Anyone notice Netflix works better on 2.4ghz than 5ghz?

[stevefo]

Weird situation. This only happens on Netflix and no other app. Netflix will spin the little red circle and not play.

I deleted app, signed back in, rebooted etc. Still spins red circle in Netflix app. I was playing around and switched from 5ghz band to 2.4ghz. and BAM! Netflix streams 4K perfectly. No issues. I then switch back to 5ghz and it spins red Netflix circle. Every other app works just fine.

 

[techwarrior]

How is the 5Ghz signal strength? What device are you running Netflix on?

Generally, it is best to use Ethernet connections when possible. For instance, if Netflix is running on AppleTV4K, and you can connect the ATV to the wired network at 1Gbps, there is little fear of interference, weak signals, or other factors that can deteriorate WiFi performance. 5Ghz vs 2.4Ghz should be irrelevant to the application so long as the WiFi signals are solid. Netflix 4K should use only 20-25Mbps of bandwidth, so any connection method would do the job.

Maybe there is a flaw in the Netflix app on whatever platform you are running it on, if so, report it to Netflix so they can address it.

 

[stevefo]

How is the 5Ghz signal strength? What device are you running Netflix on?

Generally, it is best to use Ethernet connections when possible. For instance, if Netflix is running on AppleTV4K, and you can connect the ATV to the wired network at 1Gbps, there is little fear of interference, weak signals, or other factors that can deteriorate WiFi performance. 5Ghz vs 2.4Ghz should be irrelevant to the application so long as the WiFi signals are solid. Netflix 4K should use only 20-25Mbps of bandwidth, so any connection method would do the job.

Maybe there is a flaw in the Netflix app on whatever platform you are running it on, if so, report it to Netflix so they can address it.

It's ATV4K. The signal strength on 2.4 and 5ghz is maximum as my wireless router is 8ft. away from ATV4K. I have Fios 100/100mbps. All of my other apps work great on 5ghz except Netflix. Netflix app will open, i can see the Netflix movies just fine, it's when i go to play a movie on Netflix it spins the red circle. I switch over to 2.4ghz. BAM! movie plays fine in 4K

I will report it to Netflix

 

[stevefo]

Here is an update: I called Netflix. They said if all my other apps work while connected to 5ghz. Netflix should also work. I connected to 2.4ghz. and Netflix 4K plays smooth as butter, I put it on 5Ghz. and it won't play Netflix. They said it might be my ISP blocking Netflix on the 5Ghz. band.

 

[Basic75]

Here is an update: I called Netflix. They said if all my other apps work while connected to 5ghz. Netflix should also work. I connected to 2.4ghz. and Netflix 4K plays smooth as butter, I put it on 5Ghz. and it won't play Netflix. They said it might be my ISP blocking Netflix on the 5Ghz. band.

And how would your ISP know which band is being used for a particular application?

 

[Peepo]

It is probably your wireless access point that is causing this.

I had similar issue with SMB share performance from my MacBook Pro while using an Asus 802.11AC it would actually transfer files slower than when using 2.4Ghz. Newer UniFi AP doesn't have this issue.

 

[NorCalLights]

Here is an update: I called Netflix. They said if all my other apps work while connected to 5ghz. Netflix should also work. I connected to 2.4ghz. and Netflix 4K plays smooth as butter, I put it on 5Ghz. and it won't play Netflix. They said it might be my ISP blocking Netflix on the 5Ghz. band.

It's definitely not an ISP issue... your ISP has no idea what band you're using on your internal wireless network.

Sounds like an issue with your router to me also. It's possible that the 5GHz transmitter in your router is not able to sustain the type of continuous, high-bitrate transfer that 4k video requires. I have seen similar issues with other transfer protocols on budget networking gear.

What kind of wireless router do you have?

 

[Altis]

I think the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks are treated by the router as two separate networks.

As such, there may be settings in the router that are causing the issue. I would recommend going through the configuration to see if anything is amiss.

