Guild Wars 2

I’ve been leveling my alts in EoTM, which gets kind of boring at times. To alleviate the boredom I like to stream Netflix on my second monitor. Last week I started having issues with connectivity while I had Netflix up.

I don’t play every day, other than to log on for my daily rewards, so I can’t say exactly when it started, but I first noticed it around 4-24-15. Before that, I was able to run Netflix and GW2 together for hours with no issues. I have not installed anything new on my system around that time other than windows updates and GW2 patches.

When I have both GW2 and Netflix running things will run fine for a few minuets then everyone on my screen will run off in a straight line. I will still be in control of my character’s movements, but none of my skills will work. Then after 30-60 seconds everything will catch up and I will often be downed. During this time, my ping is reported at 3000+ms.

This does not happen if my wife is streaming Netflix to the TV on the same wifi, it only happens if I have both running on my computer.

Is this a common issue? Should I just resign myself to this not working? I wouldn’t thing it is strange except for the fact that it used to work just fine.

Thanks,
WoolyWumpus

Do you happen to have a Killer Network NIC on your PC?

I have this TP Link wireless card.

WoolyWumpus.6417:

I have this TP Link wireless card.

Ok, wireless that could be why.

Netflix will download t 5-7Mb/s for its highdef content, and if your wireless is not setup correctly or having issues that could prevent any other app from running correctly while netflix is streaming.

I know that being set up on wireless is not optimal and will add a little latency, but none of these settings have changed in the last two months. Maybe it’s the actual show that I’m watching. if it switched to HD partway through the run of the show, that might increase the bandwidth needed for the stream . . . I’ll try streaming one of the early episodes tonight to see if that makes a difference.

well it has nothing to do with latency, it has to do with your total available BW via wireless. If you are only capable of a 7Mb/s wireless connection, and netflix is trying to use 9Mb/s for HD, its going to kill GW2 and any other application that is internet bound on your system.

Netflix lists their ultra HD streams at 7GBph which works out to less than 16 Mbps. I know that the show I was trying to watch was not Ultra HD, it’s probably not even HD. I’m using a 802.11n connection which should support over 400 Mbps between my router and my pc. I don’t know my exact download speed, but I know it can handle GW2 and Netflix running to a different device with no issues.

I’m mostly confused because this worked for months with no issue and now it’s a consistent, repeatable problem. I guess I’ll get wireshark running and see what’s going on in real time, I was just wanting to see if this was a known issue that started up recently or it was localized to my machine.

It really does sound like your computer can’t handle the 2 being streamed across your local network. And the reason it can stop working could have nothing to do with GW2 but that it’s a sign your wireless card is having issues.

It’s much more likely that your ISP had introduces some throttling (to save THEIR bandwidth) and GW2 connection is being effected by it (or the alternate routing due to the throttling profile the ISP is using). Keep in mind that Netflix client has built in buffering to allow for throttling to have minimal effect on the streaming content, but a semi-action oriented game like GW2 cannot handle being told to “wait” for data on a consistent basis (what throttling actually looks like to a networked program).

Best to run a TRACERT on your connection when failing and then present that data to your ISP (and complain about being throttled). It greatly depends on your actual contract with the ISP as to whether or not you can get the situation altered or not (if it turns out to be a throttling issue).

Brother Grimm.5176:

It’s much more likely that your ISP had introduces some throttling

I don’t think this is the case because GW2 works just fin if someone is streaming Netflix to a different device on my network, like the PS3. I really think the issue is local to my computer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to do much testing last night.

Ellieanna.5027:

It really does sound like your computer can’t handle the 2 being streamed across your local network. And the reason it can stop working could have nothing to do with GW2 but that it’s a sign your wireless card is having issues.

Any idea what might have changed in the last couple of weeks to cause this to suddenly become an issue? I haven’t made any major changes to my setup or installed any new programs other than standard Windows updates and GW2 patches.

WoolyWumpus.6417:

Ellieanna.5027:

It really does sound like your computer can’t handle the 2 being streamed across your local network. And the reason it can stop working could have nothing to do with GW2 but that it’s a sign your wireless card is having issues.

Any idea what might have changed in the last couple of weeks to cause this to suddenly become an issue? I haven’t made any major changes to my setup or installed any new programs other than standard Windows updates and GW2 patches.

It could very well be the card itself is starting to have issues. Technology can fail. If you can stream hardwired, then you know it’s your wireless having an issue. That’s really the best way to test is to plug the machine directly in and continue on like you are now. If others in the house can stream while you play, then it’s not something with GW2 but machine related.

I’m assuming you are logging in and watching Netflix via a browser….what one and have you tried a different browser? Could be a browser setting (or some change Netflix has made to their streaming content client).

