Reconciling different broadband speeds

[Eurosceptic]

Hi

We pay for the 150mbps broadband. I use a Firestick plugged into our second tv in conservatory. The FS is connected via ethernet. (Wanted to take pressure off WiFi, with TV and PVR connected the latter  way. Also, use Firestick for 99% of viewing) 

I’ve got a speed tester app on the Stick, and this always shows circa 98mbps download speed via ethernet. However, if I test with vpn, on, I get around 200 mbps. I thought this must be some sort of traffic shaping/choking by Sky, which is circumvented by the vpn? However, when I run non-vpn test on my phone (WiFi), I get around 150 mbps speed. (I’ll try the WiFi speed on the Stick tonight) Also thought length of ethernet was an issue (5m), but that apparently contradicted by the speed with vpn?

Just trying to interpret the various speeds in my case.

Thanks

[mae-3]

@Eurosceptic 

The 98Mbps limit may be an issue with the Firestick only being 100Mbps ethernet. And 200Mbps from the VPN is that it is encrypted and this usually has an element of compression as well, so speed may be artificially improved by the compression in the encryption.

[Chrisee]

@Eurosceptic streaming devices only need limited bandwidth as UHD video streams rarely need even 50Mb/s. Amazon's specs for the latest Firestick 4K max list the dongle for ethernet as having a 100Mb/s port. The ethernet ports on Sky's Stream pucks are the same..

[Eurosceptic]

Thanks Both

Wasn't aware of streaming device limitations. 

Just checked FS speed using WiFi, and circa same as ethernet result last night. Interestingly, the speed with the vpn and WiFi combo was 165mbps, so a little slower than the equivalent speed via ethernet.  

It almost defeats the object of running all that ethernet, through wall etc, particularly as I'm hardly going to be having TV, PVR and FS hogging WiFi at same time.

Thanks again.

[TimmyBGood · Accepted solution]

@Eurosceptic 

Streaming UHD takes about 30Mbs at most: there's simply no need for such hardware to be specified with gigabit ethernet chipsets. WiFi is potentially (and unnecessarily) faster because 802.11ac will be the cheapest chips available in bulk, and these are now transitioning to 802.11ax