It sounds like the video stream is somehow frozen. Could you grab the streaming_log.txt from the Steam host machine (it's in "logs" under your Steam install if on Windows) and throw it on Pastebin or somewhere similar?

I'd also be curious what the host machine's cards (and encoding settings) are, though the logfile will answer some of that.

sometimes steam does black screen

stop stream and try again

but check the summary section of the streaming_log.txt to see if network ms is above 2ms on lan, or 15ms if on wifi, much higher than that and its probably using your internet upload+download instead of direct connection

disable any vpn
set windows network to private not public
if using wifi check router settings, disable wifi isolation
steam -> settings -> remote play -> allow direct = all/auto/my not disabled

you can check the client version
link menu -> settings -> system

if unsure post the entire log on pastebin

Thank you for your input. Yesterday I tried it like 8 times or more and than gave up. Today I started it again to get Serial Numbers and Logs and of course tried to connect... and it just works. Don't know why, but it works.

Originally posted by bjørnimaus:

Thank you for your input. Yesterday I tried it like 8 times or more and than gave up. Today I started it again to get Serial Numbers and Logs and of course tried to connect... and it just works. Don't know why, but it works.

Well... I'm happy that works, but also a little unhappy that we don't know what changed. I'd almost suggest saving off a copy of streaming_log.txt with it *working* just so that if it does break again later, they can be compared!

(I like problems being fixed. I dislike it when they fix themselves, because then I'm never entirely certain they won't break again!)

If you have an AMD GPU, check to see if Low Network Latency mode is enabled. I know that causes weird hang ups for me and somehow it got enabled after an update.

I know that feeling, bugs need to be recreatable so we can fix them (web dev).

Okay, the error is back. But It seems like steam link made a backup of the older working sessions.

this looks like older working sessions, you can see star wars outlaws there, "docked" demo - streaming_log.previous.txt
it's my own domain, since it's too large for pastebin
http://wo-genau.de/steam/streaming_log.previous.txt

the recent streaming_log.txt
http://wo-genau.de/steam/streaming_log.txt

and i also found steamlink_debug.txt
http://wo-genau.de/steam/steamlink_debug.txt

@tsphan yes i have and AMD GPU but I checked it's disabled.

Steamlink is connected via cable to the router (fritzbox), host pc same network also via cable connected to the router

Hm. Could you humor me and temporarily disable hardware encoding on the host side? Just to test a theory.

fritzbox routers are known to cause some problems

they like to block something for remote play, even on lan
you need to disable something on it, not sure

okay, the hardware encoding host option in steam was off, but i read in the logs about encoding guess thats why you want me to test it off. Anyway I tested it in different variations

fritzbox package acceleration > turned from hardware acc. to off
turned off host hardware encoding (was turned off in settings anyway)
turned off client hardware decoding (was turned off in setting anyway)
= connected, but very bad performance, artifacts, one digit fps in steam big picture menus

fritzbox package acceleration off
turned on host hardware encoding
turned on client hardware decoding
= just logo, no connection, original error

fritzbox package acceleration off
turned on hardware encoding
turned off client hardware decoding
= just logo no connection, orignal error

fritzbox package acceleration off
turned off hardware encoding
turned on client hardware decoding
= connected, but very bad performance, artifacts, one digit fps in steam big picture menus

here's the log of this session
http://wo-genau.de/steam/streaming_log_20260310.txt

turned fritbox package acc back on since disabling it seems like bad for speed.

There's something *deeply* wrong with the networking there, but I'm not sure what based on the logs.

In the mode where it is "working" -- and I use the term loosely here -- you are losing a *lot* of frames, thus it keeps requesting new keyframes. This is normal, and seeing a frame drop here and there is expected... but seeing *that* many, so constantly, I would definitely expect to witness artifacting and stuttering in that scenario. (Which it seems like you are experiencing.)

In the "original error" scenario, you are also requesting keyframes... and just never getting them. In that scenario, I would expect the video stream to freeze (because it... isn't getting anything to display), and that does indeed seem to be the case.

Can you provide any more information about how stuff's hooked up?

I suppose we can also try rolling you back on the actual Steam Link hardware to see if that changes anything, since you said this only started with 918? If you've set up SSH access it's easy enough to change which version of the firmware the Link will pull; you can just change the /mnt/config/system/update_branch.txt file to contain a single line reading "915" or "912" or some earlier version of firmware instead of "public" or "beta" and then do a system update.

(If not, you should be able to make a thumb drive with the firmware you want in a file called steamlink\config\system\update_branch.txt, and then plug that USB drive into the Link and reboot)

I cannot offhand think of anything in 918 that would affect the streaming quality, though... :(

Thank you for your time, packetdancer.

