Slingbox & Slingplayer

[Mekong Bob]

I'm a daily viewer in Chiang Mai of U.S. television via SlingBox/Internet and would very much like to start a discussion group of like-minded residents in Northern Thailand. Discussions would include Internet Service Providers in the North; Internet download speeds; routers; HDMI between computers and televisions; standard definition versus high definition; video resolution settings; streaming bitrates; and Sling Media technical support.

Interested in sharing information?

[DavidOxon]

couldn't get mine to work efficiently

sits in a box in my mum's house in the UK now!

David

[Satcommlee]

I've got the Slingbox working very well but only after running it over a L2TP VPN to my UK location.

I'd get only 250 - 300 Kbps without a VPN, but after we installed a VPN router in the UK which accepts a L2TP (UDP) connection, the speed has increase to 1 Mbps+. It may be that some traffic shaping is taking place at the ISP level.

It has to be a UDP VPN (Not TCP) because the Slingbox is streaming UDP packets.

[Mekong Bob]

I am told that a VPN, in and of itself, will not improve Internet speed. If true, I suspect that your selecting the appropriate data protocol for SlingBox has made this dramatic difference. Congratulations on this success. I envy your high streaming rate, and will now try to do the same.

What can you tell me about settings and adjustments which you have made on your SlingPlayer (Internet) here in Chiang Mai? What ISP do you use?

I am reluctant to blame my ISP (3BB) for shaping my data traffic because the slow streaming speed is happening at the source in USA, as I have friends at remote locations around USA to check speeds for me. Do you have any confirmation that the ISP here in Chiang Mai is capping?

As I understand it, upload speed at SlingBox in USA or UK is critical, while download speed in Chiang Mai is critical. Is this correct?

Thank you very much!

[Satcommlee]

I am told that a VPN, in and of itself, will not improve Internet speed. If true, I suspect that your selecting the appropriate data protocol for SlingBox has made this dramatic difference. Congratulations on this success. I envy your high streaming rate, and will now try to do the same.

What can you tell me about settings and adjustments which you have made on your SlingPlayer (Internet) here in Chiang Mai? What ISP do you use?

I am reluctant to blame my ISP (3BB) for shaping my data traffic because the slow streaming speed is happening at the source in USA, as I have friends at remote locations around USA to check speeds for me. Do you have any confirmation that the ISP here in Chiang Mai is capping?

As I understand it, upload speed at SlingBox in USA or UK is critical, while download speed in Chiang Mai is critical. Is this correct?

Thank you very much!

All ISP's shape traffic to some degree or most likely prioritise certain protocols over everything else. I have used the slingbox successfully with CAT, 3BB and now TRUE to varying degrees of success. The system is currently being used in a Bar who have a 16meg TRUE line and performance is excellent.

I think the reason why it works much better over the VPN is because VPN traffic is assigned a higher priority in the ISP traffic shaping policies.

However there are reasons that some VPN's may not work so well.

PPTP VPN's, (most common) establish a tunnel with reduced MTU and requires a TCP connection, MTU is also relevant because that is Maximum transmission unit, the amount of bits in a packet without the need to fragment a packet. If your Stateside VPN is on a cable connection then it may try transmitting 1500 byte packets down a PPTP tunnel with a 1400 Byte MTU, the result is fragmentation of packets and a much reduced throughput. Also the disadvantage of using TCP is that for every packet sent an acknowledgement is required , this means that for high latency links (High ping times) a throttling of the speed because acknowledgements are being received late and the TCP protocol thinks the link is throttled.

L2TP VPN's, L2TP VPN's use the UDP protocol to establish a link, UDP can be described as a 'fire and forget' protocol and does not require an acknowledgement for each packet sent. Within this tunnel TCP and UDP packets can be encrypted and sent, TCP packets will acknowledge through the tunnel but most importantly UDP packets will not require an acknowledgement and it is this which allows the Slingbox to operate at higher speeds. The slingbox sends the video as a UDP video stream, which travels over the L2TP because that is UDP also.

openVPN, This is the VPN of last hope, it is a very flexible VPN which allows you to bypass ISP restrictions/shaping by selecting a non standard VPN Port, for example you can run the VPN over port 443 which is normally used for secure web pages where you see the padlock icon. The ISP thinks this is just regular traffic accessing a secure web page, or you can choose any number of ports to operate the VPN over, And you can configure for UDP so you get the fire and forget speed.

