[DurhamDev]

Ok, so through the magic of freecycling (http://freecycle.org) I have built up two P4 systems (one 3.7GHz and one 2GHz) which run XBMC on Windows XP surprisingly well. The 3.7GHz system houses all of my media (movies, tv shows, and music) while the other one just runs the XBMC program. Here's the rub. The wireless network in my home is "G", meaning maximum 54Mbps transfers. I configured the one P4 with all of my media with shared directories so that the other could see the files, but when I tried to run a movie through it, it showed a single frame, the word "buffering" and did little else.

I'm looking for thoughts from others who might have an XBMC Network configuration, or have run into similar problems. My first thought is that I could actually wire up my systems, effectively running them at 100Mbps, however, I'm wondering if even that would make a difference. If not, then upgrading to a Gigabit Network Router, but that means new router, cards and cables. (Of course, there's always the 'sell/give away the second media system' idea, or the 'copy everything from one to the other' idea...)

What do you think? Is there any hope for me?



Thanks in advance!

Rick // The DurhamDev

[BananasQ]

Have you tried copying a file over the network between the two to see what transfer rates you are really getting? Wireless G should be fine for standard movies in avi.

[DurhamDev]

Have you tried copying a file over the network between the two to see what transfer rates you are really getting? Wireless G should be fine for standard movies in avi.

I did a quick copy, and I think I was getting ~125KB/s... I personally think it was too slow, but I'm not sure where the bottleneck is. It might be an older router, or perhaps some line noise. I was considering actually trying connecting RJ-45 cables to each with a spare router I have, to see if it improves.

It's good to know that "G" should support the transfer, though. It means I'm going in the right direction.

[woodyearl]

I did a quick copy, and I think I was getting ~125KB/s... I personally think it was too slow, but I'm not sure where the bottleneck is. It might be an older router, or perhaps some line noise. I was considering actually trying connecting RJ-45 cables to each with a spare router I have, to see if it improves.

It's good to know that "G" should support the transfer, though. It means I'm going in the right direction.

I get 1.5-2.25 mbs wireless and about 7mbs wired. 125kbs is SLOW.

[DurhamDev]

I get 1.5-2.25 mbs wireless and about 7mbs wired. 125kbs is SLOW.

A-Ha! Well, the plot thickens! I tried communicating with a different computer (my Wife's actually) and hers is only running a "B" NIC... ...and I received 512KB/s transfer speeds. So, it would seem that there's some bottleneck or speed issue with my media system's NIC.

Now, here's the thing. The media system is (currently) running a USB NIC, which is a "G", so you would think it should run fast... ...but perhaps being a USB causes a slowdown? I'm going to see if I can find a working "G" NIC around here somewhere. If so, then maybe it will start running more respectfully.



A-HA! I think I've figured it out... It IS some type of interference. When I moved (silly me) the USB from the BACK to the FRONT USB, it didn't have the whole chassis to travel through, and immediately gave me 386KB/s transfer rates... Imagine what I'll get when I finally move the system within 10 FEET of the router! (Yes, that plan is in the works.)

Thanks all! I'll update when I've been able to make some improvements with my other tests.

Rick // DurhamDev

[kizer]

Personally I'd always go wired if all possible.

[BananasQ]

Personally I'd always go wired if all possible.

Agreed. Especially if you are moving it to within 10 foot just go wired. HD content needs it.

[sh0x]

I have centralized storage accessed by several HTPC over the network. The ones with a 100Mb or greater wired connection is the best experience for 1080p playback. I have one machine I use over wireless G and it'll playback 1080p content ok but navigating chapters in a movie is slow, as it takes some time to buffer the data before starting playback.

Make sure your wireless network has a strong signal between your devices and that you're using a channel that isn't conflicting with other devices using the 2.4Ghz frequency spectrum (this is common). Try using different channels.

[DurhamDev]

I have centralized storage accessed by several HTPC over the network. The ones with a 100Mb or greater wired connection is the best experience for 1080p playback. I have one machine I use over wireless G and it'll playback 1080p content ok but navigating chapters in a movie is slow, as it takes some time to buffer the data before starting playback.

Good call. I think I've decided to wire both Media Systems, and then keep any wireless available for my laptops. This way, everything will run as quickly as possible.

Make sure your wireless network has a strong signal between your devices and that you're using a channel that isn't conflicting with other devices using the 2.4Ghz frequency spectrum (this is common). Try using different channels.

I've done that - and it worked like a charm.

[sh0x]

When I moved (silly me) the USB from the BACK to the FRONT USB, it didn't have the whole chassis to travel through, and immediately gave me 386KB/s transfer rates...

Another option to consider instead of using wireless USB network adapters is to use a wireless ethernet bridge. This is useful when you need to connect several home theater devices that don't support wireless natively. Any access point that dd-wrt or open-wrt supports can be flashed to support this features plus it can be configured as a repeater to extend the coverage area of your existing wireless network.