Yes I also checked the notes for 918, but nothing looking like affecting my problem. The network test from steam link also says my connection is bad. Nothing changed in the network except for the Update for more than a year.

I tried to downgrade steamlink and enable ssh. Steamlink is seeing my usb (in settings) but doing nothing with the files, here's my folder structure https://imgur.com/a/JTIOvaU (and 917 in update_branch). Tried connecting via filezilla. Ping/IP is responding. but can't get a connection.

What can i tell you about my setup?
its a steam link model 1003 connected via ethernet cable to a
Fritzbox 7530,
steamlink is connected via HDMI to TV

also connected to the router via ethernet cable is a windows 11 pc, the host. no wifi on the pc.

I think steamlink got access to the wifi, but it's using the ethernet showing in the menu. when i am not connecting to the host it's running good on it's own.

since my usb drive is not "accepted" my next try (moonlight) seems unlikely.

i did not make a factory reset yet, will do this soon.
edit: factory reset, same same. it also found my usb and prompted to remove it for the updates please

---

this is most of the content of the recent debug

Marking frame 2824 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2825 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12413, expected 12412, sending lost data notification
Marking frame 2826 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2827 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12423, expected 12422, sending lost data notification
Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCursor
Marking frame 2828 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2829 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12433, expected 12432, sending lost data notification

i changed the ip address of the steam link + reboot, but no change

funny is: when i get connected sometimes, the big picture ui runs okay (artifacts, but responds quick), but when i open the sidebar menu on the left it's gets laggy

If you were plugging the USB drive into the side port, I'd try plugging it into one of the back ports. The side ports seem to flake out after years and years, but the back ports generally don't. FWIW, I would go with 915 or 912 in update_branch.txt, but if it's not picking it up that may be a moot point.

Another thing that occurs to me: have you tried replacing the ethernet cables? Just in case one of them (probably the one to the Steam Link) is going bad. I would also be curious what happens if you unplug the Link's Ethernet cable and use wifi instead, just to figure out whether it's something specific to the cable, the port on the Fritzbox, etc.

Originally posted by bjørnimaus:

Thank you for your time, packetdancer.

Yes I also checked the notes for 918, but nothing looking like affecting my problem. The network test from steam link also says my connection is bad. Nothing changed in the network except for the Update for more than a year.

I tried to downgrade steamlink and enable ssh. Steamlink is seeing my usb (in settings) but doing nothing with the files, here's my folder structure https://imgur.com/a/JTIOvaU (and 917 in update_branch). Tried connecting via filezilla. Ping/IP is responding. but can't get a connection.

What can i tell you about my setup?
its a steam link model 1003 connected via ethernet cable to a
Fritzbox 7530,
steamlink is connected via HDMI to TV

also connected to the router via ethernet cable is a windows 11 pc, the host. no wifi on the pc.

I think steamlink got access to the wifi, but it's using the ethernet showing in the menu. when i am not connecting to the host it's running good on it's own.

since my usb drive is not "accepted" my next try (moonlight) seems unlikely.

i did not make a factory reset yet, will do this soon.
edit: factory reset, same same. it also found my usb and prompted to remove it for the updates please

---

this is most of the content of the recent debug

Marking frame 2824 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2825 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12413, expected 12412, sending lost data notification
Marking frame 2826 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2827 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12423, expected 12422, sending lost data notification
Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCursor
Marking frame 2828 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Marking frame 2829 complete with status k_EStreamFrameResultDroppedReset
Got video sequence 12433, expected 12432, sending lost data notification

i changed the ip address of the steam link + reboot, but no change

funny is: when i get connected sometimes, the big picture ui runs okay (artifacts, but responds quick), but when i open the sidebar menu on the left it's gets laggy

make sure the usb stick is formatted fat32
make sure windows explorer is showing file extensions
and files not truly named *.txt.txt

and fully power cycle the link
unplug power and hdmi, (many tvs output 5v to hdmi, just enough to keep the link in standby)

hey there, thanks for the input.

I tried different USB ports, it's fat32 and shown file extensions and i restart the link via power cable.

anyway since i can't get the link to give me ssh or downgrade the version I decided to retire it. we had good 10 years, amazing hardware, you sparked joy, but now rest.
o7

I replaced it with a google tv and moonlight/sunshine and it's already working. thank you for trying to help.

anyone who finds this via google in years: I did not find an answer to this.

fritzbox routers do some weird things, it might have isolation turned on
do the link and host have a similar lan ip?
192.168.same.different
can you ping the link from the host pc?

check link menu -> system to see what version it is