4K over WiFi or do I need cable??

[Peppergrass]

Hi guys. Got a ATV. Wondering if to display 4K content can you actually just use WiFi connection or will I need to do Ethernet cable to be able to get that much data?

I was reading on apples site that is said something to the extent that if it experiences slower then like 25 mb speeds it will automatically turn off 4K???

Any clarification would be great as I’m running to a projector so just need to know what’s possible and not wasting time..

Also does anyone know a way to see what source it’s actually putting out? Can’t find some info bar to show what video playback it’s actually in??

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Hello Peppergrass
Firstly, what speed is your internet? Do you have fibre?

Never ever any problems for me with using WiFi on the 5ghz setting. 2.4ghz is another story - in my street, there are 30+ WiFi signals coming in from neighbours - with 2.4ghz there are only 3 channels that are meant to be used 1, 6 and 11 - my damn neighbours have channels 2,3,4,9,10,12 in use which blocks every damn channel in the 2.4ghz spectrum for me - sometimes 2.4 works and other times it drops to 0.3mbps!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 400mbps fibre!!!!!!!

I use 5ghz WiFi only and have found it to be 100% reliable when streaming 4K Dolby Vision iTunes film over the last 18 months or so. Back then I had 50mbps fibre which was pretty solid at 50-53mbps.

I know that Ethernet is the way to go for many but Apple seem to fit damn high quality components and ATV works very nicely on WiFi just like any other Apple product.

Explain more about your internet speed and we'll go from there

 

[a2jack]

If you don't have at least 25mb, most 4k movies will not run well.
Lots of stops and reloads will drive you nuts.

However, a good 4k TV will deliver an upgraded sharp pix at 1080p and even 720. Well worth buying and waiting a bit.

The provider tech will all catch up to 4k by next year, and we will all have 100+ at a reasonable price.

Space X is on it's way. a2

 

[Peppergrass]

BBP, really appreciate the reply. let me try to fill you in.. mind you I'm not the tech nerd I use to be.. haha.. also you'll be proud, leg day done, HAHAHAHA

I live in Maui so we have one or two provider, spectrum??? let me show you some of my speeds tests in photos below.. I was looking at wifi signal and apparently we don't have many wireless in the street as I count 3 signals counting mine.. on the Apple TV I only count mine

so I'm not even sure what internet I have, thought it was 25mbps, I'll call them later to ask

on the wifi bands you totally lost me.. I don't even know how to check that, hahaha

here's some photos, so let me know what you think.. once again would love to know how I know Apple TV is actually running at what specs to make sure it is running 4k and HDR..

thanks guys!

 

[Audit13]

I watch 4k DV over wifi from the iTunes store. I've tested some streaming rates from iTunes and Netflix and the average bit rate is around 25 Mbps.

 

[Michelasso]

With more than 200Mbps your Internet connection sure isn't an issue. I have 80+ Mbps and never an issue.

Personally I like to have all my devices wired no matter what. Simply put, the actual WiFi standard is.. junk. The new standard, WiFi 6, should finally give a relatively fast (and reliable) signal. But the ATV 4K doesn't support it.

Anyway, if you're at a close distance (less than 5m) from your router with the 5GHz signal you should be fine for any 4K content. Otherwise you may consider to use the 2,4GHz signal. It's possible to set two separate APs (the WiFi "names") in your router, but since you aren't skilled you may need to ask a friend to configure that.

Then what you can do is to download and install "Speedtest" in your ATV and check the Internet performances with both 5GHz and 2,4GHz signals. Then repeat the tests few times, at different time of the day. Also keep it installed, it's useful if anything doesn't seem to stream fine.

Still if you do have an ethernet connection near your ATV you may forget about the above (but keep Speedtest) and just wire the ATV. That will help you greatly in case you decide to stream your own videos. Like with Plex, Infuse or via iTunes on a Mac (not sure if iTunes streams 4K HDR videos, though).

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

BBP, really appreciate the reply. let me try to fill you in.. mind you I'm not the tech nerd I use to be.. haha.. also you'll be proud, leg day done, HAHAHAHA

I live in Maui so we have one or two provider, spectrum??? let me show you some of my speeds tests in photos below.. I was looking at wifi signal and apparently we don't have many wireless in the street as I count 3 signals counting mine.. on the Apple TV I only count mine

so I'm not even sure what internet I have, thought it was 25mbps, I'll call them later to ask

on the wifi bands you totally lost me.. I don't even know how to check that, hahaha

here's some photos, so let me know what you think.. once again would love to know how I know Apple TV is actually running at what specs to make sure it is running 4k and HDR..

thanks guys!

That's a very decent speed and with not many WiFi signals from neighbours you'll have no problems! As i mentioned, when I had 50mbps broadband, there was ZERO issues with streaming 4K iTunes film perfectly. Sadly for me, I much prefer independent films over Hollywood any day and these never make 4K release. That doesn't bother me as the Apple TV makes a lovely job of upscaling and I thoroughly enjoy the content of the film. Plus I have a REALLY ANNOYING habit of watching 10 minutes of a film and then I leave the room and do something else instead!

 

[techwarrior]

so I'm not even sure what internet I have, thought it was 25mbps,

From the graphics, I would assume you have 200Mbps service. With cable, you will generally get a bit more than the service level you pay for because it tends to slow a bit in high demand times and they want you to feel like you are getting your advertised service level, on average anyway.

4K will need up to 25Mbps for good quality playback. ATV4K can connect to either 5GHz (preferred) or 2.4GHz. Since 2.4GHz suffers from interference more than 5GHz, try using that. If your router allows you to change SSID (Network Name) for 5GHz, do it. Your devices might connect to 2.4 if at connection time that appears to be the strongest signal. But if the networks are named different (NETWORK & NETWORK-5G for example), and you "forget" NETWORK on ATV, then it will only try to connect to 5GHz.

If you are far from the router and 5GHz signal is weak, alternate choices may be necessary. Wired connections will be up to 1Gbps (depending on your router), and fluctuations should be minimal. If running wire to ATV is difficult, AV2000 power line adapters can use your electrical outlets\wiring to get a wired signal to the ATV. These may not be full 1Gbps, but should come close.

Or, a second WiFi Access Point may help "extend" the reach of your WiFi, but it (the access point) should be wired to the router in most cases for best results.

 

[HDFan]

Wondering if to display 4K content can you actually just use WiFi connection or will I need to do Ethernet cable to be able to get that much data?

You are only streaming iTunes 4K titles, nothing from a media server like Plex or Infuse?

 

[cynics]

You can download "Speedtest" or maybe its called "Speedtest.net" from the App Store on the AppleTV 4 and 4k itself. This will tell you the rate at which the AppleTV itself can receive data from your ISP/Internet. Since you are testing from the AppleTV you'll know immediately regardless of wifi or wired if the connection is good enough for 4k content streaming.

Your internet speed should be more than adequate. The only caveat is if you or someone else on your internet connection is using a lot of bandwidth at the same time. For example you could have issues watching 4k Netflix if you AND 2 other people in your house are watching 4k Netflix on different TV's.