Running task manager. Just using one stream on my Fire tv. per Task manager, Channels is using between 35 and 45 mbps and 70% of my network speed. when it dips below 15 I get buffering
If you're talking tuner -> DVR and DVR -> client device, simultaneously, for HD content, I suppose that's quite possible. I've never seen more the 15Mb/s in HD streams, here, but I've read were mpeg2 HD typically runs 15-20Mb/s.
Is this a concern, for some reason?
The concern is not being able to run another stream. I did reboot the router/Nas still getting the high bitrate, but the network is down to only running at 10%
OTA streams are typically 8-12 Mbps; cable usually a little higher. (The specs for broadcasts allow for up to about 20 Mbps.) Those rates are for each direction. Live video streaming is a high-bandwidth application.
Your best bet is to wire your infrastructure with Category 6 ethernet cable and use gigabit ethernet switches. Some clients can be wireless, but ought to run on the 5Ghz spectrum (i.e., 802.11ac/WiFi 5). If you are noticing network issues, your best bet is to rethink your network topology and perhaps upgrade some network equipment/wiring.
I run 5g Wireless AC. Seems like only DVR is affected. Will check Hdhomerun DVR when I get home. I thought Channels used Dlna
I think you might be confused as to what DLNA is. DLNA is a protocol for media streaming built on top of existing protocols/technologies. If anything, DLNA might use more bandwidth than the way that Channels communicates with the tuners and between the server and clients bcause of the overhead required for it beyond regular protocols.
Also, if you use Channels DVR and have Tuner Sharing enabled, you may possibly be increasing the bandwidth needed on your network. With Tuner Sharing, a stream first goes to the DVR and then is sent out to each client. (Without Tuner Sharing, each live stream is sent directly from the tuner to the client, bypassing the DVR server.) The advantage with Tuner Sharing is that only a single stream is requested from your tuners, regardless of the number of clients viewing that channel, including recording. The disadvantage, though, is that network bandwidth is increased because there is always a stream from the tuner to the DVR server, meaning there is always an additional stream using bandwidth on your network.
If you have your network smartly partitioned with VLANs and different subnets, the increase in bandwidth is negliable. Also, having a gigabit-based network will make it much easier to throw all of those Mbs across your network. For best performance, especially with high-bandwidth video, you should use wired ethernet for as much of your network as you can.
An FYI: I have my both my HDHomeRun and DVR connected via wired network, 1 of my clients (FireStick 4k) uses 5gz wireless and the other (also FireStick 4k) uses 2.4gz for distance. All video is routed thru a TPLink AX1800 router. The Channels DVR is running on a Raspberry Pi 4B. I don't have any issues with either live or playback videos.