I've an HTC Desire HD and can connect via wifi, I could connect via cable and tether a PC via the phones 3G signal etc However, I was wondering if, in the absence of USB connectivity and no wifi or 3G, would a USB to RJ45 cable be made to work? That is, having a wired ethernet connection to the phone's microUSB port. Obviously you would need an ethernet driver on the phone.
Now I don't have an immediate need for this, it's more a case of 'I wonder ...... '. I've read that USB host mode is not possible but not sure how/if that would negate being able to driver ethernet over the microUSB port. Anyone know for sure?
Ta
Dave
dvhttn said:
I've an HTC Desire HD and can connect via wifi, I could connect via cable and tether a PC via the phones 3G signal etc However, I was wondering if, in the absence of USB connectivity and no wifi or 3G, would a USB to RJ45 cable be made to work? That is, having a wired ethernet connection to the phone's microUSB port. Obviously you would need an ethernet driver on the phone.
Now I don't have an immediate need for this, it's more a case of 'I wonder ...... '. I've read that USB host mode is not possible but not sure how/if that would negate being able to driver ethernet over the microUSB port. Anyone know for sure?
Ta
Dave
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Click to collapse
I think the answer is not without usb host, and the cable would need to be more like a dongle with a nic in it.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
mrkite38 said:
I think the answer is not without usb host, and the cable would need to be more like a dongle with a nic in it. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right of course. Doh ..... (on my part). But then you can get things such as this ... http://www.saverstore.com/product/2...NIC-1427-100--USB-to-RJ45-Network-connection- ... (first one I found - may be cr*p ).
Dave
I have seen this work using a Router with a usb port.
It requires a Linux router with enough guts to do it, Tommato/DD-WRT running, and one must fiddle with it. Essentially one uses the router to share the internet USB connection. It is probably the cheapest and most supported route.
LargePrime said:
I have seen this work using a Router with a usb port.
It requires a Linux router with enough guts to do it, Tommato/DD-WRT running, and one must fiddle with it. Essentially one uses the router to share the internet USB connection. It is probably the cheapest and most supported route.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be lovely though .. Ill try it later ...
Let us know how it goes.
Back in the day I had an HP iPaq that didn't have WiFi built in, but I could connect it to a wired network via a small adapter that functioned as a nic. Hypothetically you could find or fashion such a device to function over mini-USB, and then write some drivers to get it to share data with an attached computer. Just my 2c.
If you want to write drivers, you have a whole new level of complexity.
USB port of a router is a known cheap solution.
I'd have to second the OP's idea, as it does have merit. Hopefully the work on getting the USB Host working can show some results in the future....
However, I'm in the same boat, where I have a Nook Color running CM7 I use as a tablet, and an N1. I'm also on business in China a lot, and I prefer to use the NC in place of a laptop, although in some places wireless is flakey or non-existent. In those scenarios I'd rather not use the N1 as an access point using the 3G network to run data, as it adds up quick, even when using China sim cards.
It's these situations where a means to connect an android device to a physical ethernet is desirable, whether by USB or by wireless to a dongle.
This is the one device I'm testing out now is a CQR-980 from Cnet. You'll have to google it, because I can't post links.
The reason for this unit is it's size (its 3.52 (L) x 2.32 (W) x 1.06 (H) inches), and full support for setting up a secure wireless environment. If it works right, I will pre-configure it as an access point with WPA2, and it should be able to be plugged into any ethernet port in a hotel or otherwise, and I should get an IP on the NC or N1 via wireless.
If anyone else has found a better way to make this sort of setup work, would love to hear of it. The fewer devices I have to bring the better. Yet this is still better than dragging even a small laptop around.
I have seen this work using a Router with a usb port.
The Phone got to have specialized hardware to enable it to use just that USB to RJ-45 cable.
But in my experience, I could be wrong about it. Don't know what the R & D guys will cook up next.
This could make the job of having RJ45 connected to USB?
http://www.cnetusa.com/eng/CQR-981.php
Also this seems interesting:
http://www.euogo.com/usb-lan-adapte...to-rj45-adapter-for-android-tablets_p420.html
Will it work with an ASUS Transformer (Honeycomb 3.0)?
