Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck? • Hacker News Board

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#311

Post by drnick1 » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 3:16 AM UTC

ipython wrote: post #259

inkyoto wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If one must forgo the comfort of complete isolation from the vulgarities of contemporary media and visual indulgence – an unwise choice, yet one that many appear compelled to make – then prudence demands mitigation rather than surrender. A measured compromise would entail the meticulous profiling of the TV’s network traffic, followed by the imposition of complete blocking at the DNS level (via Pi-hole, NextDNS and al…

I don't connect my TVs to the Internet; instead I hook up Apple TVs to an HDMI port and just use the TV as God intended - as a dumb display device. The Apple TV is connected to the Internet and functions as my portal to, as you say, the vulgarities of contemporary media and visual indulgence. Without the downsides of buggy and spyware ridden TV firmware.

The Apple TV box is better than a TV from a privacy standpoint (no microphone or camera), but it still does not give the user enough freedom. The App Store is the only way to install software, and it is tightly controlled by Apple. This means things such as ad-free frontends from Youtube are regularly purged, and Apple won't even allow you to install a browser.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#312

Post by dlcarrier » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 6:34 AM UTC

lxgr wrote: post #72

dlcarrier wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DOCSIS cable modems perform perform regularly scheduled tests, but it's only between devices, and shouldn't affect available bandwidth, because there's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than between the network and the Internet.

> there's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than between the network and the Internet. Really? DOCSIS has been the bottleneck out of Wi-Fi, DOCSIS, and wider Internet every time I've had the misfortune of having to use it in an apartment. Especially the tiny uplink frequency slice of DOCSIS 3 and below is pathetic.

That's a bottleneck getting data out of the DOCSIS network, into your home network.

There's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than can enter and exit it, which is why running communication tests between DOCSIS devices has no effect on the the usefulness of the network.

Fun fact: The current workaround to the slowness of DOCSIS modems is to put more modems in your modem and trunk then together, so you can get gigabit speeds with 100+ megabit upstream, by simply having a half dozen or more concurrent connections.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#313

Post by michael1999 » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 3:12 PM UTC

econ wrote: post #281

ashdksnndck wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some friends live in a rental that they’ve decorated well. It wasn’t until multiple visits that I realized they had run Ethernet throughout the house. You can get skinny Ethernet cables that bend easily. If you get some that match your paint, and route them in straight lines, those can be unobtrusive. Use tricks like running the cables along baseboards and other trim pieces. If you really want to minimize the visual…

I use to wire houses. (Here all wires go in tubes.) The absurdity of not adding a few empty tubes for later use endlessly amazed me. I think I've done only one house where the owner wanted to be able to put speakers in every corner of every room on every floor with multiple possible locations for his stereo. Then he wanted multiple cable tv connections per room, multiple sockets for landlines, Ethernet everywhere. Th…

Power-only usb next to nema is common and convenient.

Power with network is less common since nobody wants to mix high and low voltage runs.

https://www.amazon.ca/TOPGREENER-Ultra-High-Speed-Receptacle...

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#314

Post by wlonkly » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 5:20 PM UTC

cruffle_duffle wrote: post #282

chrneu wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it's worth, I think most ISPs that do this will host their speed test in-network so their speeds are inflated. This benefits both the ISP and whoever is in charge of the speed test(like speedtest.net). So they're not really increasing their network load a measurable amount since the data never actually leaves their internal network. My ISP's network admin explained this to me one day when I asked about it. H…

That’s why Netflix has fast.com, which pulls actual video content , meaning it’s hard for the ISP to inflate the number. (at least as per my understanding)

Sort of -- Netflix probably has a CDN cache at the ISP, and the ISP can definitely prioritize that cache. Fast.com will use that CDN if available.

https://openconnect.netflix.com/en/

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#315

Post by izacus » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 5:50 PM UTC

Hikikomori wrote: post #272

izacus wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Powerline almost never comes close to performance of wifi in the same conditions. It's literally wifi just over an even worse medium.

Through thick brick walls?

Yes. Usually power line also jumps circuits in those cases which massively degrades reliability and throughput.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#316

Post by kjkjadksj » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 6:07 PM UTC

jeffbee wrote: post #173

chrneu wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

or a single shitty wifi chipset in your network thanks to a cheap iot device. Wifi is garbage. This person has no idea what they're talking about. It sounds like they read a blog post like 5 years ago and stuck with it cuz it's an edgy take.

Yes, me and the other literally billions of people who do not use wired Ethernet to their TV are just parroting an old blog. The OP who says Ethernet is an absolute requirement for Netflix is clearly correct. You sure got me.

