Awful Zoom on Stuff Fibre

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Awful Zoom on Stuff Fibre

deadlyllama

1283 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 476

Trusted

#275878 14-Sep-2020 21:36

I'm sitting through a Zoom meeting that is having severe bandwidth issues - sound is unusable, video is a frame a minute. Speedtest.net to the Stuff Fibre server is getting 24Mbps - that's wifi's fault.

How would I track down that issue?

Edit: this is affecting both my phone and laptop, reboots have made no difference.

michaelmurfy

meow
13579 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10910

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2564087 14-Sep-2020 21:37

You mention WiFi - tried Ethernet?

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

deadlyllama

1283 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 476

Trusted

#2564089 14-Sep-2020 21:39

michaelmurfy:

You mention WiFi - tried Ethernet?

The same wifi gets a reasonable speed on Speedtest.net. Unfortunately I'm supposed to be chairing the meeting so I can't run around with cables. I'm surviving with audio via a phone call...

lxsw20

3689 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2174

Subscriber

#2564111 14-Sep-2020 22:04

You need to rule out WiFi first, so next meeting why not just plug in to ethernet before it starts and see how it behaves.

allan

2073 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 899

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2564113 14-Sep-2020 22:14

Any other apps impacted as well? e.g. Playing someting from Youtube?

yitz

2238 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 594

#2564118 14-Sep-2020 22:44

Is it specific to time of day?

There was a poster from your other thread that commented Zoom performance was better once they were switched over to the Vocus network:
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=81&topicid=273165&page_no=1#2560124

Perhaps @whizbang can comment?

whizbang

31 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#2564440 15-Sep-2020 15:20

I found when we were on the Devoli network, that consistently, once or twice a minute, packet loss would show up in the zoom video statistics for received video data. But only in the order of 2-5%. It didn't affect the meeting video or audio quality, as the loss was low.

On the Vocus network, it sits at 0% all the time (zoom packet loss). We were with flip ADSL before moving to stuff fibre, and there too, 0% zoom packet loss (flip is also on the Vocus network).

A negative of being migrated off the Devoli network and onto the Vocus network, is that we now have slower speed. We're on a 100/20 plan. On Devoli we would consistently get 95Mbps down on speedtest.net, and some websites such as stuff.co.nz would have very little latency when loading their website. On the Vocus network our speed has been downgraded to 85Mbps down, and some websites like stuff.co.nz are much much slower loading. It feels 'jerky' like the HTTP requests get replied too in stops and starts. It was quick and continuous on Devoli. However, nzherald.co.nz on both networks appears to be largely the same.

So positives and negatives.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2159

#2564448 15-Sep-2020 15:36

deadlyllama:

Speedtest.net to the Stuff Fibre server is getting 24Mbps - that's wifi's fault.

How would I track down that issue?

You say it is wifi's fault?

Try to connect to the 5ghz band. You can do that by giving it a separate SSID.

deadlyllama

1283 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 476

Trusted

#2566758 17-Sep-2020 11:36

It was my WiFi. Had the same problem today but in a meeting I could skip out from to find an Ethernet cable.

Annoying because in the first lockdown I had no trouble with the WiFi in the same spot.

gehenna

8667 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3883

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2566761 17-Sep-2020 11:45

WiFi is inherently unreliable for things that rely on a tolerance to latency, such as audio and video. Normally you wouldn't even notice when it's manifesting those issues because all you'd see is a browser webpage might take a second or two longer to load, or some other similarly latency tolerant service might have a blip that you'd otherwise assume is just a problem on their end. My AP is literally 2 metres away from me above my head, and I still get occasional performance issues on Teams calls from time to time. There's so many variables, AP brand/model/firmware, Adapter brand/model/firmware, AP channel config, surrounding WiFi network interference, and sometimes even home appliances will interfere such as running the microwave oven. If you're WFH and need reliable connectivity then you should ethernet yourself unless you can accept the deficiencies and risks with WiFi.

deadlyllama

1283 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 476

Trusted

#2566828 17-Sep-2020 14:01

Yeah. I know all that. Just never had this experience before, with an AP that used to be fine, in the same room as me.

The only variable that appeared to change since the last lock down was my ISP getting bought but clearly that's just a coincidence.

Thankfully I don't have to WFH, but there's no point driving into the office to join an evening zoom meeting.

yitz

2238 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 594

#2566864 17-Sep-2020 14:41

I think some codecs in use today are just not configured to deal with even slightly poor network conditions sadly, reckon those codecs from late 90s dial-up era might do a better job if you were willing to put up with 160x120 and you wouldn't need all the "AI" to blur out backgrounds haha.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
13036 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3896

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

Subscriber

#2566871 17-Sep-2020 14:48

yitz:

I think some codecs in use today are just not configured to deal with even slightly poor network conditions sadly, reckon those codecs from late 90s dial-up era might do a better job if you were willing to put up with 160x120 and you wouldn't need all the "AI" to blur out backgrounds haha.

That would help for all those zoom 'slips' that seem to happen out there too...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

xlinknz

1141 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 168

Trusted

#2566901 17-Sep-2020 15:31

We're on stuff-fibre (and now migrated to Vocus BNG) and have no no issues with video, indeed our son uses zoom for his correspondence school meetings with no issues (and over Wi-Fi)

nzkc

1634 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1041

#2566921 17-Sep-2020 16:02

deadlyllama: Yeah. I know all that. Just never had this experience before, with an AP that used to be fine, in the same room as me.

I have noticed some variability when the AP switched channels it was using. Usually the result of it being restarted for some reason. Sometimes even depends on what the neighbours APs have selected. Point here is that "past performance is not a guarantee of future performance" as there are just too many uncontrollables.