Improving network performance for Media Center Extender (Xbox360)

[MrChad]

My current network setup is as follows:

1. I have a Verizon Actiontec MI-424 Wireless router / modem in my basement. It's a Rev. E (I believe) and the wireless network is set to b/g/n compatibility mode with WPA2 AES encryption.

2. Also in my basement, I have a Linksys WRT54G v8 with DD-WRT installed running as a client bridge (802.11g). I have my desktop PC connected to this router along with a Linksys WPS54GU2 print server, both via ethernet.

3. In my living room (first floor), I have a second WRT54G v2 with DD-WRT installed running as a client bridge (802.11g). I have my Tivo HD, Blu Ray player and XBox 360 connected via ethernet to this router.

Let me preface this by saying that everything functions correctly, and I can get internet connectivity on all my devices. The problem has come when I have tried to stream some DVD rips from my Windows 7 PC in the basement to my XBox 360 in my living room. The media center extender software on the XBox runs very slowly, and the DVD rip I tried this afternoon only got a few choppy seconds into the video before it eventually locked up.

The network tuning wizard on the XBox shows that my network performance is "poor". Am I asking too much of a wireless G network? Do I need to upgrade to wireless N if I want this kind of setup? Is the problem that I'm streaming from a bridge client to a bridge client, or is there something else I can try from a configuration perspective to improve my throughput?

 

[MrChad]

Anybody?

 

[smitbret]

The network tuning wizard on the XBox shows that my network performance is "poor". Am I asking too much of a wireless G network? Do I need to upgrade to wireless N if I want this kind of setup? Is the problem that I'm streaming from a bridge client to a bridge client, or is there something else I can try from a configuration perspective to improve my throughput?

Probably. I had a buddy that was trying to do the same thing with the same router and just couldn't get it done. Switched to wireless 'N' and bingo.

On the flip side, I've been able to run DVD rips via 'G', before, but I may have had a more ideal environment,

 

[Fardringle]

How far away are the two routers from each other? Are they getting a good signal? If the signal is weak between them then the Xbox simply won't have enough bandwidth for streaming.

 

[MrChad]

How far away are the two routers from each other? Are they getting a good signal? If the signal is weak between them then the Xbox simply won't have enough bandwidth for streaming.

Signal quality is pretty bad. Showing 30% on the DD-WRT status page. I'll try moving around the router to see if I can improve the signal strength.

Would an 802.11n network yield better range/strength?

 

[Fardringle]

Simply being an "N" router doesn't necessarily mean that it will provide a better signal although you may get better throughput (faster speed) with the same signal strength if both ends of the connection are "N" devices.

Since you have DDWRT running on both Linksys routers, try boosting the signal strength on both of them to see if the situation improves before you spend money on any new equipment. Also try changing the channels on the routers (use channels 1, 6, or 11) to attempt to get around any interference. If you have access to a laptop (or desktop with a wireless card), run wirelessnetview to see what other wireless sources are in the area and set your routers to use one of those three channels that is not already being used by something else. If they are all being used, then pick the one that is being used the least, or that has devices with weaker signals (so less interference).