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Help with DLNA

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kmmr
kmmr Posts: 1,373 Forumite
edited 16 July 2013 at 6:37PM in Techie Stuff
Hi,

I've recently discovered the joys of DLNA, and have been streaming movies from my laptop to my Nexus 7. It's great as my laptop is annoyingly noisy, so being able to view them on the Nexus has been a great advance.

However, I wanted to get some advice on where to put the various devices. Basically - I can't decide if the laptop should be as close as practical to the Nexus, or to the WI-FI router. Does the data stream from the laptop, through the router, and then to the Nexus, or does it stream directly from Laptop to Nexus.

I had assumed it went through the wi-fi router, so I put the laptpp near that. But, actually, I get better smoother streaming if the laptop is near the Nexus.

Basically, the link isn't very stable, and I wanted to see what I could do to improve the streaming. I know my router isn't great, and there are walls in the way, but it works about 80% of the time. Enough to make you frustrated that it isn't quite right!

Thanks for your help

Comments

  • fwor
    fwor Posts: 6,862 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Unless you have done some fancy network settings and have set the laptop up as a wifi hotspot, you are right - the traffic will be going wifi from laptop to the router and then wifi to the Nexus.

    You could do some customisation of your wifi setup to make it better, but to my mind the simplest, quickest solution would be to have a temporary ethernet lead hanging out of the router that you just go and plug the laptop into when streaming stuff. You would then be in a position where the laptop and Nexus are no longer fighting one another for bandwidth.

    You may need to change the network settings to give the wired LAN priority on the laptop when it's plugged into the router, but I doubt it...

    As well as being more complicated, other solutions (such as the laptop acting as a hotspot) may have serious security issues that you would need to take care of.
  • kmmr
    kmmr Posts: 1,373 Forumite
    edited 16 July 2013 at 8:43PM
    fwor wrote: »
    You could do some customisation of your wifi setup to make it better, but to my mind the simplest, quickest solution would be to have a temporary ethernet lead hanging out of the router that you just go and plug the laptop into when streaming stuff. You would then be in a position where the laptop and Nexus are no longer fighting one another for bandwidth.

    Great idea - I don't think I have a cable at the moment, but I will source one. It's funny how sometimes you need someone to point out the easy solution.

    Another question - for the WiFi, does it make much of a difference if the doors between rooms are closed? The wifi router sits in one room, there is a quite solid wall, and then where I work. Between the two rooms there are two doors (via a corridor).

    Do you think the WiFi should be faster if I have the doors open? The direct line from WiFi to me is through the wall, so opening the doors means the WiFi is going for a short wander to get to me! It feels like it shouldn't make any difference (surely wi-fi travels in straight lines) but sometimes it does. Am I imagining it?
  • fwor
    fwor Posts: 6,862 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    kmmr wrote: »
    Another question - for the WiFi, does it make much of a difference if the doors between rooms are closed? The wifi router sits in one room, there is a quite solid wall, and then where I work. Between the two rooms there are two doors (via a corridor).

    Do you think the WiFi should be faster if I have the doors open? The direct line from WiFi to me is through the wall, so opening the doors means the WiFi is going for a short wander to get to me! It feels like it shouldn't make any difference (surely wi-fi travels in straight lines) but sometimes it does. Am I imagining it?

    It depends on the construction of the house, and what the doors are made of.

    Most modern houses have stud walls and cardboard-core doors, neither of which get in the way of wifi much. In that situation, the biggest factor may well be ~your~ position. The human body is largely water, and this can affect wifi signals significantly if it is in between transmitter and receiver.

    BTW, if you go for the hard-wired LAN connection, you may need to take specific action to turn off wifi on the laptop, as I suspect its proximity to the router may be "drowning out" the wifi connection to the Nexus...
  • almillar
    almillar Posts: 8,621 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Walls are far worse than doors for WiFi, and worse again if there's metal in them. Also, there is such a thing as being too close to the router, which you may have experienced when setting your laptop next to it.
    Nexus 7 has 'N' WiFi - does your laptop and router? Streaming video is one of the occasions where it would be worth spending extra and have everything running on 'N' which is faster AND more robust.
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