Any tips on trying to use channels over Cellular?

Channels iOS
#1

Anyone have success using channels over cellular via VPN?

#2

Tips or help would be appreciated.

#3

What HDHomeRun model are you using?

#4

Using Prime currently

#5

Since you’re on FIOS w/ a PRIME, many of your channels are already in H264 which means they will use less bandwidth. Local channels are still MPEG2 and need a lot of bandwidth, which makes it hard to stream over cellular connection.

Either way, you’ll eat a lot of of your cellular data plan streaming. But if you’re fine with that, any sort of VPN server setup in your home will work. See for example Home VPN server

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#6

I used the web interface to watch a game on my iPhone. You gotta stay under your uplink speed and your carrier speed .

I just set it to 480, and it played great. I do have a gig uplink at home and an unlimited data (full speed) on my phone through work though. Unless it was fixed in this latest version, you gotta set the web transcoding from a pc. (I’m still recording so haven’t tested.)

#7

To be clear, @ImNotSerious is talking about Channels DVR which offers its own remote streaming feature. Since the DVR runs on a computer/NAS, it’s able to compress the video before sending it over the internet.

With the DVR installed, you don’t need a VPN. If you’re not a DVR subscriber, then VPN is your next best option (although it won’t transcode the video like the DVR server does).

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#8

Thanks for clairifying that. I didn’t “get” that.

#9

Thanks both!

#10

I wanted to post this with much messing around with my hdhomerun. I have had an HDHomeRun forever, way before anything supported it. So here is my setup.

I am running a ubiquiti unifi controller, security gateway and ubiquiti switch. I have gigabit fios. I setup a Site to Site VPN between my ubiquiti controller at work where I have 2 hdhome runs. I have them running on 192.168.1.1 and at home my network is 192.168.2.1. I also have an open vpn connection that runs on 192.168.3.1 which i use on my cell phone to connect to both 1.1 and 2.1 network.

I am able to use 4G and the channels app on my iphone and stream my hdhomerun over vpn. In the settings I put in the two hdhomeruns ip. Since I am on VPN I am on the 3.1 subnet, so I have to manually enter the 1.1 subnets IP of the hdhomeruns. You can do this by going into the settings from the app.

At home, I have the site to site vpn connected and I do the same with the apps on my amazon fire tvs and fire sticks. Works just fine. I do have a gigabit at either location and can transfer at 90 mbps through the vpn, which is almost pure gigabit.

I also have channels DVR running on a Synology 1518+ at the office. It is able to stream as well. In addition just for fun I took one of the hdhomeruns home and put it on the home network. Through vpn i was still able to records on the synology at the office from hdhomerun at home.

It would be nice if the native hdhomerun software allowed you manually enter the ip of your hdhomerun. Since channels allow you to do this, you can access your hdhomeruns on other subnets which makes vpn a possibility. Thank God!