Squeezebox Players

[Mikey.s]

Here is a challenge...

2 x Radio, 2 x boom, 1 x touch, 1 x ReadyNAS. Been working perfectly for a couple of years. Over the last month, every player has had a problem where it plays a stream for a few minutes (sometimes seconds) and then stops at 0% buffering, and after about a 10 to 30 second pause, says 'rebuffering failure' and then continues playing perfectly. This happens over and over again, sometimes 5 times a minute!

Tried hardwired connection, same problem.

Listening to locally stored media (songs saved on the readynas) are perfect without any faults all day.

Updated firmware, no change.

Selected squeezebox.com as server (instead of readynas), no change.

Really disappointed as it is not possible to listen anymore...

Anyone help?

[garymc]

given that local media plays fine and it is only internet radio, I can only suspect something going on in your external internet connection. Either the provider is throttling speeds on content streaming via the internet, or there is a bad cable/connection from the street to your house, or your cable modem or DSL modem is going bad or your router is going bad (at least the part that deals with external internet traffic).

First, do a speed test of your network connection. This site works for this:

http://www.speedtest.net/

Next, I might start with getting a new router (as this is cheap and under your control).  If that doesn't solve the problem, then you'll have to get the internet service provider involved as the issue is either with your service in general, the connection to your house, or the modem.

p.s. I assume with internet radio, you mean several sources that are known to work ok.  For example, if you are talking about something like SiriusXM or Pandora or Spotify, etc. these may have some problems themselves unrelated to your network. So I assume you are testing on generic internet radio stations as well.  Radioparadise.com, etc.

[squeezeit]

Is this happening when only a single player is currently streaming?  i.e.  No other players are also streaming?

All players are un-Sync'd?

[Mikey.s]

Thank you for your reply.

It happens with any of the players which are typically played on their own i.e. not more than one downloading a stream or any players sync'd up.

[Mikey.s]

Thank you for taking the time to write your detailed reply. I've a feeling you may be on the right track with regard to the ISP throttling bandwidth, as this has coincided with me signing up for and watching the Cricket from Australia - live video for 3 hours each day (for a month). I didnt think it would be an issue as we're on an unlimited plan (with Orange) but i am wondering if they might be fiddling with the connection now...

[garymc]

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Mikey.s wrote:

Thank you for taking the time to write your detailed reply. I've a feeling you may be on the right track with regard to the ISP throttling bandwidth, as this has coincided with me signing up for and watching the Cricket from Australia - live video for 3 hours each day (for a month). I didnt think it would be an issue as we're on an unlimited plan (with Orange) but i am wondering if they might be fiddling with the connection now...

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aha. I suspect this as well.

[Mikey.s]

If so, perhaps it will be sorted when the cricket finishes on the 19th !  So much for unlimited (uncapped) downloads - how are we supposed to adopt a future of internet based media such as tv and films when they wont provide the bandwidth (not asking you for an answer - just putting the question out there...)

Thanks again.

[garymc]

good point. debates about this are certainly ongoing in the US. Some of the internet providers are also the cable TV providers. So there is a competition that in some cases doesn't make sense. That is, the cable providers want you to watch ondemand movies from their systems rather than NETFLIX streaming movies.

bottom line we need better bandwidth and probably need to separate ownership of access to the internet from whether you are also a cable subscriber.