 

[stevefo]

It's definitely not an ISP issue... your ISP has no idea what band you're using on your internal wireless network.

Sounds like an issue with your router to me also. It's possible that the 5GHz transmitter in your router is not able to sustain the type of continuous, high-bitrate transfer that 4k video requires. I have seen similar issues with other transfer protocols on budget networking gear.

What kind of wireless router do you have?

It's the Latest Fios wireless router they offer.
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I think the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks are treated by the router as two separate networks.

As such, there may be settings in the router that are causing the issue. I would recommend going through the configuration to see if anything is amiss.

I checked and compared all settings for 2.4 and 5ghz. bands. They seem similar.
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And how would your ISP know which band is being used for a particular application?

I'm not sure. Thats what Netflix said.

 

[BrianBaughn]

It both is and isn't your ISP!

Your service is probably fine but I'd bet like others have said the ISP's router's hardware and/or firmware has or have a glitch. Search online for the model number and see if anyone else is posting about this issue.

 

[Michelasso]

@stevefo I concur it is the router. Have you tried to change the 5GHz default channel? Or any other 5GHz parameter in the router. It shouldn't be necessary, because in automatic mode it should get the best settings, but it may bypass a bug present in the router firmware. The problem is that the firmware of most ISP's routers is usually bad. I have to put my PS4 in DMZ otherwise it keeps disconnecting from the PSN/online gaming. Either that or use PPPoE (which I did for the PS3).

 

[stevefo]

@stevefo I concur it is the router. Have you tried to change the 5GHz default channel? Or any other 5GHz parameter in the router. It shouldn't be necessary, because in automatic mode it should get the best settings, but it may bypass a bug present in the router firmware. The problem is that the firmware of most ISP's routers is usually bad. I has to put my PS4 in DMZ otherwise it keeps disconnecting from the PSN/online gaming. Either that or use PPPoE (which I did for the PS3).

Yes, I just changed the channel. It did not make any difference. The weird part is that I can play any app on my ATV4K except Netflix on 5ghz. I switch to 2.4ghz and Netflix plays just fine.

 

[techwarrior]

Netflix support is obviously at a loss, sending you on a goose chase.

If you have an extra 5Ghz WiFi access point you can test with, configure it with a different SSID but connect it to the LAN via Ethernet. Then connect the ATV4K to the new SSID and see if you get different results. This would tell you that the FIOS router is to blame if it works on the new 5Ghz SSID. If it still fails, it has to be something with the Netflix app.

That said, 2.4Ghz will give you all he bandwidth you need, so stick with it.

 

[stevefo]

Netflix support is obviously at a loss, sending you on a goose chase.

If you have an extra 5Ghz WiFi access point you can test with, configure it with a different SSID but connect it to the LAN via Ethernet. Then connect the ATV4K to the new SSID and see if you get different results. This would tell you that the FIOS router is to blame if it works on the new 5Ghz SSID. If it still fails, it has to be something with the Netflix app.

That said, 2.4Ghz will give you all he bandwidth you need, so stick with it.

Since it’s working just fine on 2.4 ghz. And playing 4K UHD, I’m going to stick with it. If any issues arise, I’ll connect via Ethernet.

 

[waw74]

The verizon router isn't the best for wi-fi, I've got their gigabit service, and my aTVs kept dropping and buffering, even using channels (streams live TV from a tuner on your network)

I don't have any cable boxes, and don't need the coax return, so i completly unplugged their router, and am running a pfsense router with a ubiquity wireless access point. It's been working like a charm

take a look at https://www.netspotapp.com
it will show you what's around, I live in manhattan, so the both wi-fi spectrums are pretty full

 

[mlody]

If it is working fine on 2.4 Ghz just leave it there. As much as I would like to have every single device on 5 Ghz, I am forced to keep 2.4 Ghz because of WiFi printers, Apple Watches, EcoBee and few other devices that don't support 5 Ghz. At this rate, I might get rid of 5 Ghz and keep everything on 2.4 Ghz.