Brother Grimm.5176:

I’m assuming you are logging in and watching Netflix via a browser….what one and have you tried a different browser? Could be a browser setting (or some change Netflix has made to their streaming content client).

I am using chrome, which could have updated without me knowing, so that’s a good idea.

Solution:

Don’t stream Netflix while playing the game.

abomally.2694:

Solution:

Don’t stream Netflix while playing the game.

Please don’t bother commenting if you’re not going to actually add to the conversation.

I know that I could stop streaming Netflix, or just stream it to my phone instead. That’s not the point. I am trying to find a specific cause, and hopefully a resolution, for the connection issues.

WoolyWumpus.6417:

abomally.2694:

Solution:

Don’t stream Netflix while playing the game.

Please don’t bother commenting if you’re not going to actually add to the conversation.

I know that I could stop streaming Netflix, or just stream it to my phone instead. That’s not the point. I am trying to find a specific cause, and hopefully a resolution, for the connection issues.

from your PC that you stream netflix to do the following

1. with nothing running on that pc, run a internet speedtest from speedtest.net
2. with netflix streaming a show that disconnects GW2, run a speedtest from speedtest.net

post the results.

It’s the internet, sometimes internet nodes (routers) have issues. If you are streaming in HD, you are creating a whole lot of work for your NIC (network card). Your CPU has to process all of that AND the video you’re streaming.

It’s also possible you have malware or trojans on your system adding to the bandwidth utilization. Did you even check for malware? Have you even tried disabling unneeded start-up programs that may be using even more bandwidth? Have you checked with your ISP to see if they are having issues?

The point is, there are a whole lot of things that can be causing issues. I’m really not sure why you would want to stream movies while playing this game though, when, at best, it may cause lag or disconnects. I have noticed this while playing GW2 and downloading files at the same time. The game is a bit laggy when I do that, but it works.

This really seems pretty normal to me considering the fact that you are streaming video at the same time. What has changed? The game has changed and may be requiring the CPU to process more network data. Netflix may have changed how they stream videos.

Personally, I would not try and stream video at the same time as playing an online game because I’m aware of the issues it can cause. There are probably things out of your control that have changed. You may not be able to resolve this. That’s why I said what I said.

abomally.2694:

It’s the internet, sometimes internet nodes (routers) have issues. If you are streaming in HD, you are creating a whole lot of work for your NIC (network card). Your CPU has to process all of that AND the video you’re streaming.

It’s also possible you have malware or trojans on your system adding to the bandwidth utilization. Did you even check for malware? Have you even tried disabling unneeded start-up programs that may be using even more bandwidth? Have you checked with your ISP to see if they are having issues?

The point is, there are a whole lot of things that can be causing issues. I’m really not sure why you would want to stream movies while playing this game though, when, at best, it may cause lag or disconnects. I have noticed this while playing GW2 and downloading files at the same time. The game is a bit laggy when I do that, but it works.

This really seems pretty normal to me considering the fact that you are streaming video at the same time. What has changed? The game has changed and may be requiring the CPU to process more network data. Netflix may have changed how they stream videos.

Personally, I would not try and stream video at the same time as playing an online game because I’m aware of the issues it can cause. There are probably things out of your control that have changed. You may not be able to resolve this. That’s why I said what I said.

Doesn’t mean that he should stop trying to figure out if there is a way to do both at the same time.

I suspect that he is asking too much of his CPU and network card (due to changes in the game or the way Netflix streams video). He may also simply be running out of bandwidth, which SirSquishy’s question will reveal.

If he can stream video on another device and play the game on his PC without issue; that rules out the bandwidth problem. If he only has issues doing both on the same PC, it’s likely that the CPU/NIC can’t keep up with the demand.

I’m not saying he shouldn’t seek a solution, although I was being a bit facetious with my first post. I’m saying that this may not have a solution due to the current state of how the game works and how Netflix works.

I think that’s a fair assessment of the issue here.

abomally.2694:

I suspect that he is asking too much of his CPU and network card (due to changes in the game or the way Netflix streams video). He may also simply be running out of bandwidth, which SirSquishy’s question will reveal.

If he can stream video on another device and play the game on his PC without issue; that rules out the bandwidth problem. If he only has issues doing both on the same PC, it’s likely that the CPU/NIC can’t keep up with the demand.

I’m not saying he shouldn’t seek a solution, although I was being a bit facetious with my first post. I’m saying that this may not have a solution due to the current state of how the game works and how Netflix works.

I think that’s a fair assessment of the issue here.

what I’m saying is its possible his SINGLE wireless NIC isn’t capable of streaming netflix HD and also other real-time applications such as GW2 with out having stability issues.

that is what my tests will reveal. I doubt its his ISP or Internet connection to/in the house as much as it is just the wireless network and how its setup.

abomally.2694:

It’s the internet, sometimes internet nodes (routers) have issues. If you are streaming in HD, you are creating a whole lot of work for your NIC (network card). Your CPU has to process all of that AND the video you’re streaming.

