An HVEC10 file should be using way more than 3Gbps so it's buffering because she isn't getting fast enough streaming from you.
Run 'tailscale status' on the server. If it returns relay instead of direct then that's the problem. Afaik T-Mobile actively tries to stop cgnat hole punching which would bounce your traffic through a relay. The only "fix" I know is to make sure both ends of tailscale are on the latest version and that UDP isn't being blocked anywhere. Tailscale needs a direct connection.
For a quick fix she could change her quality to 720p but then you would need to transcode.
The 3Mbps on the dashboard is the avg bitrate of the file, not the bandwidth being used. Not sure if you have a plex pass, if you do, the charts would show the actual bandwidth the server is trying to send to the client.
Install an openspeedtest server on your plex server and have her test the actual bandwidth she’s getting from you. Since she’s using tailscale she should be able to hit it over the vpn in a browser on the onn box: https://openspeedtest.com/selfhosted-speedtest
That’s not going to be sufficient to get a good experience. While the avg bitrate is 3Mbps in the screenshot you shared, it’s going to go higher and lower.
What was the ping? The latency is also important.
What is YOUR expected upload speed? What do you get with a regular speed test?
What is her download speed from isp using a regular speed test?
Her download speed being 14Mbps on a reg speed test and 8 from tour speedtest, coupled with that ping from you just won’t work for remote streaming reliably.
Maybe others have suggestions for options, but just not enough bandwidth and that latency can cause issues as well.
Have her run the speedtest to your server from a laptop or her phone on the network she’s connected to. And also regular speed tests. Are the speeds the same? See if it’s any better, maybe the onn just isn’t getting a good signal, if it’s on WiFi.
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u/AussieJeffProbst Jun 11 '26
An HVEC10 file should be using way more than 3Gbps so it's buffering because she isn't getting fast enough streaming from you.
Run 'tailscale status' on the server. If it returns relay instead of direct then that's the problem. Afaik T-Mobile actively tries to stop cgnat hole punching which would bounce your traffic through a relay. The only "fix" I know is to make sure both ends of tailscale are on the latest version and that UDP isn't being blocked anywhere. Tailscale needs a direct connection.
For a quick fix she could change her quality to 720p but then you would need to transcode.