Streaming Live TV over a Wireless Network with the HDHomeRun Prime

With the recent purchase of the HDHR3-CC, I had been hoping to eliminate one of the cheap-no-HD-no-guide cable boxes and replace it with an ultra-fast, SSD based PC. The PC works great….the problem is the network – or more specifically, the lack of a wired network to the PC in question. So I purchased a wireless adapter…then I realized that I still have a Wireless-G access point, and I am therefore limited to 54Mbps (if that). I’ve tried to improve signal by moving the AP from the basement to the 1st floor – which did help, but ultimately, this is still a single antenna, single channel AP running G.

Long story short – it still works…sort of. As long as you don’t want to watch anything in HD, and there’s nothing else trying to use the wireless network. According to task manager, *trying* to watch an HD channel will result in around 12-13Mbps (of 54) network utilization, or upwards of 20-25% utilization…this is confirmed in the HDHR GUI. Trying to watch HD channels completely cripple the wireless network.

SD Channels only consume about 7-8% of the G network or 3-4Mbps.

The screenshot below shows the network utilization – the left side of the graph is an HD channel, and the right side is an SD channel:

I will be investing in a better (and N capable) wireless AP shortly.

 

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