Is Apple TV WiFi flakey with Netflix?

[betman]

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.

That's true. But you don't even need decent bandwith for Netflix shows in HD. Even the company itself recommends at least 5 mbps for HD, so a 10-yr old router should be able to stream to loads of devices simultaneously without any issues whatsoever.

The problem isn't with wifi bandwidth but with some buggy ATV software that for some reason has messed up the wifi.

 

[Anim]

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.

Solved it.

With the home hub 3 connected and about 12 wireless devices active on it (printers, phones, tv boxes etc) I ran a infinite ping test to the local gateway

>ping -t 192.168.x.x

And it got mostly 7ms but every 5 to 10 seconds or so would get spikes of 300ms or 500ms and even the odd timeout.

So I bought the newer home hub 5 and did the same test. 1 to 2ms pings constantly regardless how much streaming or wireless traffic was going on. Netflix is back to being solid. Also left the 2 and 5 GHz lines linked (default) so that devices far from the router would switch network automatically and seamlessly.

This has solved it. Although I would prefer a wired solution we have too many devices to cable up neatly.

edit: Betman could be right too, either ATV or Netflix caching of data is prone to failing if the data fluctuates. My bet is on the ATV as it loses the network connection briefly for some reason on the Home Hub 3.

Thanks
Anim

 

[Adam-Jobs]

Solved it.

With the home hub 3 connected and about 12 wireless devices active on it (printers, phones, tv boxes etc) I ran a infinite ping test to the local gateway

>ping -t 192.168.x.x

And it got mostly 7ms but every 5 to 10 seconds or so would get spikes of 300ms or 500ms and even the odd timeout.

So I bought the newer home hub 5 and did the same test. 1 to 2ms pings constantly regardless how much streaming or wireless traffic was going on. Netflix is back to being solid. Also left the 2 and 5 GHz lines linked (default) so that devices far from the router would switch network automatically and seamlessly.

This has solved it. Although I would prefer a wired solution we have too many devices to cable up neatly.

edit: Betman could be right too, either ATV or Netflix caching of data is prone to failing if the data fluctuates. My bet is on the ATV as it loses the network connection briefly for some reason on the Home Hub 3.

Thanks
Anim

So the only solution is to upgrade the router?

 

[terryblyth]

Solved it.

With the home hub 3 connected and about 12 wireless devices active on it (printers, phones, tv boxes etc) I ran a infinite ping test to the local gateway

>ping -t 192.168.x.x

And it got mostly 7ms but every 5 to 10 seconds or so would get spikes of 300ms or 500ms and even the odd timeout.

So I bought the newer home hub 5 and did the same test. 1 to 2ms pings constantly regardless how much streaming or wireless traffic was going on. Netflix is back to being solid. Also left the 2 and 5 GHz lines linked (default) so that devices far from the router would switch network automatically and seamlessly.

This has solved it. Although I would prefer a wired solution we have too many devices to cable up neatly.

edit: Betman could be right too, either ATV or Netflix caching of data is prone to failing if the data fluctuates. My bet is on the ATV as it loses the network connection briefly for some reason on the Home Hub 3.

Thanks
Anim

I think you've unwittingly hit the nail on the head there. I also suspect some apps don't deal very well with the data fluctuation. As a Home Hub is both a modem and a router it would be interesting to see what part of the equation causes this.

My landlord (who I live with) has bought a new router, so hopefully that will solve it. If it doesn't, then I guess my situation remains unsolved as it'll be the modem (Virgin Media).

 

[bliggs]

I have had Netflix/WiFi issues with my ATV for the last 3-4 months. I finally gave up on it and use my PS3 to watch Netflix now. No issues at all.

 

[betman]

I use Netflix on wifi and have not had any issues.

The new software update seems to have solved some problems so it's advisable to install it as it's finally a decent release.

 

[Anim]

So the only solution is to upgrade the router?

It was for me with the Apple TV yes. Try a ping test and see if you get spikes or timeouts, for some reason my ATV couldn't handle them or has no caching like a console would have, although using an iPad Mini (1st gen) and Airplay to the ATV works as does using a PS3 (not tried Xbox).