Google Nests buffering since getting EETV

[Midnight_Voice]

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?

[Crimliar]

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!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@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.

[Crimliar]

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

[Midnight_Voice]

@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.

[Midnight_Voice]

@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?

[Midnight_Voice]

@Crimliar 

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

[Keith_Beddoe]

@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.

[TimCurtis]

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.

[TimCurtis]

@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.