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Woodlane
join:2012-06-02
K7G-2V6
·Xplornet

Woodlane

Member

Latency increases when Skype video turned on

Usually my latency is around 800mS. Recently I have had to turn off video on some Skype sessions because the latency increases to over 4000mS after 10-12 seconds on video being turned on. This causes video to be really broken up and many pasuses in audio. A speed test showed download speed at the usual 3.5Mbps down and upload speed was also OK.
Anyone have any ideas why latency might be tied to more bandwidth being used????

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg

Member

said by Woodlane:

Anyone have any ideas why latency might be tied to more bandwidth being used????

I think you're making an incorrect association, as you've written nothing to actually suggest there's "more bandwidth being used". I'm inclined to think it's an Xplornet problem. Unlike down here in the lower 48, Xplornet customers (are supposed to) benefit from VoIP acceleration. Unless I'm mistaken, SKYPE connections should go through the associated Xplornet VoIP acceleration server. Your description of the problem subsequently suggests that your SKYPE connections are for some reason are either being routed around that server, or being corrupted by it.

//greg//

Woodlane
join:2012-06-02
K7G-2V6
·Xplornet

Woodlane

Member

Turning on Skype video would increase the amount of bandwidth being used compare to voice-only. I think that what happened was that there was network congestion which increased the TCP-IP pauses. This increase in pauses / gaps in the transmission was interpreted as latency. You are probably correct regarding servers being the culprit....I suspect that my Skype traffic is being routed around around any VoIp server causing Skype traffic to be mixed in with regular downloads and other internet traffic. Since this episode, xPlornet has increased carriers to balance traffic better, so I will wait to see if this corrects the Skype problem.

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg to Woodlane

Member

to Woodlane
The point I was trying to make is that there's no relationship between latency and bandwidth. What you're experiencing is related to gateway loading. Each gateway has X amount of bandwidth available to all those assigned to it. If one one person is connected, he gets everything (up to his rate plan max). If 100 are connected, each gets 1% of the gateway bandwidth, 1000 get 0.1%. So when the gateway is congested, what you're allocated may not equal what you pay for. In those cases, what's available has to be split between Skype audio and Skype video. Because it's more bandwidth intensive, the video will suffer first. Naturally, turning off the video will devote all available bandwidth to the audio. Latency does not enter the equation.

That said, you still need to check with Xplornet, to see if Skype receives the same acceleration as does VoIP.

//greg//
funny_one
Previously known as 'Deadpool'
join:2010-11-01

funny_one

Member

There's no voip acceleration on the HTV service.

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg

Member

said by funny_one:

There's no voip acceleration on the HTV service.

I don't have a clue what that means. Perhaps you missed the fact that the OP is an Xplornet customer. If you were unaware, Xplornet is a Canadian provider. They sell broadband service via some of the same satellites Hughes either leases or owns. Canada's phone grid isn't as extensive as is ours in the lower 48, so folks in under served areas rely on VoIP over satellite. Realizing the effects of latency of voice over satellite, Xplornet has taken steps to reduce the effects. The process involves the use of specialized software on dedicated servers, software that detects and prioritizes (accelerates) VoIP packets.

My point was that perhaps Skype packets transit the same servers

//greg//

humanfilth
join:2013-02-14
river styx

humanfilth to Woodlane

Member

to Woodlane
Thought I read somewhere that there is an issue this past couple of months with Xplornet satellite and their traffic shapers(Sandvine?) and issues with some legitimate protocols that could be mistaken for filesharing protocols if their is poorly written DPI.
I think it was Windows update issues where updates were blocked until the 'free for all' overnight hours.
The Canadian gateways are administered by somebody for traffic shaping. Xplornet probably points out the management practices(as they purchased all the Canadian bandwidth on Viasat1 and Echostar17) and Hughes or Viasat do the backend.

Two years ago and issues with Xplornet and VOIP.
»www.michaelgeist.ca/cont ··· 931/125/

Woodlane
join:2012-06-02
K7G-2V6
·Xplornet

Woodlane to grohgreg

Member

to grohgreg
xPlornet has confirmed that Skype data does not receive any acceleration ..."The Skype connections are not handled differently that any other type of traffic. They are not put through any sort of prioritization. The only time that would occur is if a customer is using a Digital Phone service provided by Xplornet (This was offered at one time on some older platforms) and they would have a piece of equipment provided that would facilitate this prioritization." I will therefore ensure that when I use Skype I avoid peak hours if I see any evidence of congestion, and will disconnect any other wifi devices in my home that might consume bandwidth. Thanks for your detailed explanation, grohgreg. Skype continues to be useable for me over HTS 70% of the time.
Woodlane

Woodlane to funny_one

Member

to funny_one
I think that you might be referring to HTS service (High Throughput Satellite) '4g" service. eg: Viasat-1 and the newer Echostar. They are a huge improvement over the older satellites used for remote rural internet access.

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg to Woodlane

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to Woodlane
said by Woodlane:

xPlornet has confirmed that Skype data does not receive any acceleration ...

Good. Without that confirmation, troubleshooting would be incomplete. I agree with your congestion conclusion.

//greg//
funny_one
Previously known as 'Deadpool'
join:2010-11-01

funny_one to grohgreg

Member

to grohgreg
said by grohgreg:

said by funny_one:

There's no voip acceleration on the HTV service.

I don't have a clue what that means. Perhaps you missed the fact that the OP is an Xplornet customer. If you were unaware, Xplornet is a Canadian provider. They sell broadband service via some of the same satellites Hughes either leases or owns. Canada's phone grid isn't as extensive as is ours in the lower 48, so folks in under served areas rely on VoIP over satellite. Realizing the effects of latency of voice over satellite, Xplornet has taken steps to reduce the effects. The process involves the use of specialized software on dedicated servers, software that detects and prioritizes (accelerates) VoIP packets.

My point was that perhaps Skype packets transit the same servers

//greg//

I'm aware that is was Xplornet (I can read after all).

And Xplornet does have some voip acceleration/QoS on their legacy satellites, but not on ViaSat-1. Instead they ensure through their traffic management systems that traffic never dips below 100 kbps. Presumably to ensure voip calls (voice), work at all times.

Woodlane
join:2012-06-02
K7G-2V6
·Xplornet

Woodlane

Member

Re: 100 kbps.... Yes...that has been my experience on HTS over the last year...voice always works.....but it would be nice if ISP's could some day get video to also work all the time....just dreaming I guess..:-(
Thanks for all the great feedback! My questions are answered and now I understand this topic better. I also found this nice link regarding Sandvine traffic management systems »www.youtube.com/watch?fe ··· i_6CoPHQ

diablo18926
R.I.P. Donald Lee Wise
join:2011-04-21
Friendly, WV

diablo18926 to Woodlane

Member

to Woodlane
Tip: Don't even bother trying this with another hughesnet user (if you both are using hughes)

Tried doing voice and video with another Gen4 user one day and hughesnet started messing up real bad so i guess hughes does'nt want there customers video calling other customers of theirs.

However here's something, I tried doing it with a friend who has a different provider and all worked excellent but of course there was still a slight bit of lag but it was great.