4 computers streaming netflix at the same time

[johncrypto]

hi guys .i plan on moving with 3 friends and we will get a fiber line (100mbps down/10 up) . all the computers are gonna be connected via ethernet through the walls to a patch panel and then straight to a unmanaged switch and then to the router . i have a couple of questions . will the bandwith be enough for us to stream 4k netflix to our computers ? should i use the isp combo router as a modem or should i just buy a new one ? what router should i buy for under 200$ (thinking of buying an netgear xr 500 and this switch TP-LINK TL-SG1016D v7 are they any good ?). or should i buy an Asus RT-AC88U as a modem and router combo ?

[NinJake]

That speed should be fine.

[Lurick]

I know netflix recommends 25Mbps per 4K stream so you SHOULD be fine but if there is anything else downloading during that time taking up bandwidth as well there will be contention and someone will probably end up with buffering or other issues.

[NinJake]

Not to mention there's a lot of flakey ISP's out there that can't constantly provide you with what you pay for. Normally you pay for UP TO x amount of bandwidth. Hopefully it's not the case for your ISP.

 

When you run a "speed test" online, those are normally the "best case scenario" speeds, and doesn't necessarily reflect your constant rate/quality of bandwidth.

[johncrypto]

ok,but what equipment should i buy ?

[Donut417]

5 hours ago, johncrypto said:

ok,but what equipment should i buy ?

That depends on the ISP. Not all allow customer equipment to be added. Also if your getting Fiber Optics, the hardware varys ISP to ISP. AT&T for instance does a media converter router combo, Verizon installs an ONT and then a separate router. Some ISPs will convert the Fiber to Ethernet or Coax at the ONT. If you getting some form for Cable internet (Coax), then you need a Docsis 3.0 or + modem that your ISP supports. DSL is very similar, you just have to figure out what kind of DSL you have as there are a few variants. Though speeds like your getting will most likely be some form of vDSL. 

[johncrypto]

5 hours ago, Donut417 said:

That depends on the ISP. Not all allow customer equipment to be added. Also if your getting Fiber Optics, the hardware varys ISP to ISP. AT&T for instance does a media converter router combo, Verizon installs an ONT and then a separate router. Some ISPs will convert the Fiber to Ethernet or Coax at the ONT. If you getting some form for Cable internet (Coax), then you need a Docsis 3.0 or + modem that your ISP supports. DSL is very similar, you just have to figure out what kind of DSL you have as there are a few variants. Though speeds like your getting will most likely be some form of vDSL. 

i am in europe and the only isp that can provide fiber in my area is vodafone . do you know what i can do in this case ?

[Donut417]

5 hours ago, johncrypto said:

i am in europe and the only isp that can provide fiber in my area is vodafone . do you know what i can do in this case ?

In the US generally when its fiber you have to use what the ISP provides, at least for the Media converter. I have no clue how Vodafone installs its service. Im going to go out on a limb and say your probably going to get some Media converter/router combo. Which means you most likely will have to use the ISP's equipment. That being said, you should be able to disable the WiFi on it and use your own AP if you want, or see if they will put it in bridge mode and use your own router. 

 

Very odd they only give a 10 Mbps upload on Fiber. All the Fiber plans I have seen in the US have been symmetrical. 

[johncrypto]

On 7/4/2019 at 4:40 PM, Donut417 said:

In the US generally when its fiber you have to use what the ISP provides, at least for the Media converter. I have no clue how Vodafone installs its service. Im going to go out on a limb and say your probably going to get some Media converter/router combo. Which means you most likely will have to use the ISP's equipment. That being said, you should be able to disable the WiFi on it and use your own AP if you want, or see if they will put it in bridge mode and use your own router. 

 

Very odd they only give a 10 Mbps upload on Fiber. All the Fiber plans I have seen in the US have been symmetrical. 

and what router should i get ? can a isp provided and an 3rd party router provide the same speeds using ethernet in this situlation when the internet connection can be the bottleneck. because 4 * 25mbps (per netflix stream) =100 mbps (total bandwith from the provided connection )

[Donut417]

5 minutes ago, johncrypto said:

and what router should i get ?

Always seen ASUS and Netgear suggested. I personally have a Synology RT2600AC, it works great, but it was $200 USD and I know pricing over their is...... crap, with all those taxes and stuff. 

