My basic setup:
Modem: Motorola SB6141
Router: D-Link DIR-655
LAN: 2 Windows machines (Server 2008 R2 and other Windows 8.1)
WAN: iPad 3 (iOS 7.1.1)
Media Server Software: PS3 Media Server, Plex Media Server (both on Windows 8.1 machine)
VLC for iOS v. 2.3.0
This is going to sound extremely strange but I have tested for many hours:
Whenever I launch VLC for iOS and choose the 'Local Network' menu option, all my LAN connected PCs completely lose network connectivity. Connectivity is restored in about 20 seconds. I can cause it again by either trying to refresh the available server list or closing and re-launching the app completely.
In the Windows System event log I get standard messages during a disconnect (browser has forced an election on the network and name resolutions timing out due to DNS servers not responding). I have checked my router logs and there are no error, warning, or informational entries logged during this time.
I have tried, with no luck, all sorts of different router settings thinking that it might help. I noticed in an older forum post the mentioning of Bonjour being used so I went ahead and installed iTunes (I know, I'm grasping at straws). No luck.
Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening? If you need any more information, I will gladly provide it.