I have looked around a lot on the web for the MicroUSB to RJ45 Ethernet on a Droid, no luck. I have small hardware devices that have embedded configuration servers that are only accessible via TCP/IP Ethernet RJ45 ports and I normally use my netbook for that. I thought it would sure be cool to be able to access those embedded servers via my Droid2G for example, and get rid of the netbook. It seems like the phone can do almost everything else.
I've read about USB host mode etc, and the mini dongles with NIC's in them seem more promising, but I guess there has not been a big enough need for the guru's to go after it. Aparently it may available on the Android 3.x tablets but no able to backport to Android 2.x? Verizon will likely never upgrade my D2G OS.
dvhttn said:
You're right of course. Doh ..... (on my part). But then you can get things such as this ... http://www.saverstore.com/product/2...NIC-1427-100--USB-to-RJ45-Network-connection- ... (first one I found - may be cr*p ).
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if you used this but also used a usb extender so you could plug in the phone cable to the usb to rj45.? Then all that would be left would be the drivers.
With the exception of cybdroid's situation I think that a little wireless ap would work great. I have a little netgear wgr101 that works great.. you connect it to a rj45 port in the motel, and then wifi from the phone or laptop.
The reason i'm on this tipic, is I was thinking rj45 to rj45 on a copier. Then I can set same subnet, and ip range with a crossover cable(or ipx on on the copier). Then I wouldn't have to use a full laptop to troubleshoot...
now i'm not an apple fan but redpark has something for the i- series of apple products to do exactly what i'm curious about... you can check it on the tech journal.
Now that I spend some time reading and thinking, I might even be able to use my little wgr101 if i figure out a hosts file in the android os to direct traffic through the router. And, if I don't have to wear out the usb jack on the device, all the better.
I think I have my problem fixed, just went ahead a posted this as it might give someone else an idea. Might be a solution that even the op enjoys entertaining... I think op#2 and frayedends are on the right track.
I recieved my bluetooth dongle today and I am trying to tether my transformer to my PC over bluetooth. However I can not seem to figure out how to do it. Has anyone else done it? When I search for these things I only seem to find only bluetooth to a phone or file transfer between pc and tablet.
frobie said:
I recieved my bluetooth dongle today and I am trying to tether my transformer to my PC over bluetooth. However I can not seem to figure out how to do it. Has anyone else done it? When I search for these things I only seem to find only bluetooth to a phone or file transfer between pc and tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is it you want to achieve over Bluetooth? File transfer? Internet connection sharing? Coffee making? Something else?
Internet connection sharing.
Worked for me on a windows xp netbook but was entirely pointless. The only reason I can think of is to use a 3g dongle for internet access.
_______________________________________________________
Sent from my Asus Transformer using Tapatalk
I need it because at work we dont have wifi..... so my laptop's connection is the only one that I can attempt to connect my tablet to.
If your laptop does have WiFi, and you're running Windows 7, you could try Connectify.
Regards,
Dave
Connectify works perfectly! Wish I heard of that before getting a bluetooth dongle. However it would still be nice to know if it is possible to get Windows 7 to share the internet connection over bluetooth. From looking at some old forums it was in there in some of the early releases along with the wifi hotspot.... Good thing I only need it at the office. Thanks guys.
i'm having trouble connecting to my pc using Splashtop Gamepad THD or Splashtop 2 on my Nexus 10. I had no trouble at all connecting using my N7, but that was too small for gaming imho...
I've got my firewall turned off, the app automatically discovers my pc, but when i try to connect it tries for 15-odd seconds, then says connect failed. My pc does connect through a powerline adapter, but like i said, i had no issues connecting using my N7. If i check my network traffic around the time I try to connect I see a signal coming in, so my pc is receiving something... Not sure if it's an N10 related issue or not.
thanks for any and all help you can provide
Piquedram said:
i'm having trouble connecting to my pc using Splashtop Gamepad THD or Splashtop 2 on my Nexus 10. I had no trouble at all connecting using my N7, but that was too small for gaming imho...
