Help with Apple TV losing Wi-Fi connection

[ohernan6]

Hello,

Has anyone ever encountered connectivity issues with their Apple TV and Wi-Fi when the router is placed in an adjacent room?

I live in a 1BR apartment and my Apple TV HD (4th Generation) losses connection constantly in my bedroom — Netflix will get extremely pixellated, while other streaming such as Disney+ or HBOMAX will just pause to buffer. My router is in the living room, which is the next room over, and a separate Apple TV 4K in the living room functions perfectly.

I'm assuming the router and internet is functioning correctly — I have no problems with any other devices. The Apple TV itself says it's connected to the Wi-Fi with 5/5 dots (bars). I also ran a speedtest with my MacBook Pro after placing it right next to the problematic Apple TV and it scored a Download: 228.85 Mbps and an Upload: 10.59 Mbps.

Is there anything I should look for or do before I try resetting all the data in that Apple TV?

Here is a photo and quick video of my setup to see if it helps:



And here is a video so you can see the distance between router and Apple TV:

Thank you!

 

[w5jck]

You might try doing a restart (not a reset though) Restarting often solves minor glitches. Avoid doing a full reset though as that will wipe the ATV clean and cause you to spend time setting everything up again.

As far as things to try first:

• Best option would be to use an ethernet wired connection if possible.
• Use Wi-Fi 5G rather the 2G. The 5G is faster but it has less effective distance than 2G. However, if the router is just on the other side of the wall 5G should get a good connection.
• Verify that no other device(s) are hogging the Wi-Fi bandwidth.

 

[pmiles]

Too many factors can interfere with WiFi. Building construction, neighbors leeching, et al.

Buy an ethernet cable that is long enough for you to route it to your AppleTV. I have one running from my router in the bedroom of my apartment to the AppleTV in the living room. It's a 25ft cable. I run it along the baseboards so that it's out of sight for the most part. There's no damage done to the apartment with this approach. You get the best possible connection you could ever get with this approach too.

Example of what I mean:

Mediabridge CAT6 Ethernet Patch Cable (25 ft) RJ45 Connectors with Gold Plated Contacts (10gbps)

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WiFi will only continue to have issues, it's only like $12 and five minutes of your time to do.

 

[Javabird]

I have an Apple TV in another room, connecting with WiFi on my 5g network. It does buffer occasionally with some apps. I have 75 mbps download.

Instead of running a long Ethernet cable, you could try using a Powerline adapter.

 

[w5jck]

I have an Apple TV in another room, connecting with WiFi on my 5g network. It does buffer occasionally with some apps. I have 75 mbps download.

Instead of running a long Ethernet cable, you could try using a Powerline adapter.

My ATV 4K 2017 would occasionally buffer on 5g even with my 200 Mbps service. I switched to ethernet and that solved the issue.

 

[kirbalo]

I also ran a speedtest with my MacBook Pro after placing it right next to the problematic Apple TV and it scored a Download: 228.85 Mbps and an Upload: 10.59 Mbps.

You can download "SpeedTest" (Ookla) on the ATV Apple store and run it directly, as the method you indicate isn't really testing the Apple TV connection itself...

 

[2REPOU]

Just an FYI, I had a few issues yesterday with both my AppleTV and Homepod Mini losing internet several times. No issues since. Never happened before

 

[elvisimprsntr]

@ohernan6

You might try re-locating the WiFi AP/Router. You currently have it on the floor next to a sliding glass door. The glass bookcase and table don't help either. Nor do the plastic figurines on top of the ATV. You also placed the ATV on top of what appears to be a sound bar. Pulsing magnetic fields from speakers might interfere with the ATV

1. Hard reflective surfaces create WiFi multi-path interference patterns and time of arrival issues.
2. Elevate the WiFi AP/Router off the floor. Height is your friend in this case.
3. Try to locate centrally in your apartment away from hard reflective surfaces, but keep away from other 2.4GHZ appliances (microwave, cordless handsets, other bluetooth devices, etc.)
4. Download a WiFi scanning tool to see how much congestion exists. If your WiFi AP/Router is constantly channel switching, clients may have trouble staying connected. You could try to fix the WiFi AP/Router channel vs letting it auto select.

Propagation revisited: Wireless multipath | Control Engineering

Previously, we had discussed the various behaviors of radio frequency (RF) propagation and introduced the concept of multipath, which is a special case of | Control Engineering

www.controleng.com

If that doesn't solve the problem, then a pair of Ethernet over Power adapters will allow the ATV to connect via wired Ethernet

TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapter Starter Kit - AV1000 Gigabit Port, Plug&Play, Ethernet Over Power, Nano Size, Ideal for Smart TV, Online Gaming, Wired Connection Only (TL-PA7017 KIT)

TL-PA7017 KIT uses HomePlug AV2 technology to extend your wired internet. With Gigabit Ethernet port, it ensures high speed wired connection, providing data transmissions of up to 1000Mbps and allowing smooth transmission of Ultra HD video streaming. This makes the TL-PA7017 KIT the perfect home ...

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