 

[jtara]

Where is the router? Is it in a different room? 2.4gHz goes through walls better than 5gHz.

You really should hard-wire if possible though.

One thing I noticed that might concern you is that at least on my ATV (not 4K) speed tests indicate lower maximum speeds on wired Ethernet than on WiFi! But.... the speed is way more than you need for any streaming. (Sorry, just recalling from memory, I don't know the exact numbers now.)

My ATV has I think a 100Mbit/sec Ethernet port, and my 5gHz router can do better than that. But that's not the only limitation, it gets less than that on wired. So what, it's more than enough.

I'd rather have a reliable consistent speed that is more than sufficient, than a flakey connection that can reach greater peek speeds.

May be different with 4K. It has a gig Ethernet connection now, right?

 

[techwarrior]

Where is the router? Is it in a different room? 2.4gHz goes through walls better than 5gHz.

You really should hard-wire if possible though.

One thing I noticed that might concern you is that at least on my ATV (not 4K) speed tests indicate lower maximum speeds on wired Ethernet than on WiFi! But.... the speed is way more than you need for any streaming. (Sorry, just recalling from memory, I don't know the exact numbers now.)

My ATV has I think a 100Mbit/sec Ethernet port, and my 5gHz router can do better than that. But that's not the only limitation, it gets less than that on wired. So what, it's more than enough.

I'd rather have a reliable consistent speed that is more than sufficient, than a flakey connection that can reach greater peek speeds.

May be different with 4K. It has a gig Ethernet connection now, right?

OP stated 5ghz works for well for everything but Netflix and his router is just a few feet away from the ATV4K. ATV4K indeed has 1Gbps Ethernet.

I am with you on wired connections. 2.4ghz is subject to interference from so many things. Radar, microwave, other WiFi, Bluetooth, phones, keyboards, mice. 5Ghz has less chance for interference but can be less reliable than Ethernet.

My ATV4 is connected to 100Mbps Ethernet. My WiFi is (802.11ac), but my ISP is 75Mbps. So, WiFi offers no real benefit other than reducing cord clutter.

4K only uses 20-25 Mbps, 1080 is much less.

100Mbps (Ethernet), 150-300Mbps (2.4Ghz 802.11n), 450Mbps (5Ghz 802.11n), 1300 Mbps (5Ghz ac) are all viable and exceed both my ISP bandwidth and Streaming requirements. Even if I had ATV4K, I would still use 100Mbps Ethernet. The only thing 1Gbps Ethernet or 5Ghz ac WiFi would help with is app downloads, but only if my ISP was more than 100Mbps.

OP states his ISP is 100Mbps, so 2.4 GHz WiFi is overkill as well for him.

 

[Michelasso]

The problem with sticking with 2.4GHz is that the WiFi bandwidth may (and in my case isn't) enough to stream high bitrate local videos (from my Mac to ATV 4K let's say with Infuse). Or maybe with iTunes 4K HDR/DV content.

But sure, if that works as well, there is little reason to switch to 5GHz or Ethernet. Mostly some faster apps downloads for people with high internet speeds.

 

[techwarrior]

The problem with sticking with 2.4GHz is that the WiFi bandwidth may (and in my case isn't) enough to stream high bitrate local videos (from my Mac to ATV 4K let's say with Infuse). Or maybe with iTunes 4K HDR/DV content.

But sure, if that works as well, there is little reason to switch to 5GHz or Ethernet. Mostly some faster apps downloads for people with high internet speeds.

Not sure what would require that much bandwidth. 4K streams from Netflix (compressed) use about 20-25 Mbps, and estimates for uncompressed H.264 go up to maybe 45Mbps. H.265/HEVC is supposed to offer 40% or so bandwidth savings. All of this should fit neatly into a 2.4Ghz WiFi connection unless using 802.11b/g only. Most current routers with dual band offer 2.4 in the b/g/n standard, so likely anywhere from 150-300Mbps or more.

