Attn: Networking Gurus - Help me understand this...

bam2413

Getting the hang of it
Nov 6, 2019
52
41
Minnesota
Problem: IP Cam System has created LAN buffering issues

Setup: 10 IP Cameras, Ubiquiti POE 24 Port Managed Switch, Standalone i7-4770k PC Blue Iris Server, Hitron Wifi Modem

First off, apologize for the cheezy diagram but networking is not my strongest point, and I am hoping it helps illustrate my setup better. I recently installed 10 IP Cameras per the diagram below. During the install I upgraded the living room with a 55" 4K Television and noticed that while watching Hulu or another streaming service I encounter errors due to buffering. (TV is Wifi) Trying to troubleshoot this, I opened the Blue Iris app on my phone while connected to wifi and noticed when moving my PTZ, it almost exactly correlates to triggering the buffering issue on the television.

How do I fix this? I don't notice any issues when I turn the wifi off on my phone and then control the Wifi. It is my understanding that if I create a gigabit LAN network I won't come near pushing the limits, is this correct, and if so how would I do that? I have a Ubiquiti Edge 4 router I haven't set up yet, will adding this into the diagram help? Or is it because the new TV's wifi sucks?

Any ideas? Thanks IPCT
 

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i have 19 cameras connected to the giga switch. i don't have any problem. how fast your internet?

Its advertised as 100 Mbps Internet. I thought about upgrading to gigabit, although not symmetrical. Would faster internet have an effect on devices communicating together on my LAN though?
 

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Its advertised as 100 Mbps Internet. I thought about upgrading to gigabit, although not symmetrical. Would faster internet have an effect on devices communicating together on my LAN though?
no. login your switch...it should tell u the load of the lan and wifi.
 
Where is the BI PC on the diagram?
If it's connected over WiFi then all the camera traffic is going over WiFi.
The PC should connect to a gigabit uplink port on the switch.
 
Where is the BI PC on the diagram?
If it's connected over WiFi then all the camera traffic is going over WiFi.
The PC should connect to a gigabit uplink port on the switch.
i missed that....pc must connect to a gigabit uplink port on the switch...no over wifi.
 
My bad, yes the BI PC is connected directly to a port on the switch. Which port is the uplink port? I think I just plugged it into a random port.
 
Yeah I just logged into the switch it shows port 23 as uplink...hmm I don't know what the deal is. Maybe Ill run a Cat 6 cable from the modem to the switch...probably wouldn't make much of a difference. Or maybe run an ethernet from the TV to the Switch
 
What is providing the actual wifi? is it the isp modem? if so then it could be that causing the issue, they do not tend to output a strong signal and if the tv is contending with you using a network intensive app over wifi then !!

I would put the TV on a wire for a start.

You may find the modem is not mimo 2/4 or equivalent, probably single, if you have ubiquiti, then look at a decent WAP from them
 
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Agree with @Silas - you can pick up a decent Ubiquiti AP for about $130 here. This will give you some tools to troubleshoot wifi issues like channel utilization, congestion, etc. I have Ubiquiti gear here, 14 cameras plus 60 other wired and wifi devices with no issues. Those ten cameras shouldn't be taken up more than 10% of your available bandwidth. 10 cameras at 10 mb/s leaves a ton of headroom on a gigabit network. One other question, are all your streaming devices wifi?
 
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Agree with @Silas - you can pick up a decent Ubiquiti AP for about $130 here. This will give you some tools to troubleshoot wifi issues like channel utilization, congestion, etc. I have Ubiquiti gear here, 14 cameras plus 60 other wired and wifi devices with no issues. Those ten cameras shouldn't be taken up more than 10% of your available bandwidth. 10 cameras at 10 mb/s leaves a ton of headroom on a gigabit network. One other question, are all your streaming devices wifi?

Thanks for your response. Yes all the devices in my house that stream are wifi (Roku boxes, Smart TV ect) hopefully that's what you were referring to.
 
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What is providing the actual wifi? is it the isp modem? if so then it could be that causing the issue, they do not tend to output a strong signal and if the tv is contending with you using a network intensive app over wifi then !!

I would put the TV on a wire for a start.

You may find the modem is not mimo 2/4 or equivalent, probably single, if you have ubiquiti, then look at a decent WAP from them

Yes the ISP modern is providing the wifi. I'll check out those APs.
 
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much better the Ubiquiti APs will be rather than the modem supplying wifi. Keep in mind, you'll need a controller running their software if you go that route. They sell cloud keys that plug right into a POE port but you can use a PC and run the software that way as well. If you are set it and forget it type of person, you can run the controller software on Windows and only run it when you want to make config changes or update the firmware. The advantage of the cloudkey (or leaving the controller app running on the PC all the time) is the reporting of what's going on, on your network.
 
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I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much better the Ubiquiti APs will be rather than the modem supplying wifi. Keep in mind, you'll need a controller running their software if you go that route. They sell cloud keys that plug right into a POE port but you can use a PC and run the software that way as well. If you are set it and forget it type of person, you can run the controller software on Windows and only run it when you want to make config changes or update the firmware. The advantage of the cloudkey (or leaving the controller app running on the PC all the time) is the reporting of what's going on, on your network.

Thanks for the help, I will definetly be ordering one this weekend, it certainly cant hurt!
 
Thanks for the help, I will definetly be ordering one this weekend, it certainly cant hurt!
Ubiquiti also has a new product called a dream machine. It includes the access point, controller, 5 port gigabit switch and a security Gateway all in one. If you plan on purchasing the access point and a controller this may be a better way to go.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Ubiquiti also has a new product called a dream machine. It includes the access point, controller, 5 port gigabit switch and a security Gateway all in one. If you plan on purchasing the access point and a controller this may be a better way to go.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I actually just came across this when looking for an AP!