Obligatory CyclonesTV Feed Quality Thread

[JimDogRock]

Has anyone contacted the support for Cyclones.TV with their issues? And have you been told anything other than the issue is on your side?

My anecdotal experience -
Using a laptop and a Chrome browser to stream this year has worked pretty well. Last night I had about 5 times where the video buffered for a few seconds. A tiny annoyance.
I was going through a software VPN at the time. There have been times when I'm connected on that and cannot get a video to even play.

 

[clonebb]

No problems using the app on my Apple TV.

was watching the Texas replay on my IPad at the same time. 100mb connection.

 

[Cycsk]

Streamed audio on my phone while driving to Chicago. Worked okay as long as I didn't do anything else with my phone. Otherwise, it was back to the intro commercial about how great the service is.

 

[VeloClone]

I haven't been able to do anything through my smart TV all season. It is buffering more than it is playing. I have the same problem with my phone but curiously as soon as I shut down the wifi connection to my phone and use data the phone streams Cy.TV like a champ. I really need to get on the ball and dump CenturyLink.

 

[JimDogRock]

I haven't been able to do anything through my smart TV all season. It is buffering more than it is playing. I have the same problem with my phone but curiously as soon as I shut down the wifi connection to my phone and use data the phone streams Cy.TV like a champ. I really need to get on the ball and dump CenturyLink.

Without more info I would guess that it's just as likely that your router and wifi setup is the culprit as Century Link. A router's performance can degrade over time. If people get more than a few years of good consistent performance from a cheap router then I consider them lucky.
The router I put in at my parents' house has been there for probably 4 or 5 years now, and the last time I was visiting they mentioned some speed issues streaming Youtube TV or whatever they're using. After a reboot things have improved, but I don't want them needing to monkey around with a potentially dying device. So I'll grab a good replacement probably on Cyber Monday unless something else pops up for me to have ready for Thanksgiving day.

 

[VeloClone]

Without more info I would guess that it's just as likely that your router and wifi setup is the culprit as Century Link. A router's performance can degrade over time. If people get more than a few years of good consistent performance from a cheap router then I consider them lucky.
The router I put in at my parents' house has been there for probably 4 or 5 years now, and the last time I was visiting they mentioned some speed issues streaming Youtube TV or whatever they're using. After a reboot things have improved, but I don't want them needing to monkey around with a potentially dying device. So I'll grab a good replacement probably on Cyber Monday unless something else pops up for me to have ready for Thanksgiving day.

Would my router cause us to have wi-fi connectivity and be connected but repeatedly have no internet? This is a nightly occurrence.

 

[JimDogRock]

Would my router cause us to have wi-fi connectivity and be connected but repeatedly have no internet? This is a nightly occurrence.

Absolutely possible, but not for sure. Assuming your Century Link internet is DSL I would generically say the most likely points of failure are -

A. Router - This could be its basic networking function, the wireless delivery, or possibly using poor DNS servers in the DHCP settings (sorry for getting in to some slightly technical abbreviations)

B. Modem - The gateway from your router to your internet service provider's data lines. ISPs are content to have these to sit un-upgraded for a long time because they tend to just do their thing. They do age or become technologically outdated, but not as rapidly as a router.

Note - it's not uncommon to have a device that is both the modem and router. In general these combo units perform worse than having a separate router and modem. Especially with wireless performance. The manufacturers of the combo units don't seem to put the needed emphasis on keeping up with the very fast changing wireless standards and quality.

C. End devices - wired computers, laptops, smartphones, TVs, tablets, etc. If they are junk or are bogged down by other things then performance will suffer.

D. Connection strength - This is a can of worms and has 2 main areas.
First, the connection from the modem to the ISP which is traditionally via physical, buried lines. Not in your control and ISPs don't like to have to troubleshoot this.
Second, the connections of your equipment to the modem. Basically, if you've got poor wiring somewhere along the line you will suffer.

If connection issues are the culprit for speed issues then finding it can be a challenge. And it's tough for an ISP support tech to hep diagnose because they can only "see" up to their modem. What goes on in your house is out of their hands. They want to avoid dispatching someone out to you because it costs them a lot more than having someone chat with you on the phone. A good, patient support tech can help you do some testing to diagnose what is going on. But if you're going through a big ISP's residential support portal then this will be unlikely.

A big part of this connection in your case is the wireless performance. If you have an old router in the corner of your basement and are trying to stream to a smart TV across the house it can be painful because of distance and potential materials reflecting or absorbing the signal along the way.
Keep in mind that wireless is not magic. It's set of different radio frequencies that obey the same laws of physics as other sound waves. The frequencies are just much higher and inaudible.



