Remote Access to Channels DVR after Moving to T-Mobile

[freway01]

I wanted to provide an update with remote access to my Channels DVR which runs on my home network that uses a T-Mobile Home Internet gateway to connect to the internet

I've installed Tailscale on my Samsung S21 phone, which has 5G UC connection to the T-Mobile cellular network, and on a Fire TV 4K stick that connects via WiFi to my neighbor's home network. The speed test on my S21 shows I'm getting 500Mbps down and 8Mbps up. The speed test on the Fire TV stick is showing 95Mbps down and 15Mbps up.

With Tailscale activated on both devices, I'm able to get to my Channels DVR system and move around in it to see my recordings and the channels guide. When I select a channel to watch, both tests took about 15 - 30 seconds for the channel to open, and both kept buffering (spinning circular arrow). The Fire TV would play video for a couple of seconds, then buffer for 10 - 20 seconds. The video on the S21 was even worst. Needless to say, I wasn't able to watch the football game on either device.

On those same two devices, I also have the Plex client. After turning Tailscale off on both devices, I tested Plex. On both devices I was able to connect to my Plex server which runs on the same NAS where my Channels DVR system runs, and I was able to watch videos from my libraries, and 'Live TV', both without any buffering. The 'Live TV' I was watching was the same college games I tried to watch on Channels. Both Plex and Channels share two HDHomerun devices for a total of eight tuners.

I known that a VPN adds overhead, and it appears Tailscale is not exempt from this. I've gone into settings for each Channels client and adjusted the playback streaming quality down to 700Kbps for cellular, a 1Mbps for the internet and I still experience 99% buffering.

If other users are using Tailscale so they can remotely access their Channels DVR, what are your Channels client setting on you phone and Fire TV sticks? Do you get seamless streaming?

[Rice]

@freway01

I've gone into settings for each Channels client and adjusted the playback streaming quality down to 700Kbps for cellular, a 1Mbps for the internet and I still experience 99% buffering.

Try going the other way. Set it to original on the client app.

[chDVRuser]

@freway01

The speed test on my S21 shows I'm getting 500Mbps down and 8Mbps up. The speed test on the Fire TV stick is showing 95Mbps down and 15Mbps up.

Channels Speed Test, or something else?
Have you tried the Channels Speed Test when the clients are connected via Tailscale?
Unless things have changed, when you connect a client via Tailscale it's considered Internet streaming

NEW: DVR Server + Tailscale integration, for easier Away from Home access (Experimental)

This should better detect when you're on a Tailscale connection on WiFi and not consider it being At Home.

Here's how you can tell if a client is connecting directly or via a Tailscale DERP relay to the DVR server

NEW: DVR Server + Tailscale integration, for easier Away from Home access (Experimental)

This is a great feature enhancement. I've been using Tailscale on Unraid for a while to remote connect to my Channels server. I prefer using Tailscale over exposing port 8089 over the Internet as I used to find my IP listed on shodan.io which makes you a target for more port scanners. One useful feature within Tailscale is to determine if you're directly connected to the server or going over a DERP relay. There's a command you can run from your Tailscale server to enable a simple web page that …

Direct vs relayed connections

[freway01]

In my cell, I've tried various different playback streaming quality setting, adjusting the cellular and internet settings. With Tailscale active, I can connect to my Channels DVR which is running on my QNAP NAS, but when I try to watch a recording or live TV, it buffers for a while, will display an image from the video, and just go back to the buffering spin.

Ran the speed test in Channels with cellular, then turned on the WiFi (connected to home network) and ran the speed test again. Results below.

[Edwin_Perez]

If you are using tailscale it uses Home Streaming quality which is original. You would have to change that to match more or less your Cell Speed.

[chDVRuser]

@chDVRuser

Unless things have changed, when you connect a client via Tailscale it's considered Internet streaming

This should better detect when you're on a Tailscale connection on WiFi and not consider it being At Home.

[Edwin_Perez]

I thought it was Home Streaming as tailscale acts like you are connected at home ?

[Rice]

While connected via Tailscale playback quality shows as internet streaming while on home network and cellular streaming while on cellular data network.

[Edwin_Perez]

@Rice

While connected via Tailscale playback quality shows as internet streaming while on home network and cellular streaming while on cellular data network.

Thanks I must have been asleep when they changed that.

Spoke too soon mine says Original quality using my 5G Phone ... Maybe it is because I use Tailscale for windows not the integrated one.

[freway01]

For the record, I have Tailscale turned on in my Channels DVR server, and I have port 8089 forwarded to port 8089 on my server where Channels DVR runs. On my phone, I have Tailscale active. and when I started the Channels, I selected 'Home' and entered the Tailscale IP for my Channels server. Channels app connects to the DVR, but it works like crap.

I even tried uninstalling & reinstalling the Channels app on my phone and still isn't playing video.

[chDVRuser]

I have Streaming Quality set to Original for Home, Internet and Cellular.
Original Quality Delivery is set to Direct.

[freway01]

When I connected the Channels app on my phone using cellular (no WiFi) I followed the instructions and assistance from tmm1 in this thread (above). In Tailscale, it shows the two devices (the Channels server & the phone client are connected).

[chDVRuser]

Click on the machine name for the client and see if it's connected direct or through a DERP relay.
If it's going through a DERP relay it will have a checkmark by the name and show the Latency

[freway01]

Tried to settings, NG.

[chDVRuser]

Here's my cellphone using cellular

Channels DVR Server

I'm going through a double NAT with my personal router and my ISP Internet Gateway, so direct connect impossible unless I open a UDP port 41641 to the Internet.

If you ensure that port UDP/41641 is not blocked, and that outgoing UDP and TCP/443 is permitted, Tailscale will be able to reliably serve direct connections.

[freway01]

I'll work on this tomorrow, wife is nagging me to fire up the grill

[tmm1]

You will probably see better speeds installing Tailscale onto the system (i.e. QNAP package) instead of the one embedded into the DVR.

[Edwin_Perez]

@tmm1

You will probably see better speeds installing Tailscale onto the system (i.e. QNAP package) instead of the one embedded into the DVR.

That is true that is why I installed tailscale on Windows.

[chDVRuser]

@chDVRuser

I'm going through a double NAT with my personal router and my ISP Internet Gateway, so direct connect impossible unless I open a UDP port 41641 to the Internet.

Verified even with double NAT that port forwarding UDP port 41641 to one of my NAS devices running Tailscale enables a direct connection to it instead of through a DERP relay.
And it appears that tailscale status no longer shows the connection type,
but tailscale ping <tailnet IPaddress> does.

[freway01]

I installed Tailscale on my QNAP NAS and signed in which added it to my list of devices in Tailscale. I already have external port 8089 forwarded in internal port 8089 that points to the IP address of my NAS, do I change that external port number to 41641, or create an new entry?