Server Version#: 1.18.1.1966
Player Version#: 4.11.1
I tried playing a UHD HDR10 Video file with 45.6 Mbps. Both the Plex Dashboard and my WiFi AP reported a 78 Mbps connection to my TV however the stream (video was streamed directly with audio being transcoded from DTS-HD MA to AAC) only used 31 Mbps leading to about 10 seconds of buffering every 5-10 seconds of playback.
I have checked both CPU and RAM usage on the server and neither exceed 50% at any point during the stream.
Could this be a configuration error or is this one of those instances of WiFi just being rubbish?
From what I know about wireless networking and my experience so far with Plex is that even though you have a 78 Mbps connection, that doesn’t take into account overhead traffic for signalling and error correction. Next is the fact that Plex transmits in bursts so if the burst of data gets limited by the connection stability and speed then you will get buffering and finally, if there are other wireless devices being used at the same time, then the " Slice " of data throughput directly to the TV will also be reduced. The speed tests will give you instant connectivity speeds but not the maintained speed while other devices are being used.
I hope that helps. Personally, I wire as many devices as possible directly to the router so if you can, connect the TV to the router wired.
This. Although the specific reason for the bandwidth reduction is inherent to the WiFi protocol, in particular CSMA/CA. This imposes a delay between wireless packet transmissions whereby the sending station checks for other devices using the channel. Wired Ethernet connections use CSMA/CD which doesn’t impose the need for these “stop and listen” gaps between packets, so your actual throughput on a wired connection gets much closer to the line rate.
My personal rule-of-thumb is to divide the Wi-Fi rate by 2, to get an estimate of the real-world peak throughput achievable.