A full detailed set-up is beyond the scope of this forum but I can say that you need pay attention to 3 things to get the speeds you want.

• MTU (maximum transmission unit), you need avoid any fragmentation of the packets from source to destination, there are plenty of explanations that you can google.

• Port number, you need to find the right port for the VPN (I have used with standard L2TP port 1701 successfully)

• VPN protocol, for fastest speeds the slingbox UDP stream should be carried over a UDP VPN, to avoid acknowledgement issues of each packet sent.

Good luck with it, it will take some potching but you should get there in the end. Also find the right router for your US location, you may find one that has everything you need for the VPN built in.

[Mekong Bob]

Please tell us where we can find your bar! We'd like to tip a few beers and admire your streaming rates!

[Mekong Bob]

Is it reasonable to state that Chiang Mai residents with good, reliable Internet service and a friend in the USA or the UK with a SlingBox and a minimum upload Internet speed of 2MB should expect a SlingPlayer streaming bitrate speed of at least 600-800Kbps?

The minimum streaming rate for viewing standard definition tv on your computer is 600Kbps.

To achieve this minimum streaming speed, here are 6 recommendationS:

1 - at the SlingBox location (e.g., USA or UK), you need good Internet upload speed;

2 - you need a router that can handle both TCP and UDP transfer protocol (huh?);

3 - you need to use the best router port (e.g., 5001, 443, 80);

4 - you may need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for Internet at SlingBox location;

5 - you need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which provides adequate bandwidth; and

6 - at the remote location (e.g., Chiang Mai), you need good Internet download speed.

Am I on the right track?

[Mekong Bob]

I am in Chiang Mai, using 3BB (5MB up, 1MB down) with a fixed (not shared) IP in Hang Dong. It is expensive (3,100 baht per month), but connection is strong and reliable. I'm consistently tested at 5MB, 0.82MB, and 50-60 ping. I believe I am getting what I am paying for.

My son is in Pennsylvania with a nice HDTV, SlingBox, and new router, using Comcast (cable) as his ISP (12MB down, 2MB up). Comcast diagnostic checks - signal connection test and Upstream Signal Quality (SNR) - are good, and the 250MB monthly cap is plenty for our usage.

The SlingBox is delivering only 220-240Kbps to my computer in Chiang Mai and to places like San Jose (California); Philadelphia; and Syracuse (New York). Picture quality is poor.

A recent call to Sling Media tech support suggested we ask Comcast to provide details on their distribution of the speed connection to our ports, adding that the speed is generally not evenly apportioned (distributed) to all ports in use. When we asked Comcast for help, the tech guy was puzzled by my question about distribution of the speed connection to our ports.

Anybody have any suggestions for me on this?

[Mekong Bob]

To my fellow Chiang Mai residents -

Is there anyone else out there who is currently enjoying SlingBox viewing at streaming rates better than my 220-240Kbps?

[boombah]

To my fellow Chiang Mai residents -

Is there anyone else out there who is currently enjoying SlingBox viewing at streaming rates better than my 220-240Kbps?

Hi,

I am on 3BB and pay just over 900 a month for a 8Mb connection. It works fine. I have stated previously that I was getting similar speeds, then I went in and changed some settings (selected better rather than auto on web based service) and all of a sudden no more 200Kbs. I now consistently get around th 700Kbs mark with my streaming which is the max my 1Mb connection will do from Australia.

[RidersCorner]

10 minutes ago 460 Kbps (Rider's Corner True cable WIFI is ok)

5 minutes ago 436 Kbps still

To my fellow Chiang Mai residents -

Is there anyone else out there who is currently enjoying SlingBox viewing at streaming rates better than my 220-240Kbps?

[Langsuan Man]

Here is a web site that covers Slingbox and other methods of streaming. I use it since Sling Media took over the old Slingbox Forum and use it for their PR purposes

http://placeshiftingenthusiasts.com/

Edited October 3, 2011 by Langsuan Man

[Mekong Bob]

Here is a web site that covers Slingbox and other methods of streaming. I use it since Sling Media took over the old Slingbox Forum and use it for their PR purposes

http://placeshiftingenthusiasts.com/

Interesting website, thanks.

Have you followed any particular suggestions with good results?

What are your typical streaming speeds? At least 600-800Kbps, I hope.

[sanpakwan]

It probably won't work for long,and especially when there's an important program to view.

Mine is also collecting dust

[Rice_King]

Slingbox streaming @ 1323 Kbps from (a friend's SB in) Connecticut to my PC in Chiang Mai.

