Is Apple TV WiFi flakey with Netflix?

Anim · Jul 8, 2014

Hey all

Have the latest Apple TV plugged into my TV HDMI and connected on a BT Home Hub 3 (80MB line) via WiFi.

Every 2nd or 3rd episode on Netflix pops up an error has occurred with this content, please try later.

All I do is wait 5 to 10 seconds then without leaving Netflix start the movie again and it allows me to resume. I got so fed up with this happening at key points in my shows that I now use my iPad to play Netflix and send it to the Apple TV via AirPlay which is mostly flawless and quicker at starting the next episode.

So, is this down to WiFi? BT Hub? Maybe it is because i use Unblock-US for watching the USA shows? or is this a common problem?

Thanks for any advice.

Anim

betman · Jul 9, 2014

Someone has reported the issue in another thread and apparently it only applies to those using wifi. Run a cable to your ATV and apparently things get back to normal.

Are you having this problem ever since the upgrade to 6.2 or were things just as bad with 6.1?

Also, are you getting the same quality picture when doing everything via an iPad & AirPlay?

maccompaq · Jul 9, 2014

My Apple TV is the latest version, and it is running just fine on wifi running Netflix.

Anim · Jul 9, 2014

Yeah it did it with the previous firmware/update too.

Im guessing it could be Unblock-us that is the cause. I will run it without any DNS changes for awhile and see if it still bombs out.

iPad quality starts off grainy for 5 or 10 seconds then goes HD

Thanks
Anim

mlmwalt · Jul 9, 2014

It could also be your ISP. We changed providers in the winter and have found that despite being connected via 100baseT the Netflix runs poorly. I just read an article stating the Netflix and Youtube run like poop over FIOS and I can confirm that.

Anim · Jul 9, 2014

mlmwalt said:
It could also be your ISP. We changed providers in the winter and have found that despite being connected via 100baseT the Netflix runs poorly. I just read an article stating the Netflix and Youtube run like poop over FIOS and I can confirm that.

Will look into that. BT are a huge ISP in the UK so would have thought there would be more of an uproar if not.

Anyway, process of elimination in order i think.

betman · Jul 9, 2014

Anim said:
Im guessing it could be Unblock-us that is the cause. I will run it without any DNS changes for awhile and see if it still bombs out.

The good thing about using a DNS-based solution over a VPN-based one is that the stream goes directly to your computer/device, so whatever speed/quality you get depends on your ISP.

With VPN the stream (as with everything else) is just tunneled through an intermediary, so instead of a direct connection it's sort of like diverting traffic via another route and via another machine in fact.

laurim · Jul 9, 2014

I was having connection problems and solved them by resetting the ATV by pressing and holding Menu and Play/Pause for a few seconds. Maybe try that. You'll have to re-enter passwords and authorizations to things like HBOGO.

poe diddley · Jul 10, 2014

Anim said:
Hey all

Have the latest Apple TV plugged into my TV HDMI and connected on a BT Home Hub 3 (80MB line) via WiFi.

Every 2nd or 3rd episode on Netflix pops up an error has occurred with this content, please try later.

All I do is wait 5 to 10 seconds then without leaving Netflix start the movie again and it allows me to resume. I got so fed up with this happening at key points in my shows that I now use my iPad to play Netflix and send it to the Apple TV via AirPlay which is mostly flawless and quicker at starting the next episode.

So, is this down to WiFi? BT Hub? Maybe it is because i use Unblock-US for watching the USA shows? or is this a common problem?

Thanks for any advice.

Anim

I have this same issue. I'm on time warner. I began resetting my ATV when i turn it on as a routine daily practice to try to help with it. My passwords don't get reset as described , so it's not such a big deal. However, after a few hours of viewing, it starts happening again.

Dirtyharry50 · Jul 12, 2014

mlmwalt said:
It could also be your ISP. We changed providers in the winter and have found that despite being connected via 100baseT the Netflix runs poorly. I just read an article stating the Netflix and Youtube run like poop over FIOS and I can confirm that.

Hmm, maybe they are not paying Verizon enough money so that the customers who also pay Verizon plenty get the service they already pay for.

Yeah, these days that sounds about right. I'm glad our government is going to bat for us on this... oh, wait. They aren't are they?

betman · Jul 13, 2014

Dirtyharry50 said:
I'm glad our government is going to bat for us on this... oh, wait. They aren't are they?

Of course not. The whole "of the people, by the people, for the people" notion is long gone. Governments only serve corporations nowadays, and of course their own personal interests as well.

Not sure though if the ISP can be to blame. After all, those who have their ATV hooked up via ethernet have not reported any issues, so maybe it's a wifi thing with the ATV box after the update?