I've got my firewall turned off, the app automatically discovers my pc, but when i try to connect it tries for 15-odd seconds, then says connect failed. My pc does connect through a powerline adapter, but like i said, i had no issues connecting using my N7. If i check my network traffic around the time I try to connect I see a signal coming in, so my pc is receiving something... Not sure if it's an N10 related issue or not.
thanks for any and all help you can provide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a solution to recommend to you but I have used Splashtop 2 with my N10. I was having trouble getting it to connect when the streaming PC was set up to require a password to connect. I'm not sure if that was user fail (typo) or if it's some issue related to what you are experiencing.
odd it seems to be running fine on my n10
sebbo90 said:
odd it seems to be running fine on my n10
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Click to collapse
Splashtop 2 is working fine on my N10 but i needs to be optimized for the screen.
Has anyone had issues with their player randomly dropping connection to WiFi?
I only noticed this because I use Plex a lot. And after a few days it would stop playback and tell me it couldn't find the server. So naturally I though it was either an issue with my server (never had problems in the past) or the app.
Recently I noticed when I scroll through the apps the WiFi logo at the bottom shows its not connected.
I scrolled through setting to try and see if there's any advance settings I could tweak but there's not.
I will reset my netgear router when I get home. But has anyone experienced this yet??
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Haven't had any issues staying connected to my AC68U over the past three days. Family streamed a few movies yesterday and last night and been playing music quite a bit without any problems. Hopefully resetting your router will fix your issue. Good luck.
I have also been having wifi issues on the nexus player. I have not updated to the recent image that was posted and was hoping that would fix the issue. I also have a usb ethernet adapter on the way. Not really impressed with the devices so far, am still using my mk808 primarily which the nexus player was supposed to replace
Edit: update by flashing the latest system.IMG and have not had WiFi drop out yet.
Elrondolio said:
Haven't had any issues staying connected to my AC68U over the past three days. Family streamed a few movies yesterday and last night and been playing music quite a bit without any problems. Hopefully resetting your router will fix your issue. Good luck.
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Click to collapse
I believe I got it acting right now. I saw in another thread issues with the player dropping 5ghz signal. It was suggested to just use 2.4 band instead. When I got home this morning I set up a separate network for the player to connect to with the player as the highest priority and it seems to be jam up.
Only other issue I'm seeing is my mkv blurays will only play for a few minutes then stop. They're huge files so I'm thinking this has something to do with it. Other than that I'm happy for now!
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
same problem. Fix?
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
codygs83 said:
I believe I got it acting right now. I saw in another thread issues with the player dropping 5ghz signal. It was suggested to just use 2.4 band instead. When I got home this morning I set up a separate network for the player to connect to with the player as the highest priority and it seems to be jam up.
Only other issue I'm seeing is my mkv blurays will only play for a few minutes then stop. They're huge files so I'm thinking this has something to do with it. Other than that I'm happy for now!
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
markculton said:
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Plex for 4 years or so.. In my experience, nothing beats using Ethernet instead of Wifi...
I use TP Link Powerline extender to connect the Nexus Player (i also have a Roku next to it)... My plex media server is on a laptop connected directly to the router... I have tried everything and this set up is the fastest and the best resolution. NEVER buffers and i watch everything in 1080p.
Stop wasting time figuring out the wifi and go ethernet. You wont regret it.
Wifi needs to be better.
spyderman33 said:
I use TP Link Powerline extender to connect the Nexus Player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spyderman33 said:
Stop wasting time figuring out the wifi and go ethernet. You wont regret it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
innoman said:
How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, I am using an MIcro USB to USB OTG Cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am sure the bugs will get sorted out but until then, this is the best solution...
innoman said:
How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i could argue that ethernet is not the way to go. FireTv/Ouya/Mojo Madcatz only have a fast ethernet port (100mbps max) and ac can go close to gigabit speeds. I get 833mbps on my Netgear r8000 on ac. I can easily play 20GB+ files without any drops. I even played REMUX blurays (as long as they arent VC1, which the firetv doesnt support either) and those files played just fine too. So unless you get a true gigabit port (which i know of no Android box having) 802.11ac is the ideal option for the Nexus Player. Dont waste your money with a gigabit to USB adapter because the NExus PLayer has a USB 2.0 which can only give you a max of 480mbps.
My suggestion is save some of that money you're saving from your cable bill, sell your current router and keep that $20 you would be spending on a USB to Ethernet adapter and invest in a wireless AC router, you can get a decent Route for $100.