[Mekong Bob]

Slingbox streaming @ 1323 Kbps from (a friend's SB in) Connecticut to my PC in Chiang Mai.

Holy Mackerel!!!

Please enlighten me (us) - can you start by telling us your local Chiang Mai ISP, Internet speeds, SlingPlayer settings?

In Connecticut, Internet speeds (upload, in particular), SlingBox model (ProHD, Solo, AV?), router specs?

Thanks!

[RidersCorner]

Ive never seen it that fast, my feed comes from NH

[Rice_King]

Slingbox streaming @ 1323 Kbps from (a friend's SB in) Connecticut to my PC in Chiang Mai.

Holy Mackerel!!!

Please enlighten me (us) - can you start by telling us your local Chiang Mai ISP, Internet speeds, SlingPlayer settings?

In Connecticut, Internet speeds (upload, in particular), SlingBox model (ProHD, Solo, AV?), router specs?

Thanks!

My local ISP in Chiang Mai is CAT and I subscribe to their HINET package that provides 3 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up.

I can connect to two Slingboxes -- both are the ProHD models. One SB is in Connecticut and other one is in Pennsylvania.

The Slingbox in Connecticut is connected to an ISP providing 12 Mbps down / 4 Mbps up and is the one that I posted the photo above steaming @ 1323 Kbps.

The SB in Pennsylvania is connected to an internet package that only provides (a pathetic) 1 Mbps upload speed. It is the fastest internet package for that rural area so my hands are really tied until the infrastructure improves. Still I have seen the streaming speeds typically around the 480 Kbps range. Not bad but not great either.

Linksys router model WRT54G used in Chiang Mai and Pennsylvania. Not sure what router might be in use in Connecticut. Maybe I can get the owner to chime in on this discussion.

I am not in Chiang Mai at the moment so I cannot provide any more screenshots nor what settings I might have used. The one screenshot that I posted was from back in March of this year that I found attached to an email that I had sent to the owner in Connecticut to show him the streaming speed.

Edited October 5, 2011 by Rice_King

[iainiain101]

Slingbox streaming @ 1323 Kbps from (a friend's SB in) Connecticut to my PC in Chiang Mai.

Holy Mackerel!!!

Please enlighten me (us) - can you start by telling us your local Chiang Mai ISP, Internet speeds, SlingPlayer settings?

In Connecticut, Internet speeds (upload, in particular), SlingBox model (ProHD, Solo, AV?), router specs?

Thanks!

My local ISP in Chiang Mai is CAT and I subscribe to their HINET package that provides 3 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up.

I can connect to two Slingboxes -- both are the ProHD models. One SB is in Connecticut and other one is in Pennsylvania.

The Slingbox in Connecticut is connected to an ISP providing 12 Mbps down / 4 Mbps up and is the one that I posted the photo above steaming @ 1323 Kbps.

The SB in Pennsylvania is connected to an internet package that only provides (a pathetic) 1 Mbps upload speed. It is the fastest internet package for that rural area so my hands are really tied until the infrastructure improves. Still I have seen the streaming speeds typically around the 480 Kbps range. Not bad but not great either.

I am not in Chiang Mai at the moment so I cannot provide any more screenshots nor what settings I might have used. The one screenshot that I posted was from back in March of this year that I found attached to an email that I had sent to the owner in Connecticut to show him the streaming speed.

I get around 540 kbps from my maxnet subscrition. what do you pat for CAT?

[Rice_King]

I get around 540 kbps from my maxnet subscrition. what do you pat for CAT?

I pay 2,022 baht per month for the CAT HINET package. (Pricey, I know. But it is a very reliable connection and rarely ever goes down.)

I know that there is not much I can do on my end to increase the 480 Kbps stream speeds from the box in Pennsylvania. The "choke point" is on that end with the 1 Mbps upload speed.

[howard251]

Hello All,

I live in a housing company in Hangdong, very near Kad Farang.

I am an old Maxnet customer which became 3BB. I am grandfathered on their old Internet package, 3MB down and 1MB up for 1,142 baht per month.

My Slingbox is located in Connecticut and connected to Comcast Cable. My speeds are consistently over 1300 Kbps and I am NOT using the VPN function.

The Comcast Internet cable box in Connecticut is the standard one used and issued by Comcast for the Triple Play customers, Internet, Phone and cable. I can't recall the name brand at this time.

Edited October 6, 2011 by howard251