Strange remote-access buffering/speed issue?

Plex Media Server Remote Access
1

Server Version#: 1.25.0.5282-2edd3c44d (Ubuntu Package)
Player Version#: Web, Win10, Android

I’m having a very strange issue with my Plex server and endless buffering. I’m at a loss of what else to check. Playback is trying to view DVD quality content.

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Plex Server: Ubuntu Server VM, 4 cores, 8GB RAM, 1Gbps e1000

Hypervisor: CentOS 7, Intel(R) Xeon(R) E-2176G CPU @ 3.70GHz, 64GB RAM, 2x1Gbps bonded NIC

Router: pfSense, AMD RX-427BB, 16GB RAM, i350-T4 NICISP: 1000x50 (actual 700x25 to 950x53)

Playback content: DVD quality, ~9Mbps, 480p

Player: Firefox browser Linux (similar issue appears to affect Win10 app, Android app)

Boot OS and Plex directory are on SSD-backed RAID1 storage

Media library directory is on HDD-backed RAID5 storage

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CPU utilization on the VM is very low (<20% during playback with or without transcoding)

RAM utilization on the hypervisor is very low (<5% during playback with or without transcoding)

CPU utilization on the hypervisor is low (<60% peak, several VMs running)

RAM utilization on the hypervisor is as expected (<80% peak, several VMs running)

Network utilization in/out of hypervisor is low, ~100Mbps in, <10Mbps out)

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Test Cases - where it gets funky:

LAN playback is fine, multiple streams at once. No issues.

Remote playback (internet) → maybe transcode to 700Kbps without buffering (if that)

Remote playback (OpenVPN on pfSense different interface but same router where Plex is) → can’t even do 700Kbps without buffering

Remote playback (Firefox SOCKS5 proxy via SSH tunnel Linux box on same subnet as Plex server) → Works great, as good as LAN, easy 10Mbps throughput or any transcode quality, fast, no buffering

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This seems very confusing to me. Clearly my server running Plex can handle the streaming because it works locally and when I use a SSH tunnel/SOCKS5 proxy. Clearly my ISP upload can handle the bitrates because it works fine if I use a SSH tunnel/SOCKS5 proxy back to the same subnet Plex is on.

Why can it not handle more than a trickle of bandwidth when I am using remote-playback “normally” or thru OpenVPN?

2

Hi, I have the same issue, I am not limited in any way by hardware or internet, yet PMS can not go over 45 Mbps upload. Here is my post:

3

I recommend doing a base networking speed test between the two points.

  1. On the Linux machine
  • Install iperf3
  • Start the iperf3 server in a command line shell with iperf3 -s
  • Open and port forward port 5201 (TCP/UDP) from the modem router to the Linux machine
  1. In the client
  • Install iperf3
  • Invoke the test using
    • iperf3 -c ip.addr.of.server
  • Let it finish
    • iperf3 -c ip.addr.of.server -R

You will now have definitive point-to-point network performance.

It will show -

  • Throughput
  • Number of retries (which will impact Plex’s streaming)
4

So it gets even more strange doing that.

iperf3 from my hypervisor thru the Internet to my parents house – around 35-40Mbps (in line with my upload speeds)

iperf3 from Plex VM to my hypervisor – 950Mbps
iperf3 from Plex VM to my laptop over WiFi LAN – 350-400Mbps (maxes out my WiFi)

iperf3 from Plex VM thru the Internet to my parents house – around 750-800Kbps

So I’m still stuck with this bizarre issue. I don’t think it could be with the VM or hypervisor because it can max out my LAN. But I don’t think it could be the Internet because I can max that out with a different LAN host.

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