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...F8&qid=1416715312&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+ac
Also what AC ROuter do you have? if its an ASUS than im sorry, i had a ASUS 87u and changed it for a Netgear r8000 because i had constant drops with ASUS, if you turn off Beamforming it will fix your wireless AC drops. at least it did for me.
---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------
markculton said:
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what kind of router do you have?
mejdam said:
i could argue that ethernet is not the way to go. Fire Tv only has a fast ethernet port (100mbps max) and ac can go close to gigabit speeds.
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Click to collapse
100Mbps is more than the device would likely ever need to stream any type of media one would stream on the Fire TV and it will get 100% of that bandwidth between the Fire TV and the switch (assuming you don't have a faulty cable, obviously) 100% of the time--regardless of what other devices on your network or your neighbors networks are doing. Sure, 802.11ac permits better than gigabit speeds... but that doesn't guarantee them. Also, there is the issue of signal degradation when you're further away from your router, the fact that it's shared bandwidth, etc. You could argue both ways but wired is definitely the more reliable option in most cases. The FireTV has either Fast Ethernet OR 802.11n, no gigabit speeds either way.
Sadly, the fire TV has issues with several audio codecs and just isn't what it should be (yet, at least). I'm kinda over the fact that I have to use an external player to play DD 5.1--which is part of the reason I decided to give the Nexus Player a try... that and I wanted to see what google could do this time around.
I have the Buffalo WZR-D1800H--It was an earlier model and not the greatest but it's worked flawlessly and lets me transfer at 40+MB/s on a different floor. I get around 12MB/s using my 802.11n 5Ghz AP upstairs (3 floors with the ac router on the first). If I got the Ethernet cable thing, I'd spend $10 on the 10/100Mbps since it would be sufficient but I shouldn't have to do that. All the other devices in my place do fine even on N, the Nexus Player should be working awesomely on ac... It just isn't and it has issues on N and G--I honestly think it may partly be a Plex issue. I think there are also some deeper wifi connectivity issues.
spyderman33 said:
Correct, I am using an MIcro USB to USB OTG Cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2
****
I should also add that my NAS & Plex Server (PC, used for several things) are all wired over Gigabit. My wireless router doesn't have to do that much, generally, except connect my phone, Mac Book Pro, Chromecast in bedroom, SqueezeBox and a few other little things that don't use much data.
innoman said:
100Mbps is more than the device would likely ever need to stream any type of media one would stream on the Fire TV and it will get 100% of that bandwidth between the Fire TV and the switch (assuming you don't have a faulty cable, obviously) 100% of the time--regardless of what other devices on your network or your neighbors networks are doing. Sure, 802.11ac permits better than gigabit speeds... but that doesn't guarantee them. Also, there is the issue of signal degradation when you're further away from your router, the fact that it's shared bandwidth, etc. You could argue both ways but wired is definitely the more reliable option in most cases. The FireTV has either Fast Ethernet OR 802.11n, no gigabit speeds either way.
Sadly, the fire TV has issues with several audio codecs and just isn't what it should be (yet, at least). I'm kinda over the fact that I have to use an external player to play DD 5.1--which is part of the reason I decided to give the Nexus Player a try... that and I wanted to see what google could do this time around.
Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes my ac band of 833mbps is shared, so even if i have 8 constant devices on that band it still would be faster than a 100mbps wired connection. I own a firetv and have no issues with DD5.1 files from my Synology 1812+, by any chance are you using Samba shares from a windows box? if so thats your problem, switch to NFS shares. also wired connections are shared unless you run a router directly to your setup box without going through a switch. you didnt answer my question though, what ac router do you have that you're having issues with.
mejdam said:
by any chance are you using Samba shares from a windows box? if so thats your problem, switch to NFS shares. also wired connections are shared unless you run a router directly to your setup box without going through a switch. you didnt answer my question though, what ac router do you have that you're having issues with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added in, it may not have posted until you already started your reply. I accidentally posted before I added it in--I needed to check on the model.