It’s also possible you have malware or trojans on your system adding to the bandwidth utilization. Did you even check for malware? Have you even tried disabling unneeded start-up programs that may be using even more bandwidth? Have you checked with your ISP to see if they are having issues?

The point is, there are a whole lot of things that can be causing issues. I’m really not sure why you would want to stream movies while playing this game though, when, at best, it may cause lag or disconnects. I have noticed this while playing GW2 and downloading files at the same time. The game is a bit laggy when I do that, but it works.

This really seems pretty normal to me considering the fact that you are streaming video at the same time. What has changed? The game has changed and may be requiring the CPU to process more network data. Netflix may have changed how they stream videos.

Personally, I would not try and stream video at the same time as playing an online game because I’m aware of the issues it can cause. There are probably things out of your control that have changed. You may not be able to resolve this. That’s why I said what I said.

Also, HD decoding is done on the GPU not the CPU. unless he has hardware acceleration disabled in Silverlight.

Does Netflix still use Silverlight? I was under the impression they were going to an HTML5 video codec.

Brother Grimm.5176:

Does Netflix still use Silverlight? I was under the impression they were going to an HTML5 video codec.

its still silverlight lol, i WISH they would move to HTML5 already, its a WIP/Roadmapped though.

I’m uploading my speed tests. I think there’s still plenty of bandwidth for GW2. As for my CPU, I never go over about 70% while running GW2 and streaming. At this point it’s starting to look more like an issue with my NIC. I’ll see if I can capture some data of the actual lag spike in progress.

Base Speed Test

Speed Test While Streaming

abomally.2694:

It’s the internet, sometimes internet nodes (routers) have issues. If you are streaming in HD, you are creating a whole lot of work for your NIC (network card). Your CPU has to process all of that AND the video you’re streaming.

It’s also possible you have malware or trojans on your system adding to the bandwidth utilization. Did you even check for malware? Have you even tried disabling unneeded start-up programs that may be using even more bandwidth? Have you checked with your ISP to see if they are having issues?

The point is, there are a whole lot of things that can be causing issues. I’m really not sure why you would want to stream movies while playing this game though, when, at best, it may cause lag or disconnects. I have noticed this while playing GW2 and downloading files at the same time. The game is a bit laggy when I do that, but it works.

This really seems pretty normal to me considering the fact that you are streaming video at the same time. What has changed? The game has changed and may be requiring the CPU to process more network data. Netflix may have changed how they stream videos.

Personally, I would not try and stream video at the same time as playing an online game because I’m aware of the issues it can cause. There are probably things out of your control that have changed. You may not be able to resolve this. That’s why I said what I said.

Thanks for your suggestions. I don’t think it’s a CPU constraint. I have a CPU and RAM monitor that displays on my game pad and I don’t go over about 70% cpu utilization while running GW2 and streaming.

Disabling extraneous startup process is one of the first things I did after getting my OS installed. I hadn’t thought of it being malware though, that’s a good thought and I’ll run some scans.

WoolyWumpus.6417:

Speed Test While Streaming

Look for updated wireless drivers. You are taking a 10Mb/s and 13ms latency hit while streaming, and it could be the driver stack interfering with GW2 while Netflix is streaming.

I have updated my NIC drivers to the latest version from TPlink’s website. It has not helped. I have captured a screen shot of my performance monitor during a disconnect and it looks like all Wifi connectivity cuts out for a period. I am able to play normally for 30 minuets to an hour then there is a sudden disconnect.

Any other suggestions?

If it looks like you wifi connection may be suspect:

Try a different wifi controller on the PC end?
What about updating your router firmware?

WoolyWumpus.6417:

I have updated my NIC drivers to the latest version from TPlink’s website. It has not helped. I have captured a screen shot of my performance monitor during a disconnect and it looks like all Wifi connectivity cuts out for a period. I am able to play normally for 30 minuets to an hour then there is a sudden disconnect.

Any other suggestions?

wireless interference is a pain to track. Download InSSIDer and let that monitor your WAP (and area WAPs) and see what happens when you drop. See if your WAP goes gray, or if your SSID gets a mirror (2 different MAC addresses listed). That will be the first thing to look for.

Things like Microwave Ovens will knock out 2.4ghz wireless, so it could be as simple as something like that as well.

sirsquishy.8531:

Things like Microwave Ovens will knock out 2.4ghz wireless, so it could be as simple as something like that as well.

It’s funny that you mention that. I used to have this exact problem with my microwave, so I purchased a dual frequency router and haven’t had any issues with my microwave since. Thanks for the recommendation about inSSIDer. I’ll download that tonight and check it out.