Buffering Issues

Submitted by jascha on Sat, 2007-12-29 14:10.

Support

My setup:
XP on an Compaq 6715b notbook (AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile, 2GB RAM, Broadcom WLAN adapter).
The Sirocco is connected to a router via 100mbit ethernet. The notebook connects via 54mbit WLAN to the router.
The sirocco firmware has been updated to 1.0.3.

I have tried various buffer lengths. Now i'm using the maximum 3000ms.

1) Occasionally, with ~95% buffer usage, the buffer graph drops to zero for a few ms and jumps back to about it's previous value. Sometimes this coincides with a short chop in the sound. Usually one would expect a 3sec buffer to take 3secs to drop to 0. Therefore i suspect there's something else going on.

2) Every 10-20 secs the buffer usage drops about 10-15%, almost always accompanied by chops in the playback. This is curious as well, since i'd expect not to hear any chops as long as there's data in the buffer.

3) The transmission cannot make up for these 10-15% drops, therefore the buffer gradually depletes until it hits 0 and refills to 100%. Smaller drops +/-1%, which are frequent, are compensated immediatly (buffer usage oscillates, as one would expect).

4) With the buffer at around ~95%, no large drop occurring, playback stutters or jumps occassionally.
This is the only issue that also occurs when using 100mbit ethernet on all devices. It's more frequent when using dolby digital live playback.

I've tested all of these issues with varying distance and orientation of the notebook to the router, with and without parallel uploads running (to check for headroom in the WLAN bandwidth).

I haven't tested connecting the notebook directly to the sirocco via WLAN. If i did, this would be out of interest only, since my rooms are such that the sirocco will never have a good signal from the notebook.

Unfortunately, for now, this means that the sirocco is only a wired device for me. And even when using 100mbit cable connections only, 5.1 playback during movies isn't flawless (see issue 4).

Hi Jascha, What is the model

Submitted by Aaron on Mon, 2008-02-18 19:09.

Hi Jascha,
What is the model of your Broadcom WLAN adapter? Are there any driver updates available for it?

I have the same problem -

Submitted by jascha on Sat, 2008-02-16 13:02.

I have the same problem - sound is choppy when the buffer drops e.g. from 100% to 80%.
All these issues only concern wireless access. It's the same whether i connect directly to the sirocco or through a wireless router that connects to the sirocco via ethernet.
The problem persists with all 3 firmware and driver versions.
I can easily make file transfers over the same connection with more than 1.5mb/s - files traveling from the notebook via wireless to the sirocco, via ethernet to the target machine at over 1.5mb/s. Therefore it has to be a software/driver/firmware problem. Refilling a buffer that is consumed at 187kb/s can't possibly be a matter of that network.
I can live without wireless access, but considering it's a major selling point for the sirocco, it's a pretty unstable feature.

My mistake, I had you

Submitted by Aaron on Fri, 2008-02-15 00:50.

My mistake, I had you confused with the thread originator.

A wireless card that doesn't handle time-sensitive traffic well would definitely cause a problem. Let me know if replacing it fixes the issue.

No, I am on Vista Enterprise 64bit

Submitted by pernord on Thu, 2008-02-14 21:26.

In the last hour I have been streaming music perfectly over a cabled ethernet line.
I think I have found the issue which can also be related to other people on this forum.
It seems to be a really shitty broadcom wireless card in my HP machine.
My broadcom card is a Broadcom 4321AG
There is a known issue with this card and timing sensitive applications for which I will try to find a driver update for.
Tomorrow I will also test with a USB wireless from Netgear, I will keep you updated.

It does not seem to be a fault of the software/hardware for my Sirocco.

You are correct that the

Submitted by Aaron on Thu, 2008-02-14 21:00.

You are correct that the buffer is there exactly to alleviate drop-outs. Seeing a drop from 100% to 80% should not cause a drop out of audio. This leads me to wonder if we're really dealing with some kind of software problem on your PC.

I noticed that you are on XP. Was there a problem with the original driver/firmware that caused you to upgrade to the latest version? If we can't figure out where these audio drops are coming from, the original driver/firmware may prove to be a better fit.

Disabled MAC-Address filtering

Submitted by pernord on Thu, 2008-02-14 18:15.

To disbale the MAC-Address filter did not help.
When connecting to the Sirocco the buffer is stable for some time 5-10 minutes before it starts to drop. When the drops starts in continues pretty freqent until it reaches 0% and goes back to 100%-
I have a question about the buffer behaviour.
The buffer is meant to handle drops in the network traffic to avoid chops in the sound. That means the buffer MUST recover in case of a drop (other wise up to 1 second sound is simply lost somewhere).
Why can't the buffer recover in case of drops???
Why do the sound chop when the buffer drop from 100% down to 80%???
Where did the lost sound go???

Please help me to find the missing second of sound...

The next thing I would try

Submitted by Aaron on Wed, 2008-02-13 20:10.

The next thing I would try is disabling MAC address filtering or WPA2, just to see if they are causing the problem.

What other settings are in use on the router. Is there a 802.11g-only mode that you can try?

Thanks Aaron, I have set the

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 21:00.