I have noticed that while ATV WiFi settings are singular (unlike iOS or Mac where you can program several SSID and automatically switch between them), ATV does retain the SSID credentials. So, in a pinch, you can use 2.4, but if the need arises, use 5Ghz. To do this, you would need the SSID for the 5Ghz to be different than the 2.4 SSID. Then, go into Settings and change the network you connect to when needed, and the login should occur without prompting for password. I suspect this is tied to iCloud accounts and keychain in the cloud.

But, given the 1Gbps Ethernet on the ATV4K, I would be inclined to go the ethernet route and avoid all the hassles. Only hassle here is running Cat5e/Cat6 cables to the ATV.

 

[Michelasso]

Not sure what would require that much bandwidth. 4K streams from Netflix (compressed) use about 20-25 Mbps, and estimates for uncompressed H.264 go up to maybe 45Mbps. H.265/HEVC is supposed to offer 40% or so bandwidth savings. All of this should fit neatly into a 2.4Ghz WiFi connection unless using 802.11b/g only. Most current routers with dual band offer 2.4 in the b/g/n standard, so likely anywhere from 150-300Mbps or more.

I was talking mainly about local streaming. I have some HEVC HDR 60fps demo videos at 65Mbps and they do not pass through my 2.4GHz WiFi, it's a continuous buffering. Obviously it also depends on the router, so that's why I wrote that 2.4GHz may not have enough bandwidth.

Then, to be honest, there must be something wrong with macOS/tvOS or my router. Via WiFi 5GHz (at 300+ Mbps) with some protocols (NFS, SMB, SSH) I get 1/3 of the average bandwidth I get wired. Via DLNA or webDAV it is much better, the WiFi bandwidth is enough for everything (peaks of at least 100Mbps). I thought it was a problem with Android TV on my TV, but after buying the ATV 4K I have got the same identical bandwidth issues. So I have to keep my MB wired

 

[jerwin]

I've notice that my FireTV stick does not like my 5 Ghz network. It's sitting right next the FIOS router, too. I could run it on 2.4Ghz, but I haven't tried it yet-- ever since my ethernet connected appleTV got updated, it's been less of a priority.

Perhaps it doesn't like my HDMI switchbox.

I do know that my Ipad will downgrade 2.4 Ghz amazon streams...

(Verizon has partitioned my router into two networks, FIOS-559T-5G and FIOS-559T. I try to avoid using the 2.4 Ghz broadcast. )

 

[NorCalLights]

I've notice that my FireTV stick does not like my 5 Ghz network. It's sitting right next the FIOS router, too. I could run it on 2.4Ghz, but I haven't tried it yet-- ever since my ethernet connected appleTV got updated, it's been less of a priority.

Perhaps it doesn't like my HDMI switchbox.

I do know that my Ipad will downgrade 2.4 Ghz amazon streams...

(Verizon has partitioned my router into two networks, FIOS-559T-5G and FIOS-559T. I try to avoid using the 2.4 Ghz broadcast. )

Will Verizon let you use your own modem and router? Or at least disable their WiFi and routing services and use your own router? Without exception, all cable-company-provided equipment is complete garbage. And, they usually have the nerve to rent it to you.

I’ve been saving $10/month for 8 years with my cable modem... but I know fios is a little different...

 

[jerwin]

This is embarassing, but I discovered that the power adapter wasn't completely plugged into my FIOS router. Probably resulting in quite a bit of noise...

Anyway, signal strengths are up on both my networks.

 

[Tech198]

Weird situation. This only happens on Netflix and no other app. Netflix will spin the little red circle and not play.

I deleted app, signed back in, rebooted etc. Still spins red circle in Netflix app. I was playing around and switched from 5ghz band to 2.4ghz. and BAM! Netflix streams 4K perfectly. No issues. I then switch back to 5ghz and it spins red Netflix circle. Every other app works just fine.

I would think this is more to a coincidence than any. 2.4 can't go through walls as much