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Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 10:59:06 GMT

On Sunday morning I like to tell my Google Nest devices ‘OK Google, play Classic FM from Global Player on Downstairs’. ‘Downstairs’ being two coupled Google Nest devices, ‘Global Player’ because Google will otherwise default to Tune In, which won’t display what music is actually playing.

Saying this mouthful once is bad enough, but ever since we dropped from 900Mbps to 500Mbps, and took EETV, I’m having to say it several times, as Google has taken to buffering; and once it does, it never unbuffers (I’ve left it for up to 30 minutes) until I say the mouthful again.

I’ve rebooted the ONT, the Home Hub 2, the Google Nests; nothing fixes it.

It never did this before the change; nothing else buffers, even now, and I would have thought a radio station a very light load on a broadband line. The new EETV Box Pro is on, but in standby throughout.

Any thoughts out there?

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Crimliar — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 19:32:00 GMT

For now, I'd put this down to coincidence - these things do happen. *I would assume you completely reset the Google Nest devices after changing internet suppliers and that there are no settings hanging over!

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 20:13:57 GMT

@Midnight_Voice

I believe EETV delivers content over multicast. The multicast packets are probably swamping the Google Nest devices and causing them to perform badly.

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Crimliar — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 20:51:41 GMT

Multicast is a one to many protocol not a one to all protocol!

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 21:32:41 GMT

@Crimliar

Thanks, but I didn’t change internet suppliers, I just dropped my 900Mbps from BT to 500 Mbps from BT, sane fibre connection, same router, everything. So seamless I’m not even sure when, exactly, it changed, though I know the week it was in.

Coincidence is certainly a possibility that I will consider when all possible mechanisms have been discounted, but I’m looking for possible mechanisms first.

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 21:43:51 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe

Thanks.

Yes, that is certainly a possible mechanism that I have considered, but I believe I have read that multicast packets don’t flow unless I actively watch an internet channel delivered that way, and all three of my YouView boxes that are active (Pro, Mini, T4000) are in standby, not even recording anything, and as quiescent as they get, though I know they are always ‘plotting in the background’.

If there are multicast packets flowing though, can I stop them by switching all the YouView boxes off at the mains, at least as a test? Or do I get multicast packets anyway, by mere dint of having EETV?

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 21:46:04 GMT

@Crimliar

Not if your IGMP snooping isn’t exactly right, it isn’t!

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:43:43 GMT

@Midnight_Voice

You could try turning off the TV boxes as you suggested, and see if it stops the multicast stream, although I think its present all of the time on all of the ports on the home hub, and I suppose also on the 5GHz wireless.

If there is an Ethernet controller involved with the Google devices, then preventing the multicast packets getting to it, would be one solution.

This is an old issue which has been present for a long time now.

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

TimCurtis — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 07:51:54 GMT

The only time I've seen Multicast to be a problem was at my son's house when he had a Netgear switch that didn't support IGMP Snooping and his Sky Q setup was being totally flooded as the switch sent the transmission to all it's outlet ports. I changed it to a TP-Link version and all was good.

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

TimCurtis — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 09:00:40 GMT

@Midnight_Voice

Just had some thoughts and making some assumptions.

The mini box works in IP Mode I think as it has no aerial input so therefore I would guess that it's getting EPG updates all the time hence the continual Multicast transmissions so anything that's in the network infrastructure that doesn't support IGMP Snooping could affect receiving devices.

I don't know how the Pro box is setup but if in IP Mode then a similar scenario would exist.

I believe the SH2 does support IGMP Snooping in wireless mode but previous home hubs didn't and many 3rd party routers don't.

Re: Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

naylor2006 — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 11:33:50 GMT

@Midnight_Voice

It does sound like multicast flooding in theory but without knowing the setup of the SH2 its hard to know. Surely fundamentally though the SH2 has an internal setup intelligent enough not to flood the network with multicast packets when IPTV is switched on at the ISP. Sure if you were using a 3rd party router not setup for IPTV at all its possible but I really cant imagine the SH2 is that dumb.

It does interest me how it is setup on the SH2, all the ports will work for Multicast tele along with its WIFI, but it must have some mitigating setup to avoid flooding all the devices connected via Ethernet or WIFI that do not want those packets. Having to set that up on a 3rd party router can yield varied results, in fact I find it most easiest to just use a single port and send all the Multicast there, so the SH2 is cleverer than me, I hope.

Potentially the addition of the boxes is causing some additional WIFI load which is enough to slow the Nest's slightly, I havent spotted if you said if the EETV's are connected via WIFI but I assume one is?

As for some stats, with my EETV in standby the current throughput to its interface is more or less constantly around 75 kbps, very small amount, of course if I power on the box that will rise to Megabits depending on the channel.

As for my IGMP proxy:

Box in Standby checking 3 times a few seconds apart

Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22348347 228.49MB 0
Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22348384 228.54MB 0
Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22348444 228.61MB 0

So there is a steady tick over but nothing significant, nothing I think that would flood anything

Box streaming Sky Sports Main Event checking 3 times a few seconds apart

Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22350315 231.03MB 0
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 38547 49.85MB 0
Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22350351 231.03MB 0
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 43673 56.48MB 0
Group Origin In Out Pkts Bytes Wrong
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 22350380 231.12MB 0
234.81.x.x 109.159.x.x eth0 eth4 47815 61.83MB 0

So when a channel is streamed a new connection is opened up which is shown by the second IP which a much quicker rate of travel, as you can see the first line is still there at the same as it was in standby increasing in the same slow fashion, but the second line now present, is moving at a rate reflecting the channel traffic. Recording two channels at once and there would be a 3rd line there also.

What I am drawing from this is that when the boxes are in Standby, not alot is happening at all and I would be very surprised if any flooding took place, especially on the SH2 which should have built in mitigation for that anyway. In my case eth0 is connect to my ONT and eth4 is a dedicated port for my IPTV and my router is setup just to pick up multicast from eth0 and send it to eth4 where the only device connected is the EETV Box Pro. I can stick any switch on eth4 and connect multiple TV Boxes.

I dont think its your new EETV mate but happy for the above to be interpreted differently.

Edit: OMG the formatting is not ideal, sorry for that, the headings arent lining up as bring it over from putty is screwing it up, even if I use the code block.