Any difference in WiFi of ATV HD to ATV 4K (Gen 1)?

[Gator5000e]

I have an ATV HD hooked up to my older plasma TV. It's WiFi only as there is no ethernet connection near. I also have a first Gen ATV 4K. I was thinking of switching the two if there was any chance the WiFi in the ATV 4K would be an improvement over the WiFi in the ATV HD. I've tried to look at the specs but other then both being AC, I can't really tell if there is a difference. If anyone can enlighten me on any real world differences I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[-Gonzo-]

I think they’re the same, the 2nd Gen ATV4K however is improved by Wi-Fi 6.

 

[Gator5000e]

Thanks.

 

[AustinJerry]

I have an ATV HD hooked up to my older plasma TV. It's WiFi only as there is no ethernet connection near. I also have a first Gen ATV 4K. I was thinking of switching the two if there was any chance the WiFi in the ATV 4K would be an improvement over the WiFi in the ATV HD. I've tried to look at the specs but other then both being AC, I can't really tell if there is a difference. If anyone can enlighten me on any real world differences I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

Since swapping out the two devices is quite simple, why not move the ATV 4K and use the Speedtest app to measure whether the WiFi speed has improved? That would provide a definitive answer to your question.

 

[w5jck]

The specs on Apple website say both or 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO (so Wi-Fi 5), but the specs for 4K 2017 says dual band whereas specs for HD don't mention dual or single band. Wi-Fi 6 is of course better than Wi-Fi 5, but only if you have a Wi-Fi 6 router.

 

[Gator5000e]

Thanks, guys. The speed test is a good idea and dual band might help with the reception. So I will give it a shot.

 

[HDFan]

The speed test is a good idea

Speed test measures your internet speed which may or may not be the same as your intranet speed. For that you need to run something like Network Speed Tester, a server on your or other device and the client on the Apple TV, or visa versa to test your internal network speed.

 

[waw74]

the major services require 20-25 Mb/s for 4k, and around 5 Mb/s for 1080

Since you're running on a 1080 TV, pretty much any wifi is going to be faster than you need.

if you are having problems with buffering, try moving the appleTV to a different location, Mine is stuck in the wall mount behind my TV, and there are certain places it doesn't work as well. Interference from the electronics in the TV, or being blocked by metal in the mount can both cause issues, Sometimes moving it a few inches one way or the other can clear it up.

Speed test measures your internet speed which may or may not be the same as your intranet speed. For that you need to run something like Network Speed Tester, a server on your or other device and the client on the Apple TV, or visa versa to test your internal network speed.

Unless Netflix, Apple, and the other streaming services have set up a server farm in the garage, for this application, Speedtest is fine.
If you are streaming from something on your network (like plex), chances are it will have similar or lower bandwidth needs compared to one of those services.

For devices besides the appleTV, then the internal test is preferred, but on the aTV, all that really matters is that the stream downloads in a shorter time than it takes you to play the media back. If it takes you 2 hours to watch a movie, it doesn't matter if the stream takes 5 minutes or 90 minutes to be received by the aTV.

 

[bozzykid]

Unless Netflix, Apple, and the other streaming services have set up a server farm in the garage, for this application, Speedtest is fine.

Even a normal speed test is not really a very comprehensive way to test your network. Because it downloads data in such a short burst, it will likely not show any issue you have with your internet or home network setup. So many people have wifi interference issues and latency issues that don't show up during speed tests.

 

[AustinJerry]

Speed test measures your internet speed which may or may not be the same as your intranet speed. For that you need to run something like Network Speed Tester, a server on your or other device and the client on the Apple TV, or visa versa to test your internal network speed.

What? How do you think the ATV would measure internet speed from the router outwards without testing the intranet speed at the same time? Regardless, comparing the Speedtest results for both ATV's will reveal whether the performance is comparable.

 

[HDFan]

What? How do you think the ATV would measure internet speed from the router outwards without testing the intranet speed at the same time? Regardless, comparing the Speedtest results for both ATV's will reveal whether the performance is comparable.

If you have a 50 Mbps internet connection Speedtest is never going to give you a result >50 Mbs, usually less. Your actual wireless intranet speed may be much higher, in my case it can reach 900 Mbps. This becomes important if you have a lot of users using the wireless network and some of them are connecting to devices on the intranet, such as NAS units or steaming Apple content from your Mac.

But yes, if the two speeds are roughly comparable and you want to do a quick check Speedtest is useful since it includes both intranet and internet speeds. If you have an intranet speed problem to diagnose you need to find your actual intranet speed.