Question Video won't play properly when remote accessing laptop

[paulelsa]

I often use my HP laptop via remote access. Using Anydesk on my iPad Pro & iPhone and Samsung Easy Connection for my bedroom TV. All was working well until a week back when remotely viewed videos started freezing and the vision & audio would come out of sync. It happens and all the devices while remote accessing. However there is nothing wrong with the original video, and streaming of videos on all devices works normally. Unfortunately I don't have access to another laptop to test if it's a laptop issue and there appears to be nothing wrong with my internode connection, which powers all devices. Any ideas?

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Video of remote connections has never been very good unless you have a very specialized program that's designed to transmit video smoothly

 

[paulelsa]

I thought it might be difficult, but it had been working well for 6 months until the problems suddenly started.

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

I thought it might be difficult, but it had been working well for 6 months until the problems suddenly started.

Did you try update the software? Maybe a windows update mess with it? Could be many reasons

 

[paulelsa]

Did you try update the software? Maybe a windows update mess with it? Could be many reasons

I was wondering about that but the problem started for both Samsung Easy Connection and Any Desk. I can give it a try though

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

I was wondering about that but the problem started for both Samsung Easy Connection and Any Desk. I can give it a try though

Maybe a Windows update, or even a slower connection. Has there been any change to your networking setup recently?

 

[paulelsa]

Maybe a Windows update, or even a slower connection. Has there been any change to your networking setup recently?

No change to network set-up. There doesn’t appear to have been a slowdown in speed. The buffering only happens when remote accessing the laptop. When I play video on the laptop or iPad or iPhone there is no problem - even if I mirror the phone or tablet to the TV it works fine.

Is there any particular Windows update that could have caused this?

My laptop is getting old and due for replacement - I’m not sure if that’s a factor. But I’ve just had to replace the iPad, so a new laptop is out of my budget at this stage.

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Is there any particular Windows update that could have caused this?

Not a specific one that I know of but Windows Update is known to cause issues.

My laptop is getting old and due for replacement - I’m not sure if that’s a factor. But I’ve just had to replace the iPad, so a new laptop is out of my budget at this stage.

What model of laptop is it?

 

[paulelsa]

Not a specific one that I know of but Windows Update is known to cause issues.



What model of laptop is it?

It's an HP Envy dating back to 2015 - which I know is ancient by computer standards, but still works OK despite painfully slow start up times. I'm not sure if a new laptop will fix the remote access problem. One of the reasons I've been holding off on a new compute is I'm not sure whether to go for a laptop or desktop

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

which I know is ancient by computer standards,

there are threads here of people needing help with laptops from 2009, it's not that old. My ZBook is from 2014.

but still works OK despite painfully slow start up times.

Get an SSD lol, Win10 was designed for SSDs

I'm not sure if a new laptop will fix the remote access problem.

Why do you need remote in the first place? Is this for work or just so you don't have to get up? Not being condescending, just trying to understand.

One of the reasons I've been holding off on a new compute is I'm not sure whether to go for a laptop or desktop

I have both. I use the desktop for work work and I use the laptop for not much work when I'm in bed or if I need to work but also have lunch with my contract manager.

You mentioned multiple programs you use for remote? Many remote programs have settings you can change for stream quality, so maybe those got reset somehow?

 

[paulelsa]

Get an SSD lol, Win10 was designed for SSDs

This is one of the reasons why I'm considering replacing the laptop. Given the age and slower performance I'm considering whether spending money on SSDs would be worth the outlay - or a new better performing one would be a better investment - but that's out of my budget in the short term, so I've got a bit of time to think about that.

 

[paulelsa]

Why do you need remote in the first place? Is this for work or just so you don't have to get up? Not being condescending, just trying to understand

My wife and I like to watch TV in bed before sleeping. Free to Air TV in Australia is so bad, we've been using BBC iplayer via VPN to watch programs. Moving in the laptop each time was a bit of a chore so while the remote was working that was a simple solution. But I may have come up with an answer. The VPN I use only works on desktop/laptop - not ios or android, so I have experimented with a free VPN for ios to try to Airplay to my TV. I tried my iPad but it kept dropping out of Airplay. I tried it on the iPhone and it worked! This might be the work around I need. If it keeps working I can upgrade to the paid version of the VPN if necessary. Thanks for your advice and patience.

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Given the age and slower performance I'm considering whether spending money on SSDs would be worth the outlay - or a new better performing one would be a better investment - but that's out of my budget in the short term, so I've got a bit of time to think about that.

a 120Gb PNY CS900 is $20

a USB3 to SATA adapter is $15

ChromeCast is pretty cheap ($20)

You can also try Intel Compute Sticks, they have a variety of uses for their size and you can just leave it plugged in. I've been considering one myself.