Not that an HD picture requires that much of a throughput though, so not sure what to think of it.

twintin · Jul 13, 2014

betman said:
Not sure though if the ISP can be to blame. After all, those who have their ATV hooked up via ethernet have not reported any issues, so maybe it's a wifi thing with the ATV box after the update?

But he stated he had same issue before the update. Maybe he has issue with interference from his neighbors WiFi routers (some devices are more sensitive than others). Worth a try to change the WiFi channel and see what happen.

betman · Jul 20, 2014

FWIW I am running the newest software version (which is impossible to downgrade to any previous version if you have the newest ATV) and I recently subscribed to Netflix for the first time.

Although my ATV is connected via wifi I have had no issues so far. I have only been watching 45 min. episodes of a show though, no feature-length movies. But so far no 6.2 issues with Netflix in combination with wifi.

Kissaragi · Jul 20, 2014

Mines been dodgy for the last couple of months. Really annoying.

betman · Jul 21, 2014

Have you tried running an "emergency" ethernet cable until Apple irons out any issues? I've got one just in case and I'm ready to roll it out (and roll it back up again) each evening if I have to...

AtomicGrog · Jul 21, 2014

betman said:
Have you tried running an "emergency" ethernet cable until Apple irons out any issues? I've got one just in case and I'm ready to roll it out (and roll it back up again) each evening if I have to...

Had a work colleague who bought an ATV3, he had a horrendous experience... laggy, crashed a lot etc., but standard ATV functionality (i.e. apple content) worked fine.

He tried updates, resets, hardwired internet, etc. but nothing helped.

In the end he took the device back and swapped it for another, the replacement worked great... to me it implies that either he had a one off dud or there's different spec's floating around (maybe old stock?).

betman · Jul 22, 2014

There should be no performance differences between the different versions of ATV3 which are indistinguishable from the user's perspective. Though it is interesting that Apple is allowing the first version to downgrade to lower firmware releases... but not the latest version (ATV3 2013).

Anim · Jul 30, 2014

Giving up with Apple TV's version of Netflix now.

Netflix just randomly closes (back to apple tv home)
Netflix can't load streams and says try again later
freezes with streaming errors.

It happens every 20 to 30 minutes now.

The solution is still to to use Netflix on iPad mini to Apple TV via airplay which works normally without errors. I can watch 6 episodes straight without a single hitch.

Shame as the little Apple TV box is very convenient.

betman · Jul 30, 2014

Give it one last go please and not just reboot but reset the whole box.

Give it the wipe from the menu option and after that input all your setting again, like wifi and iTunes passwords, etc.

Some users have reported that a general wipe and starting over has solved all their problems, and it's definitely worth doing before giving up the box for good...

GizmoDVD · Aug 4, 2014

I have 5-7 devices that have Netflix and the AppleTV is the only one which presents the show in HD, every single time, any time of the day, without issues.

It's on WiFi.

terryblyth · Aug 5, 2014

Anim said:
Giving up with Apple TV's version of Netflix now.

Netflix just randomly closes (back to apple tv home)
Netflix can't load streams and says try again later
freezes with streaming errors.

It happens every 20 to 30 minutes now.

The solution is still to to use Netflix on iPad mini to Apple TV via airplay which works normally without errors. I can watch 6 episodes straight without a single hitch.

I had the same issue. My Apple TV was one of the dodgy batch with the serial number replacement scheme, so I got it swapped out.

Then the same thing happened and I got it swapped again.

So far, so good! It is bizarre how Airplaying Netflix worked fine though.

To me it looked like every once in a while, just for two seconds, it would drop the connection. If you left the ATV on the signal strength screen, you could see the network disappear to 0 bars, and then come back. I have a feeling the Netflix app couldn't deal with this, which was what led to the crashes.

betman · Aug 6, 2014

terryblyth said:
I had the same issue. My Apple TV was one of the dodgy batch with the serial number replacement scheme, so I got it swapped out.

Is it possible to check online somewhere whether the serial number is part of the dodgy batch?

niteflyr · Aug 6, 2014

Here's an article about it:

http://www.todaysiphone.com/2013/04/apple-tv-wi-fi-problems-theres-a-replacement-program-for-that/

AxoNeuron · Aug 6, 2014

mlmwalt said:
It could also be your ISP. We changed providers in the winter and have found that despite being connected via 100baseT the Netflix runs poorly. I just read an article stating the Netflix and Youtube run like poop over FIOS and I can confirm that.

Yes, Verizon intentionally slows down Netflix because they are trying to extort money from netflix. Net neutrality is dead, and this is what we get because of it.

JackieInCo · Aug 6, 2014

I to was having the problem using WiFi. I then moved my modem close to my TV so that I could connect it directy with an ethernet cable. No more stopping and starting.
You will never get the same bandwidth using WiFi as you do using a direct cable connection.

Is Apple TV WiFi flakey with Netflix?

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