Just acquired a TP Link 5G router to replace the ageing 4G device supplied by EE that’s performed perfectly well for the last 6 or 7 years.
New device gets way faster download speeds (up to 165mbps) , pings at 30-50 with jitter seldom into double figures. Performance for video streaming, web browsing , Teams meetings all good.
BUT it really doesn’t get on with Spotify - takes 5-10 secs to start playing a selected track and frequently skips or more in a playlist. Same , though to a lesser apparent extent, with Qobuz.
Have spent some hours researching possible solutions without success . Any suggestions before I send it back? Or can anyone suggest a 5G device that does stream well?
Have you also got a 5G contract, or did you just change the router? Even then, the fact that you’re supposed to be getting 5G doesn’t always mean that you are, apparently…..
Thanks Chris - yes I upgraded the SIM to a 5G one at the same time. Thing is the streaming worked fine on 4G anyway - and the new SIM can run the old router perfectly well too. So I’m fairly convinced it’s new TP router that’s to blame.
I can well believe that article though - the apparent gain over the old 4G service we used to get here is fairly marginal I think.
The prime drivers for my change were that I was paying too much for 4G under the old contract -and with the old 4G router getting a little unreliable I thought i’d refresh that too. Anyway I’m lnow listening to it playing Spotify Lossless and sounding noticeably better than the new device. I suspect that is heading back to the supplier.
I wonder if there are some compatibility or configuration issues with the TP Link router you have. I guess there would always be a risk of this if you are using a router that’s not configured and supplied by the ISP. There will likely be issues other than simply bandwidth and ping times at play, although I’m no expert here so I won’t speculate as to what the actual cause might be.
Interesting - though it’s recognising EE as the carrier in the settings, for what that’s worth.
BUT - and this relates to your comment above- I have switched to ‘4G only’ in the network mode and that does seem let Spotify run with better stability. And with very little loss of download speed.
Hmm… funny that.
I’ll stick with it a while to check i’m not just imagining it.
I got a TP-Link 5G router last year and frankly wasn’t that impressed using either a 3 or EE SIM, especially as a new hardware revision was released almost immediately.
It’s an AX300 - looks similar spec to that one , except branded as a ‘Deco’ model and with a cylindrical body. I’m pretty happy with it so far, bar this one v niggling issue. SQ is fine, at least as good as the EE-branded 4G unit i had before.
Actually in hindsight I probably wished I’d gone for the Deco one as TP-Link seem a bit schizophrenic - the AX1800 doesn’t work with the Deco Mesh system but some newer generic standard!
All a little bewildering, isn’t it? And I note how many of these devices carry an ‘item frequently returned’ caution on a certain well known retail site!
We’ve also got the cylindrical Deco model, and I’m very happy with it. For one thing, the interface app is so much easier to use than the web-based ones on previous models. So you can search “DNS” and it takes you straight to that setting (thanks for the tip).
Despite lightning fast download speeds (sometimes over 500), uploads are stuck around 10 for some reason. This doesn’t cause me any issues in practice, but I’ve always wondered why. This isn’t Deco related BTW, it’s always been like that.
Yes, it’s very good in every respect other than the one that gives me most pleasure!
We live out in the wilds so proper fast internet isn’t an option and choices are rather limited.
Think i’ll prob just soldier on with the old 4G device until it finally gives up the ghost. Then go back to EE for another of their own - quite pricey -devices. Or maybe Starlink, even.
I should add, in case anyone else is in the same position - this only applies when streaming through my Nova and Qb2s with Spotify and Qobuz connect. Airplay is fine, just sounds inferior.
Not inclined to suggest it’s a Naim issue though as their kit always played nicely with the old router.
Just a thought - have you enabled IPv6 on your router and have IPv6 on your LAN.
IPV6 works better on mobile networks compared to ipv4.
I am assuming Spotify supports ipv6 on its CDNs. [edit I read they have upgraded their platforms now to support IPv6, though some old Spotify clients are only ipv4 still] With ipv4 various address translation have to be jumped through on many mobile networks.
Ok that look like your router is not enabling ipv6 or is incompatible with your broadband network. IPV6 comes up or should come up automatically - and is the preferred most performant option on mobile broadband and increasingly fixed broadband. The WAN IPv4 address also looks to be some sort of gateway DMZ address as opposed to the internet.. perhaps translating ipv4 to ipv6 somewhere in your ISP network… this is not going to be general great for throughput/latency consistency.
You can also log onto the diagnostic page on your Naim streamer and see what Ipv6 address you have been given if any. You can share here - just block out the last eight rightmost characters.
With no ipv6 on mobile network routers I am afraid it will be in my opinion a substandard experience - especially when content delivery network services such as streaming is used.
Why did you replace the EE router that was provided. As I always state only replace your ISP provided router as long as you are absolutely sure your alternative is compatible with your network. These things for broadband are not plug and play. ISP provided routers are optimised to work correctly with your broadband connection.
Fair enough, thanks again Simon. That seems to be the lesson and I’ll return it while I can. Thing is these devices are expressly sold as being compatible with the major mobile carriers - and for my purposes at least it very nearly is!
Is there a reason why we still see devices not supporting IPv6 these days? I believe it was developed about a quarter of a century ago and gradually adopted over the years, but it seems a bit odd that any device produced in the last decade or so doesn’t use it.