People aren’t saying it isn’t possible. They are saying it is objectively worse. Plenty of those TV users seem content with the crappy speakers in those tvs after all. Appeals to majority are not good arguments.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#317

Post by beala » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 6:12 PM UTC

econ wrote: post #281

ashdksnndck wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some friends live in a rental that they’ve decorated well. It wasn’t until multiple visits that I realized they had run Ethernet throughout the house. You can get skinny Ethernet cables that bend easily. If you get some that match your paint, and route them in straight lines, those can be unobtrusive. Use tricks like running the cables along baseboards and other trim pieces. If you really want to minimize the visual…

I use to wire houses. (Here all wires go in tubes.) The absurdity of not adding a few empty tubes for later use endlessly amazed me. I think I've done only one house where the owner wanted to be able to put speakers in every corner of every room on every floor with multiple possible locations for his stereo. Then he wanted multiple cable tv connections per room, multiple sockets for landlines, Ethernet everywhere. Th…

My current house is a new build. It’s a spec home, so customization was limited but I really regret not going overboard with the wiring. Next time I’m getting low voltage power to every window (electric blinds), coax and conduit to the attic (TV antennas and maybe ham antennas), Ethernet to the front door (video doorbell) and the eaves (networked cameras) and the ceiling in every room (WAP, presence sensors, probably lots of other things), and more circuits than I think I need to the basement (homelab). At the time, they were asking $150 per additional outlet, which seemed crazy so I got stingy. In retrospect, I wish I had rolled $10k in wiring into the mortgage. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#318

Post by lxgr » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 9:34 AM UTC

dlcarrier wrote: post #312

lxgr wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than between the network and the Internet. Really? DOCSIS has been the bottleneck out of Wi-Fi, DOCSIS, and wider Internet every time I've had the misfortune of having to use it in an apartment. Especially the tiny uplink frequency slice of DOCSIS 3 and below is pathetic.

That's a bottleneck getting data out of the DOCSIS network, into your home network. There's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than can enter and exit it, which is why running communication tests between DOCSIS devices has no effect on the the usefulness of the network. Fun fact: The current workaround to the slowness of DOCSIS modems is to put more modems in your modem and trunk then together, so you can g…

> That's a bottleneck getting data out of the DOCSIS network, into your home network. […] There's far more bandwidth within the DOCSIS network than can enter and exit it […]

What does that even mean? DOCSIS is a point-to-multipoint network of one CMTS and several modems. All traffic happens between modems and the CMTS. Where would the purported “far more bandwidth” be hiding?

> The current workaround to the slowness of DOCSIS modems is to put more modems in your modem

How does that help at all with the peak capacity of a given physical network segment? That’s like saying “the key to increasing the total capacity of a road is to add more cars to utilize all lanes”.

If you use all physical uplink bandwidth of DOCSIS yourself by hypothetically “using more modems”, nobody else on that segment gets anything.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#319

Post by quickthrowman » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:01 PM UTC

godelski wrote: post #293

quickthrowman wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you want to make your future life easier I suggest running a PVC pipe (at minimum in the drop down portion). Replacing or adding new cabling will be much easier if you do this so it's totally worth the few extra bucks and few extra minutes of work. I’m trying to understand how removing an entire sheet of gypsum (or cutting a 6” by 8’ channel) and installing an empty PVC raceway is ‘a few extra minutes of work’.…

> I’m trying to understand how removing an entire sheet of gypsum This is a fixed task. Required if you install the conduit or not. You have to cut the wall to make the port. If you have the port you can just use a slightly longer conduit, brace it where you can reach, and oh no you need an extra 2" of cable? > Raceways are unnecessary in stick built houses Your mental model is too naïve. Have you done this before? H…

> Your mental model is too naïve. Have you done this before? Have you then replaced it or added additional lines?

I sell and run electrical work for a living (including low-voltage cabling), I have thought about how cables get pulled into existing walls in virtually any scenario you can contrive. Block, steel stud, brick, wood stud, precast tip-up; both drop ceiling and hardlid.

Cutting open walls to install low-voltage raceway is very uncommon because it’s substantially more expensive (or just way more work) than cutting two small holes (or using an attic/basement for access) and using a fish tape.

Non-professionals overestimate how many cables they’ll pull into existing low-voltage raceways in the future. Pull in an extra cable the first time and you’re future proofed.

Re: Does our “need for speed” make our wi-fi suck?

#320

Post by seec » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 5:30 PM UTC

PaulHoule wrote: post #2

I did some experimentation with UniFi hubs and came to the conclusion that if you can give each device its own WiFi channel that would be ideal -- contention is that bad and often an uncontended channel with otherwise poor characteristics will beat a contended channel that otherwise looks good. The other bit of advice that is buried in there that no-one wants to hear for residences is the best way to speed up your Wi…

As far as I'm concerned Wifi is a "solution" for lazy or incompetent people outside of mobile devices (who do really need it to be useful). Network cable is cheap, crimper is cheap, creating a simple network in your house is mostly a trivial matter.

I have helped some people who had many troubles with wifi devices (particularly printers) and when then didn't want to run a cable to solve the problem forever I told them to fuck off. If there is one thing that is certain with wifi, it's that it will break at some point and randomly show poor performance/issues. Anything that doesn't have to be absolutely wireless has to be connected that way, problem solved, forever.