The Ethernet connection is only shared if you are using a hub. A switch (I have a 16 port Gigabit switch that connects to my router) provides dedicated bandwidth to each available port--up to 2Gbps/port (1 up and 1 down, concurrently). My specific switch with 16 1Gbps ports can handle up to ~32Gbps worth of traffic at once. My Plex server is connected directly to the switch as is my NAS. The only way I'd have to worry about saturating the PC (Plex Server) to switch link is if I am transferring large amounts of data between the PC and my NAS and that's not common--and definitely not the cause of my issue. It's actually never caused me an issue. The link between the Fire TV and switch is always 100Mbps (assuming there isn't any broadcast traffic or that sort of thing, which isn't likely).
I do use NFS with everything except the media shares from my NAS, sadly. It is a goal but I am going to have to install the Enterprise version of Windows on my PC--Microsoft doesn't appear to support NFS (client) on Windows 8.x unless you have Enterprise and I have Pro. I guess that's what I get for actually paying for it? I am going to put Enterprise on my PC at some point but it's not a priority. Over Gigabit, SMB is sufficient for my use--the overhead isn't an issue right now. That said, I do use Plex so the media share between the Fire TV and my Server is Plex.
If you have your Plex server on let's say port 3 and multiple devices are talking to the Plex server than that line is being shared, which was my point. Again it would take over 8 devices on my ac band before its the speed of your single 100mbps line.
Over gigabit smb is sufficient? You just said you needed to connect a hard drive to your firetv to correctly play ac3 files. Clearly smb is your problem and you don't need to pay for NFS shares, there are free alternatives. Also the speed of your "network" might be gigabit but your speed to your firetv is truly only 100mbps because that's the max the Ethernet port can go. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying that with the nexus player 802.11ac gives you the fastest speeds. Sure wred gigabit could be faster but there's one problem, there's no gigabit port or even fastethernet port.
mejdam said:
If you have your Plex server on let's say port 3 and multiple devices are talking to the Plex server than that line is being shared, which was my point. Again it would take over 8 devices on my ac band before its the speed of your single 100mbps line.
Over gigabit smb is sufficient? You just said you needed to connect a hard drive to your firetv to correctly play ac3 files. Clearly smb is your problem and you don't need to pay for NFS shares, there are free alternatives. Also the speed of your "network" might be gigabit but your speed to your firetv is truly only 100mbps because that's the max the Ethernet port can go. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying that with the nexus player 802.11ac gives you the fastest speeds. Sure wred gigabit could be faster but there's one problem, there's no gigabit port or even fastethernet port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there is a little bit of confusion. My Plex Server/PC are on say port 1 of my 16 port gigabit switch and is communicating with the switch at ~1Gbps. My NAS is on ports 2/3 and both ports are at a Gigabit (each NAS port has it's own IP--one is just used for my Mac and phone backups, the other is predominately used by my PC for Plex shares and whatever other files I put on there) and my FireTV is on port 4 at 100Mbps (limited by the FireTV). (I do not connect a hard drive to my Fire TV, I think someone else said that). I can stream to 3 different TVs (using a mix of a google TV (wired), Chromecast (wifi) and Fire TV (wired or wifi--same results either way) without any issues, buffering or otherwise, at full 1080p with ~12GB files all using Plex. It works near flawlessly most of the time. The only issue is that the Fire TV doesn't stream 5.1 audio (most of my content is AC3) UNLESS I use an external player (XBMC, etc...)--lots of info about this in the Plex forums.
The Fire TV does not have 802.11ac, it has 802.11n. Having it connected to an 802.11ac access point doesn't offer any real benefit other than they tend to do 802.11n slightly better than most 802.11n routers, presumably because they tend to be more powerful. There is no benefit for putting my FireTV on wifi over Ethernet--none what-so-ever since there is already an Ethernet port right next to it--because it will only add traffic to my wireless network. Putting it on wifi isn't going to give it much more bandwidth than having it connected Ethernet with the distance it is away from my 5Ghz router/AP (each is on a different floor) and the level of congestion around me on 2.4Ghz, which is on the same floor (I live in a Condo Complex in uptown Dallas, lots of other wifi routers). The connection between my Fire TV and my switch is ~100Mbps and the connection between my Plex Server is ~1Gbps. I can be moving files betwen my Plex Server and NAS at around 700-800Mbps and still play video on my FireTV from my Plex Server without any issues at it's max bitrate.
