Spectrum 300Mbs internet will not stop dropping while streaming (outbound content)

AtariPrototypes

I have had this problem since April and it has gotten progressively worse over the last few months and now it's become a major issue.

tl;dr - I am attempting to broadcast (platform does not matter) via OBS software at a resolution of 1280x720 (720p) at 30fps with a maximum bitrate of 3000kb/s. Every 10-20 minutes my connection just drops and I go offline. I have replaced my router twice. There is nothing physically wrong with the cable/wiring at my property. I am hard-wired to the router on all systems, I am not using WiFi.

I host a weekly stream on Twitch. Lately my connection has been steadily degrading while streaming. It began with my connection quality in OBS dipping into the red and my stability dropping from ~3000kb/s to the 500's resulting in stuttering and hundreds of dropped frames. This has progressed to just outright losing the connection to the destination servers now. Every 10-20 minutes my connection will just die and will attempt to reconnect for up to a minute before it comes back. The connection interruption is never longer than about 30-45 seconds, but it happens all the time now. My viewers are being patient with me, but it's rendered my show unwatchable.

"Have you tried streaming somewhere other than Twitch?" Yes. I have attempted to stream the show to YouTube and Rumble and it does not matter what platform I attempt to stream to the connection will just degrade and die every 15 minutes. While Twitch is absolutely a trash fire, Twitch's servers are confirmed not the problem here. A few of the times I've reached out to Spectrum for help I've been lucky enough to speak to some techs who are familiar with streaming, and my problems have been a real head-scratcher for them. Collectively, we cannot figure this out.

I stream at 720p 30fps out of consideration for storing all this recorded media. I'm not even pushing 1080p 60fps like so many people like to do. I am not demanding a ridiculous bitrate out of my internet package, this is completely reasonable. There should be no problems with this, and for years there were none. I've had Spectrum service for over half a decade without issue.

I am at my wit's end. I do not know what to do to fix this. I've attempted to update the drivers on my streaming computer. Nothing. I got two replacement routers from Spectrum. Nothing. I've had the cables inspected at my property (an entire new telephone pole was erected about a year ago). Nothing. I cannot change providers because AT&T no longer serves my area and none of the independent/smaller companies reach where I am. Spectrum is the only option and I have to make this work. I'm not going to play the "I can't stream I'm losing money boo hoo" card because this isn't about me making money, I just do this for fun. However coming up in two months I am expected to host our annual telethon for the local childrens' hospital where we routinely raise several thousand dollars and I absolutely cannot have the stream dying on me every 15 minutes when this show happens.

I do have a lingering suspicion the problem could be with my computer itself however, and I feel this is worth bringing up. I use two computers to run my show, one to do all the actual streaming from and a second one specifically to watch the chat and use my dashboard. When my connection drops it appears to only affect the stream PC. The second computer is still able to send/receive messages from the chat and works normally. Additionally, while I have not checked every single time, when my connection drops the status lights on the router have not turned red or are flashing to indicate a problem. For all intents and purposes the connection appears to still be live, but the stream PC just keeps dying. Spectrum aside, could this be a motherboard/driver issue?

William_M

@AtariPrototypes

Have you tried streaming from your second computer? You can connect one computer directly to the modem to rule out issues with the router (the modem needs to be reboot when you change what's connected to it.) If you have the same issue on multiple devices, even while connected directly to the modem, then the next step should be an appointment with a technician. If the issue only happens on one computer, I'd recommend contacting the computer manufacturer or a computer repair service.

RAIST515O

Have you tried running a VPN yet?

The free use ones don't always have the greatest bandwidth or monthly usage caps, but ProtonVPN or Windscribe may offer enough for a test run at 720p to see if there may be some wierd traffic shaping/queuing/clamping happening in the upstream routing.

Jaleesa_F

Hello @AtariPrototypes

Welcome to our Community Forums! Sorry to hear that you're experiencing upload issues with our service, I'm happy to help! You mentioned above that you're not using a wireless connection and that you've replaced routers twice. Are you using the Spectrum router? Or do you have your own router connected?

