ChangeIP.com Forums

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I'll try . . .

I have my LFTV base station connected to a DSL line that has a constant uploading speed of 324 kbps (I've measured this at many different times of day). When I am trying to use NetAV \"on-the-go,\" wirelessly or wired, I cannot get a continuous video stream unless I drop the monitor's rate setting to \"2.\" Although the video and audio are then continuous, the resulting picture is a mass of compression artifacts and is essentially unwatchable.

The download rate at the \"monitor\" end is very high when I've measured it (always greater than 1 Mbps when I use a wired connection), so I'm wondering if the problem is my DSL upload speed. Documentation in the operating instructions and online all indicate that 300 kbps is required, and I know I have met that requirement -- but is this the quality level that Sony considers acceptable? No other computers at my home are running when this is observed, so nothing should be slowing down the DSL speed at the basestation end. My router uses WEP 128 encryption.

So . . . my overall question is: what sort of results have others observed with NetAV \"on-the-go\" and what were the uploading speeds required for a decent picture? Thanks for any responses . . .

Bill

Well, I am not quite sure why you are experiencing those problems...I would take the Base to a friend with High-speed and see if the problem repeats itself. I am using LFX5 on the go and it performs just fine on setting 3. I get delays or slow downs on setting 4 and 5. Try to check your uploads again, make sure your router is configured correctly and does not have any limitations. I also use the LF software and it works just well.
Let us know if you need any more help.
Stan

Hello,

Make sure you are reaching the 300kbps speeds when using this tool from the monitor itself, while on the same network as the base station.

http://www.changeip.com/locationfree/support/speed.asp

We have done some real world testing with streaming and you should be able to get level 3 with 300kbps. The few units we've tested and use are very reliable at this speed. If your internet connection is congested you will have problems, but if it's got enough speed it should be very smooth.

Sam

Thanks for your responses. I have used that changeip.com site to measure my upload speed, as well as another test site offered by my ISP -- both always yield numbers significantly higher than 300 kbps. Just in case I need more speed, I've already arranged for my DSL service to be upgraded to the highest speed package, but it takes a couple of weeks for my ISP to make this change. In the meantime, I'm interested to hear what router settings might impose limitations on NetAV performance? (I assumed that since I'm always able to make a connection, I've made a maximum speed connection.) I'm using an Apple Airport Extreme.

-- Bill

What type of router are you using to connect to the ISP? The apple airport, are you using that to connect wirelessly to your wired router and then out to the internet? I've seen WEP/WPA encryption cause streaming applications to drop out. Unless you have a super strong wireless signal to that airport it might be the culprit.

Sam

Sam --

The Airport IS the router -- it is connected to my DSL modem, then serves IP addresses to computers in my house (wirelessly, 802.11g). I have \"port forwarding\" enabled so that NetAV can be used. The Airport gives me a strong wireless signal, so I'm sure that's not the bottleneck; I've even used this wireless network for streaming DVD video files between my computer and my TV.

Noting that the LFTV supports WEP encryption, I've followed the LFTV instructions in setting up a WEP encryption key, and the upload speeds I described are when I'm using this same enrypted path. In fact, the upload speeds are the same whether or not I have WEP encryption enabled, and I saw the same video problems when I had WEP encryption disabled. Any other thoughts are welcome!

-- Bill

Where is the client tv at when you are testing the netav on the go? What type of connection is it on?

Sam

I've tested this at a wireless hotspot (coffee shop) and with a 1-3 Mpbs wired connection at my office. Both give me exactly the same video problems.

-- Bill

What are the symptoms you are getting, random disconnects or just studdery video? What happens in rate level 1 or 2 ? Also, have you got the latest firmware on the unit?

Sam

I stay connected, but the video and audio are start-and-stop (brief motion & sound, then freeze for a few seconds, then brief motion, etc.). This is what I see at monitor rate settings of 3 or above. At rates of 1 or 2, the video and audio are continuous but the picture is very low resolution -- blocky, lacking detail, and difficult to watch for more than a few minutes.

And yes, I'm using the latest firmware download.

-- Bill

I just found a review that describes a virtually identical issue with the NetAV function; here's the relevant page:

http://www.livedigitally.com/lftv4.html

I'm certainly not endorsing or echoing the negative spin of this particular review, but it does appear that I'm not the only one having a problem with a +300 kbps connection. The description and snapshots of his video problem are pretty much what I'm seeing.

-- Bill