them.

 

Regarding the delay with things, it's possible that using an alternate DNS server might help (a lot of people do, including HughesNet users), but we should get some speed test results before trying that, as it may all be tied to low speeds.   

Hi Derek,

 

It's been a while since we have heard back from you on this issue. If you still have further concerns please feel free to create a new thread as we will be closing this one.

 

Thanks,

Amanda

Hi Derek,

 

Just checking in to see if there was any difference after @GabeU's suggestions. Have you had an improvement in video performance or are things still the same? 

 

Thanks

Amanda