Streaming interruptions over LAN

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 4.118.0
Player Version#:Any

We have a fiber LAN which connects to my home router and uses static IP addresses controlled by the home router. The Plex server is on one side of the LAN. The other side has a Wi-Fi access point which passes the video stream to the legacy TV via a Chromecast Wi-Fi client device.
Sometimes the streaming hangs and viewing is interrupted or briefly recovers. Later on the same material plays perfectly. After analysis it seems that the when the home gateway suffers internet connectivity interruptions it affects Plex streaming. Is there a setting in Plex that prevents the LAN being affected by short term WAN problems?

2

Sounds like Plex might not recognize those streams to be local, resulting in that hiccup.

What information is showing in the “now playing” tile for that playback on the Plex server dashboard?
Exemplary screenshot from the "now playing" section
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200871837-status-and-dashboard/

3

Thanks for the useful comment. I have as follows:
image

4

On the mobile it is similar.
image

5

Do you experience the hiccups on both devices (accounting for the transcoding required for the browser streaming)?

6

I have not watched much video on the PC or smartphone. Once Plex loads on the phone the stream is redirected to a large screen TV using the Chromecast icon in plex. The problem occurs with this setup usually between 8 and 9 pm when internet traffic is high. HD movies seem to be affected more. What setting would be recommended for the transcoding option?

7

Further to my answer above, the screengrab is with Chromecast active. Transcoding is used by the server. When viewing on the smartphone Direct Play is active.

image

8

Below screengrab is with transcoding disabled because the HP laptop server used probably does not have hardware for this.
image

9

Newer content (more resolution) uses direct play.
image

10

The Yellowstone file above is low res i.e. 319 MB. The system does not cope playing a hi-res version of 1801 MB. Continuous interruptions happening.

11

After some testing with different content I’ve come to the conclusion that hi res content for a 40 inch TV screen needs transcoding active to meet the required bitrate. It is possible to downgrade the resolution on the fly on the smartphone. I will try this when problems are encountered. Regarding the server hardware; disk, memory and CPU are not being stressed so I would imagine that the hardware is good enough to handle high res streaming.

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