Thanks Aaron,

I have set the channel to 1 with no different behaviour.
Normally I use 1000 ms buffer (I use it for music), but in the end it doesn't matter what buffer length I use. I have tested everything between 100-3000 ms.

Too bad the new driver

Submitted by Aaron on Mon, 2008-02-11 20:17.

Too bad the new driver didn't help. The first (and least invasive) thing I would try is a using a different channel on your router. try 1,6, or 11. Also, what is the buffer length setting in the Sirocco control panel?

My first impression didn't

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 20:09.

My first impression didn't last for long. It even seems like the laptop was fooled because now the same behavoiur is back.
It really seems that the buffer stops working in general after a while. When the buffer drops also the sound chops, so I start to wonder what the buffer is meant for, because in case of a buffer drop it must be able to recover the lost bits and pieces?!?

The new driver worked good for something like 20-25 minutes and then I need to disconnect and connect to get any kind of stability.

Now we are talking!!!! After

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 19:37.

Now we are talking!!!!
After 15 minutes of music streaming it's more or less flawless (from 100% buffer to 97-99%). Small buffer drops that recovers and no chops in the sound. This seems to have saved my day.
The buffer is really used now compared to before when the buffer seemed to be a visual fake.
I was almost going to throw out my new lappie (because I can't live without my Audio Bridge)
For sure I will provide you guys with a new update after some more extensive usage.

New driver

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 19:19.

Thanks Aaron,

I will test the new driver directly and let you know the result within an hour.
I have a Netgear WPN824 configured on channel 8 with WPA2 and mac-address filtering.

Hi pernord, Which router are

Submitted by Aaron on Mon, 2008-02-11 19:03.

Hi pernord,
Which router are you using, and how is it configured otherwise?

Also, we have a new driver release coming for the Sirocco. It's currently in beta form, but you might want to try it out and see if it helps. We're looking for some more test coverage, so please do post your feedback.
Sirocco v.2.6 beta

Thanks,
Aaron

cmcnfgw.cpl

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 18:23.

Just an additional comment.
When I try to start Sondigo Sirocco Wireless Audio Bridge from the start menu I get a failure that cmcnfgw.cpl module cannot be found?!?
Something seems to be missing.

Hi, I have exactly the same

Submitted by pernord on Mon, 2008-02-11 17:12.

Hi,

I have exactly the same issue as described in this post.
I have used the Sirocco for about 6 months on XP without any issues at all.
For a couple of days ago I bought a new laptop with Vista.
I downloaded and installed both the new BIOS and driver but I only had issues with the buffer since.
Yes, the Sirocco is buffering but drop for about every 10-15 sec with chops in the sound.
I have tried to set my router to "only g" and changed the channel without any success.
Funny thing is that I also have AMD T64 X2 and a broadcom wireless adapter.
Please advice before att my hair is ripped off. I runned out of ideas.

Hi Pete, Thanks for the

Submitted by Aaron on Fri, 2008-02-08 18:40.

Hi Pete,
Thanks for the follow up. Glad you were able to sort it out. Enjoy the Sirocco!

Aaron

Recommendations for Buffer Storage changes

Submitted by mcpete7009 on Fri, 2008-02-08 14:45.

I received great technical support - thanks Aaron. I changed my router channel and also changed the settings from "b and g" to "g only". It seems to have solved my problem. I live in a condo where there are many wireless networks. I chose a channel that wasn't widely used. This meant avoiding channels 6 and 11, in my case.

I could have facilitated the solution to my issue if I first checked for driver updates for my computer wireless chipset and had quoted my main router settings when seeking technical support.

Buffer Storage changed recently

Submitted by mcpete7009 on Thu, 2008-02-07 18:20.

I have had the buffer storage readings change over the past two weeks or so. Previously the level remained at 100% but now it drops to 45% and below. I use 3000ms buffer. If I disconnect then reconnect the level returns to 100% before gradually dropping down and varying up and down.

I have always had some issues with router speed and have had cable supplier in to check (nothing wrong with cable signal). The result of the speed dropping below 10 - 15 Mbps from 54 Mbps is that the music drops out. Using 3000ms has prevented some of these drop offs but now with the Buffer Usage reducing to less than 100% I get more drops.

I am using XP Home, with Sondigo original firmware and software provided on installation disc (not sure what firmware version this is and don't know how to find out), Belkin Wireless G Model F5D7230-4 connects at 54 Mbps.

System: Dell Inspiron 9400, Intel Corel 2 T5600 @1.83 GHz, 1GB RAM, Sigma Tel HD Audio CODEC.

That's not cool. Have you

Submitted by Aaron on Wed, 2008-02-06 00:11.

That's not cool. Have you tried a different driver version, or disabling UAC?

Which version of Vista are you using?

Unfortunately, the only

Submitted by jascha on Tue, 2008-02-05 12:19.

Unfortunately, the only thing i can make the vista driver do is freeze my system for about 1min, up to the point where i can't move the mouse, and make vista warn me that the (2GB) system is low on memory.
Even though connecting to the device works and the buffer graph looks fine, playing audio doesn't work.

With the 1.03 firmware it was the same except that i could play stereo audio with similar buffering issues as described before.