Consistant 70+Mb/s connection buffering a 480p Youtube Video? is EE throtteling?

[ashreid20]

Has anyone else had issues with having poor connections to specific sites?
I am having regular issues watching youtube, buffering even low-resolution videos. It is just me in the house and of all the times I have done a speed check, I don't remember ever getting below 70Mb/s.

I want to know If EE is/has to throttle specific sites that have both high amounts of users and data requirements such as Youtube?

Has anyone with the same issue had any luck switching DNS or by some other method?

After reading some other threads I should add: I have an iPhone, but I mainly use and am having issues with a PC. That, and with the speed checks, I am confident It is not a Wifi connection issue or something similar that has been suggested elsewhere.

Ta'

[XRaySpeX]

Welcome to EE's Home Broadband Forum.

EE don't throttle your connection or even any particular sites.

If you would like help with your BB speed or connection issues, please would you carry out the following steps for starters, which will enable us to diagnose the problem and advise you further. Do not restart your router to do these tests:

1. Post your full router stats:

• For a BrightBox: login and go to Advanced Settings/ System/ DSL Status. Also post 'System Uptime' from top of System Log page.
• For a SmartHub: login and go to Advanced Settings/ Technical Log/ Information. Obscure your names & any numbers in the BB Username & also the SSIDs.

Full router stats are key to any speed & connection issues.

2. Try a wired speedtest, using an Ethernet cable supplied with the router, here http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html . Click on the "Results Page" button at the bottom of the graph you first see and then copy to here just the "Link to this result:" link that you see below the next main graph.

3. What does BT Wholesale Broadband Availability Checker estimate for your phone number? Post just the whole table and the line above it, blanking out your phone number. If it doesn't recognise your phone number or you don't have one, use the Address Checker, not the Postcode Checker.

[mikeliuk]

Hi @ashreid20 ,

In addition to the above very good advice, YouTube has the inbuilt tool "stats for nerds" allowing you to monitor the real-time bandwidth and buffer health which may be of usage in understanding the issue.

It can usually be found fairly easily in the options but the below will help locate the tool.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/your-youtube-videos-are-too-slow-heres-how-to-fix-it...

[ashreid20]

thanks for the response

~~roiuter stats~~

Product name:Smart Hub

Serial number:+EEH001+##########

Firmware version:v0.06.01.08190-EE

Firmware updated:Mon Dec 7 02:09:51 2020

Board version:01

DSL uptime:2 Days, 8 Hours, 11 Mins, 15 Secs

Data rate:20.00 Mbps / 80.00 Mbps

Maximum data rate:28.58 Mbps / 83.40 Mbps

Noise margin (up/down):11.2 / 4.6

Line attenuation (up/down):14.8 / 13.5

Signal attenuation (up/down):14.7 / 13.5

Data sent / received:1.0 GB / 5.7 GB

Broadband username:PRODUCTION############

2.4 GHz wireless network name:EE-Hub-#######

2.4 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel 6)

5 GHz wireless network name:EE-Hub-########

5 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel 48)

Wireless security:WPA2

Wireless mode:Mode 1

Firewall:Default

MAC address:###########

Software variant:-

Boot loader:0.0.3-EE (Mon Dec 4 17:32:53 2017)

~~wired speedtest~~
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1628413124830972255

~~Wholesale Availability~~

Featured Products	Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)		Upstream Line Rate (Mbps)		Downstream HandbackThreshold(Mbps)	WBC FTTC Availability Date	WBC SOGEA Availability Date
	High	Low	High	Low
VDSL Range A (Clean)	80	70	20	19	64.3	Waiting list	Waiting list
VDSL Range B (Impacted)	80	67	20	19	60	Waiting list	Waiting list

Featured Products	Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)	Upstream Line Rate (Mbps)	Downstream Range (Mbps)	Availability Date	FTTP Install Process
FTTP on Demand	330	50	--	Available	--

ADSL Products	Downstream Line Rate (Mbps)	Upstream Line Rate (Mbps)	Downstream Range(Mbps)	Availability Date
WBC ADSL 2+	Up to 12	--	7 to 17	Available
WBC ADSL2+ Annex M	Up to 12	Up to 1	7 to 17	Available
ADSL Max	Up to 6.5	--	5.5 to 8	Available
WBC Fixed Rate	--	--	--	Available
Fixed Rate	--	--	--	Available

Other Offerings	Availability Date
VDSL Multicast	Available
ADSL Multicast	Available
Exchange Product Restrictions	Status
FTTP Priority Exchange	N
WLR Withdrawal	N
SOADSL Restriction	Y

The reason I ask about throttling specific sites is I can, for example, stream something just fine, no buffering at all on 4OD, skip over to youtube and it will struggle to play a 420p video without buffering. I really don't understand.

[ashreid20]

I have seen the nerds tool before, but I don't know how it can help me beyond telling me that my network might sit at 45-65mb/s for a bit when it is working well, then drop to maybe 10-12mb/s and show me a count of the frames I lost when the video buffers.

[XRaySpeX]

Thanks. Everything looks good.

Locate the hidden test socket that is revealed when you remove the bottom half of the split faceplate (2 screws or press tabs) of your master socket. Only do this if you have a split faceplate. Do you have any extension sockets in the home even if unused? Are there any wires connected to back of faceplate of master socket?

Try the BT Quiet Line Test (QLT), dial 17070 Opt 2, preferably with a corded phone, in the test socket with the router disconnected. If there is any noise, report it to your landline provider as a voice fault (don't mention Broadband). Often sorting out voice faults will fix the Broadband as well.

Reboot the router & plug it into the test socket. Post the full router stats & System Uptime when plugged into test socket.

Is the issue any better?

[mikeliuk]

Hi @ashreid20 ,

"Stats for nerds" exists to debug the issue which you have reported. It is not mandatory to use it if you have a better tool that serves the same purpose. Good luck!

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7519898

Per the CNET link, a 480p stream only requires 1.1 Mbps which is far below the numbers which you speculated might explain the problem. Sitting at 10 Mbps does not explain.

If there's anything causing that particular video at that particular resolution to be throttled, or one or more YouTube servers to be throttled for whatever reason, stats for nerds would show this directly with sub 1.1 Mbps sustained for longer than 30 seconds and the buffer emptying. I.e. it would answer your question of whether there is any throttling (it may not be deliberate throttling but congestion causing indirect or incidental throttling that may not occur for a more popular video or different copy/resolution).