 

I would first ask my self this. Does the ISP charge your rental fees for equipment? If not it might be worth it to just take what they give you and see what happens.  Most peoples issues with ISP routers is shit WiFi, but if your wiring shit up that should solve most of the issues. If they are charging a rental fee, then Id start looking at ASUS or Netgear products. Another option is ubiquiti products, but thats getting a little more advanced. The big things to look for is the router is at least AC wireless standard. 

 

15 minutes ago, johncrypto said:

situlation when the internet connection can be the bottleneck. because 4 * 25mbps (per netflix stream) =100 mbps (total bandwith from the provided connection )

Its hard to say how your connection is going to be with this type of load. If you dont have enough bandwidth then Netflix will kick you to a lower quality. Also keep in mind that other devices will be connected to the internet as well, so. It also depends on your ISP and how they are during peak hours. While Im on Cable (Coax) internet, which suffers from shared bandwidth due to it being Fiber to the Node. I have no issues during Prime time getting what Im suppose to be getting. Hell Comcast over provisions service by 20% if the bandwidth on the node is available. But its really up to the ISP. Personally to me 1080 is enough, at least for me. 

[johncrypto]

3 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Always seen ASUS and Netgear suggested. I personally have a Synology RT2600AC, it works great, but it was $200 USD and I know pricing over their is...... crap, with all those taxes and stuff. 

 

I would first ask my self this. Does the ISP charge your rental fees for equipment? If not it might be worth it to just take what they give you and see what happens.  Most peoples issues with ISP routers is shit WiFi, but if your wiring shit up that should solve most of the issues. If they are charging a rental fee, then Id start looking at ASUS or Netgear products. Another option is ubiquiti products, but thats getting a little more advanced. The big things to look for is the router is at least AC wireless standard. 

 

Its hard to say how your connection is going to be with this type of load. If you dont have enough bandwidth then Netflix will kick you to a lower quality. Also keep in mind that other devices will be connected to the internet as well, so. It also depends on your ISP and how they are during peak hours. While Im on Cable (Coax) internet, which suffers from shared bandwidth due to it being Fiber to the Node. I have no issues during Prime time getting what Im suppose to be getting. Hell Comcast over provisions service by 20% if the bandwidth on the node is available. But its really up to the ISP. Personally to me 1080 is enough, at least for me. 

we dont have the option to rent any equipment. and i dont need a killer-ethernet wifi.the only devices connected to it are gonna be a few smartphones some IoT things and 2-3 tvs so there is not a crazy need for top speeds.but i was thinking either the xr 500 that linus showed mainly for the priority thing (the amount of bandwith that any device gets) .what do you think ?

[johncrypto]

all the pcs are gonna  (and these are the most important one) and the main living room tv are gonna be connected via ethernet

[Donut417]

6 minutes ago, johncrypto said:

xr 500

Looks like it will work. I dont have any personal experience with it. The only thing is price, I mean its like $300 USD. So its super expensive. If the devices in question where you plan on running 4K on are on Ethernet, you might be able to do a cheaper option. 

[johncrypto]

like what ? what do you recommend in the 150 ish range? i also dont want to use a separate access point in a perfect world . and it must have the bandwith feature i told you about. i dont mind getting a most expensive one if it has one feature that i dont think the xr500 has. lets say if anybody is in the house, i dont want my pc to get the 20% of the wired speed shared between the 4 pcs and 1 tv. i want it in that case to have the 100% of the speed.

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, johncrypto said:

what do you recommend in the 150 ish range?

I dont have specific recommendations. I swear by my Synololgy router but Im not sure it has all the features your looking for. 

 

1 hour ago, johncrypto said:

and it must have the bandwith feature i told you about.

Thats another issue, lots of routers claim to have some sort of features like this. How well its implemented and how well it works is another story. QoS options tend to be implemented poorly on consumer products.  I cant speak for ASUS or Netgear software. I can say that TP Link firmware seemed to be very basic on the last TPLink router I had to setup. DLink firmware was confusing as fuck when I had a Dlink router at one time. My Synology Router has the ability to dedicate bandwidth to devices or limit bandwidth to devices, but it doesn't do it dynamically from what I have seen. I havent really tested the feature. It more like you say I want 5 Mbps dedicated to my Roku stick and it makes it happen. I personally have not tested the feature, because frankly I dont need it, Plus I dont have any 4K screens in my house. 

[johncrypto]

hmmm i will look more into your router .but i dont think the smr desktop is quite what i was looking for . but i seriously think about getting the xr500 thanks to duma os and in my opinion is more handy. does your router have any stand-out feature that you think is nice in my case ?