Mentor
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19 Messages
Speed issues with Netflix streaming
To start off I'm a knowledgeable Linux Systems Engineer with over 20 years experience in Internet related technologies so I've done my fair share of troubleshooting on this topic. We also live in the city limits of St. Louis and are told that our area has completed it's Uverse network upgrades.
Since we switched to Uverse we have consistent issues streaming Netflix. The initial 10-15 seconds of any video plays great, but then the picture quality severely degrades, sometimes enough that you cannot read text within the video because it is so pixelated. I was warned before switching by other users in our area that there is a severe over subscription issue with Uverse Internet. The more I look at this the more I am inclined to agree, but wanted to get community feedback.
We experience the issues the worst during peak times (4pm-midnight) but also at 4am we cannot stream movie in full HD without degradation of the picture due to throughput issues. This alone leads me to believe my area is oversubscribed on Internet and there simply is not enough bandwidth upstream to handle the streaming appropriately.
We've done the following to troubleshoot:
Moved all wireless devices to wired.
Restarted router/modem (too many times to count).
Had our lines checked by a tech.
Run speed tests during - these tests are inconclusive because we have the 24Mbps package and even during trouble times we sometimes get speeds up to 18Mbps which is more than sufficient for Netflix HD streaming (you only need 5Mbps sustained).
Multiple devices are affected including the Apple TV that never once had an issue in its 5 years of service while using Charter cable services. To re-iterate, never once, have we experienced what we are experiencing now with Charter cable services, but it consistently happens every day with AT&T.
Calls to AT&T have gone no where. Techs say everything is fine, one even went as far as to tell me this is a common problem and he sees a lot of people cancel Internet services and go back to Charter for them. I priced it out and we can get just Internet through Charter at 30Mbps (guaranteed steady throughput, not UP TO like AT&T) for $54.99/month without having to have cable TV through them. That is considerably cheaper than I'm paying for 24Mbps Internet through Uverse.
All of that said is there anyone who can actually help me fix this problem? I'd much prefer not to give another penny to Charter, but if this is the quality of Internet service we can expect from AT&T there is no way I am going to continue paying them for substandard service at a higher rate than the cable company.
Am I doomed with Uverse or is there hope?
GeekBoy
Master
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4.1K Messages
10 years ago
One simple solution is to buy an AppleTV to stream NetFlix. Apple provides their own CDN and wants you to have "the best experience" so AppleTV's stream Netflix from the Apple servers and do not have the quality degradation you are complaining about. Suddenly your NetFlix will stream in HD with fewer buffering issues.
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atxgiga
Contributor
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2 Messages
10 years ago
Interestingly enough, I am streaming Netflix via AppleTV over my GigaPower service. So by that rationale I shouln't be having any problems. I've clearly got the bandwidth, according to you I have the CDN, so what gives?
What doesn't add up is my AppleTV Netflix issues are mirrored on all of my devices. Browser streaming, tablet, phone, etc.
It doesn't seem to matter if my devices are wireless (where I could see a bottleneck) or wired. any thoughts?
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oufanindallas
ACE - Master
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6.9K Messages
10 years ago
Not quite true, regardless of which device you use to stream Netflix, it still has to come into your house by your ISP so while it may have blazing speed, the last mile would still experience the bottle neck.
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KevConley
Contributor
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1 Message
9 years ago
http://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/
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SMLWOMAN
Contributor
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1 Message
9 years ago
I have been trying to fix my parents streaming issues since december of 2014. They use ATT. We have upgraded their router, their modem, and their speed. It still does not work. And it is not just Netflix. Amazon prime stopped 10 times while watching transformers. This was started in 2014 and now it is august of 2015 and the problem still exists. I personally am on charter for internet, and I had the issues for a bit, but now I rarely have the issues. What was supposed to be a nice one year subscription gift and a blue ray gift has become a nightmare for my parents and they just want to end it all. No streaming, no internet nothing. the money and time we have put into this issue has been extreme and I am so frustrated to see that it has not been fixed from more then a year ago. Seroiusly ATT you need to get it together. Not only did you not fix the problem, but you tried to get my parents to pay more for different routers. In trying to say it isn't your fault, we were directed to call Belkin. And of course I got the stupid indian companies that ask to get on your computer and fix the issue. Now I have to pay another $75 to take my parents computer in and have it fixed from the scam. Imagine if you would have just fixed the issue, that again, is NOT just Netflix, it is all of the streaming, and we can't even connect to their internet via wireless on our phones or tablets. Shame on you for being as stupid as Dish network in not wanting to do what is right for your customers. If you lose my parents as a business, they will be taking their entire bundle with them. Horrible that this is still an issue, and that it has taken me 8 months and hundreds of dollars trying to fix this. Unbelievable. Jesserehmer, I wonder if you ever went back to charter? We are in northern nevada.
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Toltec21
Voyager
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3 Messages
9 years ago
I'd like to thank the original poster "jesserehmer" and the early respondent "JefferMC" for the detailed and facts based exchange earlier in this long thread. I felt like they were teasing apart the knot fairly well there early on and then things devolved into ad hominem attacks by folks joining in and posting to release steam.
Apart from the VPN suggestions, is there no other "hack" on our Uverse home network settings we can try to overcome our buggy Netflix performance?
I'm using Apple TV, one wired and one wireless, and the only performance issues I have are with Netflix and none of the other streaming video options.
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Anonymous
New Member
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25.7K Messages
9 years ago
I had the same problem with Vudu that you are having with netflix. I was told by Vudu to change the server to the google server 8888. After I made the change everything worked with no buffering. However I have never had a problem with Netflix. I am not an expert but that seemed to do the trick.
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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35.1K Messages
9 years ago
Some customers have found relief by changing the DNS server in the configuration of their device. Sometimes using another DNS server (e.g. google's at 8.8.8.8) will cause you to access a different area of the CDN resulting in less congestion along the route. This may be a temporary solution or not a solution at all.
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jtnewkirk
Contributor
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2 Messages
8 years ago
I just switched to AT&T and have 45 mpbs and I can not even down load facebook. Everything seems to load up but then stops and I can speedtest and it shows 15-20 constant but I don't understand the issue with Netflix, snapchat, FB and all the other websites I try to surf. I have had AT&T for a week now but have been dissatified with the service. Any suggestions?
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mibrnsurg
Expert
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20.4K Messages
8 years ago
@jtnewkirk On all Uverse RGs, IPv6 causes disconnects, rebooting and browsing problems (Internet).
Disable IPv6 in all Uverse RGs info here:
https://forums.att.com/t5/Equipment/Slow-connection-using-Google-Facebook-and-certain-sites-after/m-p/3860323#M382
If a 2wire/Pace/Arris RG (3800/3801/5031/5268) click the Go here link at top of the orange globe on the page of the link above.
Make sure to also disable IPv6 in Win local area and wireless connection properties.
Good luck 😉
Chris
__________________________________________________________
Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? PM ATT Uverse Care (all service problems)
ATT Customer Care(billing and all other problems)
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more
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