SMB is not my problem, I've been using it for a while. The Fire TV has some audio codec/passthrough issues with it's native player. If I switch to SPMC or XBMC and PlexBMC, I can play AC3 5.1 fine straight from my Plex server. I can also select External Player within Plex and play media through any external player such as XBMC without any issues with audio. The problem is that it's a pain to do it that way and it doesn't keep up with watched history, etc. like it should. You also have to manually choose the external player you want to use each time and there are issues with exiting some of them, FF/Rew, etc. The Nexus seems to be able to play my media fine with full AC3 5.1 surround... except it chokes randomly, freezes, etc. and that appears to be related to the wifi. I never said I would be paying for NFS! I will most definitely not be giving Microsoft more of my money to get a simple feature that should have been available in the pro version. As for the free options, I've tried several and they are flaky--so annoying. There is a good NFS server for Windows (Hanewin or something like that) that I've used (and actually run on my moms setup) but I need a client because my NAS does NFS. The free clients I've tried just aren't what they should be, many are dated. The good clients want money.
Ultimately, the fact that the Ethernet port on the FireTV isn't really relevant because that's all that specific port needs to be, I don't have any media with anywhere near a 100Mbps bitrate. Using a switch means that port gets 100% of its bandwidth 100% of the time regardless of what else my network is doing. A lot of people think a switch and a hub are the same thing because they look the same and kind of function the same, but they are quite different. A switch is able to provide each port it's dedicated bandwidth to each other port (traffic is only sent to the port it's designated for) and a hub is totally shared across all ports (traffic from every port is seen by every port). (I'm not suggesting you don't already know this, please don't take offense.) Sorry, I know that's a lot of info, I just want to try to clarify. It's so much easier with a whiteboard! The end result, however, is that something is not right with either the Nexus Player or Plex--I think there are issues with both considering my Nexus Player has issues connecting to my router and both access points and loses connection randomly and that when it is connected, YouTube/Hulu/Netflix all play pretty well. I, also, am not trying to argue--I'm just trying to clarify my situation.
Also, you mention if I have my Plex server on port 3 and multiple clients talking to that port... it's shared. True, but it's a gigabit connection being shared. Unless there are a whole lot of clients communicating with that Plex Server, it's not going to saturate so there should still be plenty of bandwidth for any other Plex client I might have on other ports. It would take 10 Fire TVs each playing close to a 100Mbps (bitrate) media clip to saturate my Plex Server connection (assuming there is nothing else communicating with my Plex server).
"Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2"
I am actually using an Apple USB to Ethernet adapter that I had lying around and never use... Its exactly like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB442-U...1416754525&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+usb+ethernet
I think you can use any generic one really..
It was plug and play, didnt ask for anything, it just said it was connected to Ethernet when I checked.
If anyone else is having connection issues check you Date and Time. My Nexus Player was connected but but none of the apps could connect to anything. Upon checking dmesg I saw a lot of these error exceptions
Code:
Caused by: com.android.org.bouncycastle.jce.exception.ExtCertPathValidatorException: Could not validate certificate: Certificate not valid until Fri Apr 05 09:15:55 MDT 2013 (compared to Fri Dec 31 19:41:48 MST 1999)
Turns out all the Google apps use SSL and since my date was set to 1999 the certs showed up as invalid, I have automatic time turned on.
So for now just set your date manually and don't use Automatic Date&Time.
My NP is only able to connect to 2.4Ghz wireless. I have 2 different SSID's (2.4 and 5.0) and NP can see the 5.0, but gives an error that it can't find the network after you enter the password and try to connect.
The NP also keeps on dropping the 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi connection. I have many wireless devices on this network on both 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz working just fine so I know that the router is not the issue. (Asus RT-N66U)
I'm seeing similar issues, problems with 2.4ghz and worse with 5ghz. I'm using a USB to ethernet adapter and it was working pretty well when I was home. I left for the weekend so I only got a few hours to play with it but no issues
I too had trouble connecting to 5Ghz until I manually set the channel to 48 in my ASUS DSL-AC68U router. It won't connect to any 3 digit 5Ghz channels like 149 etc.
I am having issues with most 1080p content, even over Ethernet. There are just issues with the device and with Plex that need to be worked out. Google needs to get to work on it now!