I'm starting to ramble a bit now so I'll wrap it up with some abbreviated advice for those having issues and ideally have access to a laptop -

1. Do an internet speed test or two while on wifi in a few different places. Speedtest.net is fine. I like sourceforge.net/speedtest quite a bit too. Write down the results noting your location.
2. Plug in to an open network port on your router and repeat the test. Write down the results.
3. If you have a separate modem then there will be a network cable from the modem to the router. Unplug it from the router and plug it in to your laptop. You should get as clean as a connection as possible like this. Repeat speed test and write down the results.
4. Reboot everything excluding the modem and repeat steps 1-3
5. Reboot everything including and starting with the modem (wait a few minutes for it to finish connecting back to the ISP) and repeat steps 1-3

If you have big swings in your results before rebooting the modem then the problem is likely on your side. Upgrade the router and try again.

If things improve with a reboot of the modem then get on the line with your ISP to get help looking for connection issues. Stay patient and sound confident (but not accusatory) while you tell them your service experience and results from testing. If they actually acknowledge that you've put in the work and aren't someone calling to complain about speed and want magic results then they will help you.

Good luck anyone out there that read this far!

 

[ISUMojoMan]

We don't have internet except that I use bluetooth to connect my laptop to my apple cell phone and use Verizon 4G. I have found that this worked better than Mediacom internet which is why we cancelled Mediacom internet a few years ago. I then connect my laptop to our Smart (Roku) TV using the HDMI cables.

Was apprehensive but had no problems watching the last game with this set up, clear video and no streaming issues.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Absolutely possible, but not for sure. Assuming your Century Link internet is DSL I would generically say the most likely points of failure are -

A. Router - This could be its basic networking function, the wireless delivery, or possibly using poor DNS servers in the DHCP settings (sorry for getting in to some slightly technical abbreviations)

B. Modem - The gateway from your router to your internet service provider's data lines. ISPs are content to have these to sit un-upgraded for a long time because they tend to just do their thing. They do age or become technologically outdated, but not as rapidly as a router.

Note - it's not uncommon to have a device that is both the modem and router. In general these combo units perform worse than having a separate router and modem. Especially with wireless performance. The manufacturers of the combo units don't seem to put the needed emphasis on keeping up with the very fast changing wireless standards and quality.

C. End devices - wired computers, laptops, smartphones, TVs, tablets, etc. If they are junk or are bogged down by other things then performance will suffer.

D. Connection strength - This is a can of worms and has 2 main areas.
First, the connection from the modem to the ISP which is traditionally via physical, buried lines. Not in your control and ISPs don't like to have to troubleshoot this.
Second, the connections of your equipment to the modem. Basically, if you've got poor wiring somewhere along the line you will suffer.

If connection issues are the culprit for speed issues then finding it can be a challenge. And it's tough for an ISP support tech to hep diagnose because they can only "see" up to their modem. What goes on in your house is out of their hands. They want to avoid dispatching someone out to you because it costs them a lot more than having someone chat with you on the phone. A good, patient support tech can help you do some testing to diagnose what is going on. But if you're going through a big ISP's residential support portal then this will be unlikely.

A big part of this connection in your case is the wireless performance. If you have an old router in the corner of your basement and are trying to stream to a smart TV across the house it can be painful because of distance and potential materials reflecting or absorbing the signal along the way.
Keep in mind that wireless is not magic. It's set of different radio frequencies that obey the same laws of physics as other sound waves. The frequencies are just much higher and inaudible.



I'm starting to ramble a bit now so I'll wrap it up with some abbreviated advice for those having issues and ideally have access to a laptop -

1. Do an internet speed test or two while on wifi in a few different places. Speedtest.net is fine. I like sourceforge.net/speedtest quite a bit too. Write down the results noting your location.
2. Plug in to an open network port on your router and repeat the test. Write down the results.
3. If you have a separate modem then there will be a network cable from the modem to the router. Unplug it from the router and plug it in to your laptop. You should get as clean as a connection as possible like this. Repeat speed test and write down the results.
4. Reboot everything excluding the modem and repeat steps 1-3
5. Reboot everything including and starting with the modem (wait a few minutes for it to finish connecting back to the ISP) and repeat steps 1-3

If you have big swings in your results before rebooting the modem then the problem is likely on your side. Upgrade the router and try again.

If things improve with a reboot of the modem then get on the line with your ISP to get help looking for connection issues. Stay patient and sound confident (but not accusatory) while you tell them your service experience and results from testing. If they actually acknowledge that you've put in the work and aren't someone calling to complain about speed and want magic results then they will help you.

Good luck anyone out there that read this far!

Or call Comcast tech support in Mumbai and have him/her tell you it's your modem. It's always the modem if it isn't theirs.

After a third call I got some gal who sounded Texan and was actually answering, from all places, Texas. She looked at my connection history and told me almost immediately that this didn't seem like a modem and would send someone out. And it was a squirrel chewed main line that would intermittently cut out, think it depended on how windy it was.

And, think I'll cut and paste your trouble shooting directions. Good stuff there.