[Mufimufin]

At home I currently have 1 Gbps capable network, but my HTPC (older laptop - Sony Vaio FW31J) has only 100 Mbps network card. There is a "middle man" in form of a Devolo dLAN 650+ powerline adapter, but I have got good connection between these units as Devolo cockpit shows 350-400 Mbps. This is therefore not a bottle neck.

From time to time it happened that streaming vere slow on high quality content, but this could have been caused by other things than my network. I have never investigated this in detail. That is why I ask about general question and expect general answer like "yes, go for it" or "100 Mbps is enough for your needs". It does not cost that much and I do not have 4K capable TV (Sony Bravia KDL-55W905A ), so there is no need to upgrade my HTPC.

Should I buy one of those external USB 1 Gbps capable network cards or this does not represent any improvement for high quality streaming from Plex Server (i do not transcode) to Kodi + PlexBMC on my HTPC? I usually watch content in 1080p or blu-ray because UHD 2060p will probably not make any difference on my non-4K TV.

If yes then are there going to be any problems when my HTPC does not have USB 3.0, but 2.0 only? I have noticed that those external network devices offer backward compatibility with USB 2.0 where this version should deliver 480 Mbit/s and that is pretty much where I stand with my powerline adapters anyway.

If no, then I will probably use this old HTPC until it finishes its life span (or 4K TV appears in my living room) and buy something new after that time.

Thanks.

[noggin]

I've not had a problem with 100Mbs connections on a number of devices when playing back native unrecompressed Blu-ray and high quality 40+Mbs H264 encodes I've made myself, over a cabled connection.

I HAVE had problems with Powerline connections that have told me they have way over 100Mbs plus connectivity, but in reality have not consistently met this (central heating thermostat spikes, other appliances etc. caused interference in my experience). I've had some >100Mbs reported connectivity that drops enough to cause 15Mbs content to drop out. (I have Netgear 1000Mbs Powerline adaptors with GigE adaptors - you'd be amazed at how many 500Mbs and 1000Mbs adaptors only have 100Mbs Ethernet connections... ... ... )

I'd first try a direct network connection (move the PC to the nearest cable or run a long temporary cable if you have one) - to remove the power line adaptors from the equation.

If your content is being streamed over the internet not from a local source - then I'd also cast some eyes of suspicion over the source.

[Mufimufin]

The content is being served from the local network and I have already tried to remove powerline adapters from the equation with no income whatsoever as there are no spikes and my connection between those 2 units usually do not get below 350 Mbps. It was still the same as the bottleneck is obviously in my HTPC`s ethernet network card. I am using this set-up for like 2 years and I have only started to think whether 100 Mbps< will give me better performance for movies with high bitrate. There are no important problems I am trying to solve by this.

[Atreyu]

100Mpbs should be more than enough in almost all video streaming scenarios.
I would not opt for power line adapters. They might offer more theoretical speed, but less stability in general
Personally I would say anything higher than 100 does not add anything to streaming performance.

[Mufimufin]

Thanks guys, btw. I do have absolutely zero (none, nada) performance problems with Devolo dLan powerline adapters and their performance. I am only currious whether 1 Gbps could improve my world, but it seems that I can keep it like it is. Thanks for the answer.

[Topken]

100Mpbs should be more than enough in almost all video streaming scenarios.
I would not opt for power line adapters. They might offer more theoretical speed, but less stability in general
Personally I would say anything higher than 100 does not add anything to streaming performance.

good to have for the NAS itself if multiple people are streaming HD videos from it at the same time. But for a client 100 is enough.

[noggin]

Yes - GigE on your server and for your network infrastructure is a must if you are serving multiple high HD quality streams simultaneously to multiple clients, but each client itself will not use more capacity than 100Mbs connections can deliver. (UHD content may push you over what a 100Mbs connection can deliver - though only very high quality UHD-Blu-ray level stuff - not UHD DVB-S2 or streaming content which will be well south of 50Mbs I suspect)

[Mufimufin]

I am only using one stream at a time.

I do not have 4K TV, so UHD stuff is not needed at the moment.

Once I will buy a new 4K Tv I will need a new HTPC anyway, because this laptop (http://gadgetaz.com/Laptop/Sony_VAIO_VGN-FW31J--1864) is probably not suitable for such requirement, but that will take some time.

Thanks for responses guys.

[Atreyu]

100Mpbs should be more than enough in almost all video streaming scenarios.
I would not opt for power line adapters. They might offer more theoretical speed, but less stability in general
Personally I would say anything higher than 100 does not add anything to streaming performance.

good to have for the NAS itself if multiple people are streaming HD videos from it at the same time. But for a client 100 is enough.

True.
I actually mentioned this in my first draft, but removed it not to complicate things. But good call.

[Mufimufin]

1 stream at a time = 100 Mbps is therefore enough and I will not waste my money on that external network card.

[Atreyu]

1 stream at a time = 100 Mbps is therefore enough and I will not waste my money on that external network card.

I wouldn't either as you might have guessed :-)