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Pompey's avatar
Pompey
Roku Guru
9 months ago

Roku Ultra 4802 Ethernet speed decrease

With all the app background updates happening in preparation for OS14, I noticed something strange with my Ultra. I have it wired to my gateway and usually use it on WiFi.  I usually run a connection test a few times each week; and just recently the speed results for Ethernet have dropped slightly.  In the past, the test reliably pegged at 93 Mbps, which is about the maximum throughput you will get with the 10/100 base port. Now I get results of between 69 and 75 Mbps. I never get back to my previous speed.

My WiFi speed results are the same; reliably pegging at 212 Mbps. I did some troubleshooting to see if I have a local problem.....  I swapped out the Ethernet cable, swapped ports on the gateway, checked gateway admin to make sure there were no changed port settings, or strange mac address issues.  Everything seems OK.  All my Ethernet cables are Cat 6, which should be fine for 10/100/1000 base.

I have not done any changes to my Roku; no new app installs or changes.  Nothing seems to have changed with my ISP service; my laptop with a USB-C gigabit Ethernet dongle reports the same range between 300-400 Mbps as always.

What would make my speed drop slightly, by about 20 Mbps?

Could these background updates have done something to the processing for the Ethernet port?

Could there be an app that has gone rogue and is loading down the Ethernet port?

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

tv & player wifi

2 Replies

  • jontalk's avatar
    jontalk
    Roku Guru
    9 months ago

    PompeySpeed decrease aside, are you experiencing streaming issues? I ask since UHD content requires far less speed than you've stated here. I use a Power Line set adapter for the Roku, TV and AVR and get about 82 mbps even though the LAN speed is over 360, but its more than enough for 4K streaming.

    The other thing to consider are how servers calculate speeds. Since you use WiFi have you installed WiFi Analyzer for Android or something similar for iPhone? As you may know, these apps are great for discovering channel congestion. I recently switched to the 2.4 gHz band which is far less congested and gets better throughput for this reason..Hope you find what you seek

    • Pompey's avatar
      Pompey
      Roku Guru
      9 months ago

      The streaming performance on Ethernet is fine at the reduced speed I am getting.  No buffering at all. I just find it strange that I would get the 93 Mbps result like clockwork; on my older 4660 as well. Now the slight dip.

      I regularly use inSSIDer to monitor my environment .... I live in congested apartment world, after all.  I check to see if I should use static, rather than dynamic channel allocation.  I check the dBm of access points around me. I have almost all my devices hardwired, as a complement or alternative, in the face of possible WiFI issues.