AtariPrototypes

@RAIST515O - I have not yet tried a VPN. I use Avast Antivirus and I get 5GB free data transfer every week with the plan I have, so I will try this out when I get ready to stream tonight. (I am also trying to lower my bitrate to 2200kb/s to see if this makes any difference too.)

@Jaleesa_F - Correct, I am using a router provided to me by Spectrum. The previous router I'd been using was also provided by Spectrum. The router itself is only a few months old, it's the newest model available from the Spectrum store. I would provide the model # and info here, but for a while now any time I log into MySpectrum whether that be on the app or website it just says my equipment is "unavailable at this time" and I can't access any of the details or settings, implying there is a problem with the router & modem even though they do seem to work just fine. This particular issue started happening as soon as I replaced my router the first time, back in April when the connection issues first began. Power cycling the equipment hasn't fixed this, so I've been unable to manage the network settings. This is also an issue, but it's less important than getting a stable connection right now. I am at work right now but when I get home I will get the model # off of the equipment itself and post it here.

AtariPrototypes

@RAIST515O - I attempted to connect with a VPN (Avast SecureLine) and the stream eventually died on its own after about 10 minutes, just like it did without a VPN.

@Jaleesa_F - Here is the information for the Spectrum products I have:
Router ID: SD12
S/N: removed
Modem ID: PC20
S/N: removed

Considering I've lowered my bitrate by about 30% as well as tried a VPN and I'm still having trouble I am beginning to think this is an issue with my computer. I used the "Network Reset" option in Windows to automatically uninstall & reinstall all network & Ethernet drivers but obviously this did nothing either.

I genuinely do not have any clue on what to even begin to search for online to fix it. "Windows 10 Ethernet connection dropping" is far too vague. I've already tried that and none of the solutions I've found have worked. I am not technically inclined enough to know exactly what to look for to help me explain this problem using terms that will get me to where I need. Event Viewer shows nothing out of the ordinary for the driver as far as I can tell, but beyond that I do not know where else to look.

AtariPrototypes

@William_M - My second computer doesn't meet the minimum specs required to suitably stream at the same resolution and frame rate as my desktop PC (it's an old laptop running a light version of Ubuntu). I might be able to get it to stream at 720p with a lower FPS (perhaps 15-20) or I could keep it at 30FPS but reduce the resolution to 480p, there would have to be a trade-off and since the setup would not be identical I don't know how meaningful that data would be.

That aside, over the weekend I took apart my streaming computer and dropped its hard drive and other components into an older system that I'd previously used 2 or so years ago without any issues. After some reconfiguring to get the Windows OS to recognize the different motherboard and all of that I ran some more stream tests and did not have any issues whatsoever. The problem is almost certainly with the computer itself. What caused this specifically is unknown to me because I never make any significant changes to the hardware I use for streaming for this exact reason. Some time around April the system just started experiencing degraded connectivity and this got progressively worse, with no input on my end that would've changed something or misconfigured a setting, etc. I can't explain it.

For now I think the problem is fixed, I've run two 60 minute test streams at 720p 30fps without any interruptions. As the week ahead arrives I'll be doing actual streams though so we'll see if the issue is really fixed.

I apologize to anyone who finds this forum post through Google in desperation looking to fix a similar issue. "Just take your old computer out of the garage and migrate your hard drive into it" is not a quality solution that will apply to most people, but it worked in my situation.

RAIST515O

Could have been a driver update through Windows Update... or something they changed in the network stack that does not get along with an older driver.

Could try rolling the network card drivers back to the previous version first. If it has tracked an older version, should see the option through Device Manager when you right-click the device and go to Properties, then the drivers page.

If that fails to address it, can run Windows Update manually (Settings, Security and Updates, Windows Updates, check for updates). A new driver may not show in the main list but in an optional category.

The third option would be to install an add-in network card. Would expect you have at least one free PCI or PCIE slot available. You shouldn't need a full length if you have to go PCIE... a shorter 1x-4x slot should do the trick. Can often find them around the $20-25 mark, even off the shelf... maybe less online. Worst case... could go with a USB Ethernet dongle.