Airport Express in bridge mode - is it faster than regular WiFi?

[hewhore]

Sorry if that question doesn't seem to make much sense - I have Plex Media Server setup on my 2013 iMac and an Amazon Fire Stick as the client device with the Plex app installed on it. At the moment most video is unwatchable because my network is not fast enough for the required amount of data (it is not clear if this is due to the upload speed to the internet or my LAN), so what I want to try is adding two Airport Expresses to my LAN (one to my ISP provided router and one to my iMac, both connected by ethernet). If both AXP's are in bridge mode, would this give an equivalent of a wired ethernet connection between my iMac and the router? Also, what would be the best configuration for the router and the AXP connected to it if I want to keep the router WiFi broadcast active?

 

[brentsg]

If your content is all local then the internet is not involved in any way.

Aside from that:
-Any wireless segment in your network is just that, wireless. It doesn't matter what you try to throw in there. Naturally not all wireless access points are equal, but the general concept is still important.
-We also don't know anything about your content, how it's encoded, etc. It is possible that (and/or the slow server) is part of the problem, but for now focus on the network.

It sounds like you'd be best served with an actual wired network segment between the server and client.

I will say that it's certainly possible to use Plex via WiFi (am doing it in my home) but we know nothing about your network.

 

[hewhore]

Thanks for your reply. My media is a mixture of .mkv and .mp4 containers, I have had to set transcoding on the Fire Stick Plex app to 720p as this is the only setting that doesn't result in a message appearing that 'Your network is not fast enough'. CPU usage for Plex Media Server on the iMac shows as less than 1 percent. Unfortunately the Fire Stick does not have an ethernet port, so an upgrade to a 4th Gen. Apple TV or Fire Box may be required.
Edit: I cannot have a wired connection between my Mac and the router because they are two rooms apart and there is really no way to relocate the devices.

 

[Banglazed]

You need to understand what spec is the ISP supplied router. Most router issued by ISP are crap for WiFi and some broadcast a separate SSID for customers nearby such as Xfinity. However, you can disable this WiFi on ISP issued router, hook up your own router (for mesh network and configure it to optimal setting) or hard wire directly to your Plex server so you have a reliable connection. Next, understand what native format supported on the Fire Stick so you know whether transcoding is involve for video container and audio codec. For my ChromeCast, it does not support 4K or MKV and 5.1 audio so it will always transcode your the next available 1080p/720p. I’ve converted all my media to 1080/720p h264 mp4 for universal support and HEVC for 4K so most of my media are using direct play and stream. I’ve notice some issue where casting from the Plex app may transcode/direct stream and cast from Chrome browser will direct play. My library is shared with friends and family so I need it to be in a container and audio format that most TV, box or caster will support so everything can direct play and will be less taxing on my computer that hosting the server.

Whatever client you will use, check the tech spec on video and audio playback if it support your media format. If not, your server may be crippled if it can’t handle transcode or it won’t play at all. I know Samsung TV support MKV natively so you should be able to direct play them.



Bridge mode will not work if you cannot connect your Fire Stick to it. However, if connection is not strong, set it as WiFi repeater mode instead if the router supports it.

 

[hewhore]

I doubt upgrading the Fire Stick to the 4K version will fix the issue, I have seen posts from other Plex users with more powerful client devices than my Fire Stick who get exactly the same error message ‘Your network is not fast enough’. I cannot get a wired connection from my router to the Fire Stick because they cannot be physically relocated.
Would Internet Sharing via ethernet directly from the iMac to the Fire Stick be a solution?

 

[Banglazed]

Have you troubleshoot playing the supported format in the pic I’ve attached above?

Find a media in your library that match .h264/265 mp4 at 720/1080p, play it on the Fire Stick and check the Plex dashboard to see if any transcoding is involve. If it shows direct play and the video actually plays on the client, it may be possibility transcode might not be as fast and it could not deliver the converted format to the client fast enough to ensure it’s seamless playback.

 

[hewhore]

So I took a movie with the specs that you gave in your last post and re-encoded it with a Handbrake preset specifically for Amazon Fire (720p @30fps) - I then added that to my Plex Movie library and put all the settings on the Fire to maximum (no auto conversion, no limit to bandwidth etc.) and the video plays, just about, i.e. with plenty of stuttering and freezing. So transcoding on the PMS is not the issue, it has to be the network.
*edit* I disconnected the Bluetooth headphones I was watching the video with and it is now playing flawlessly. I will try a Handbrake preset with higher settings and see how that works.

 

[Banglazed]

Great! You’ll just need to convert your library to this format. When you decide to stream to other clients, it will be much better and playable without this issue in the future. However, just be aware of each client supported video/audio format. Rule of thump: Use mp4 .h264 for 720/1080p less than 30 FPS and HEVC 2160p for 4K. Some client will experience stuttering if it’s over 30 FPS. Most time, audio will be transcoded from ACC 5.1 to ACC Stereo.

Remember Direct Play and Direct Stream format when you’re building your library. Transcode from 1080 to 720p will be less taxing on the server than transcoding from MKV or other container to mp4 for playback.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/203810286-what-media-formats-are-supported/

 

[hewhore]

Thanks for the tips. I would still like to know why I only started having this issue in the last few months, when Plex had been performing flawlessly on all clients with PMS running on this same Mac for the last four years.
*edit* I tried transcoding a movie with an even higher preset (supports 4K 2160p @60fps) and again the Fire Stick played it without any issue.

 

[Banglazed]

I have no idea what have changed that would've affected it but I've never experienced any issue on my PMS.

However, you can check the release logs to see what changes were made at the time you experience this issue. Seems like you're making great progress.

https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server/30447/303