Smart TV wifi download speed - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PerranOak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2020, 02:01:58 pm
content: Having just had FTTP installed and having had "trouble" with connection/speed, I wondered about my TV. I was going to upgrade my Netflix a/c to the higher res version but there is no point if the TV can't download at decent rate even if I do now have FTTP.It is a smart TV but is quite old, maybe 5 years.I went on its browser to the Ookla site to try and check the actual download speed for the TV as I bet it's no where near the 300Mb/s the iPad gets!However, the Ookla site will not load properly: it's all the ads on the page, possibly.Anyway, I was wondering if there is a better way to test the speed - there are no Samsung apps for it that I can see.Cheers.

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 07:24:53 am
content: Oof, regarding "Smart" TVs, five years old is a lot. They are like smart phones in that regard, and often software support stops after a couple of years. Thats likely why the speedtest did not work, the browser may simply be outdated. Please make sure that the Netflix app is still properly supported on your TV.There are other speedtests available. Especially since you want to use Netflix, you should try fast.com, that is actually owned by Netflix and uses their infrastructure.Otherwise, an indicator might be the raw wifi connection speed, if the TV is on wifi. That should be visible in the router if the TV itself does not show that. Take roughly half of that as a ballpark.If the TV is on ethernet i would not expect any issues.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 07:55:57 am
content: I'd just hook the TV up to some kind of PC. That's the way I've done it for over 10 years. Almost any functional PC will be way better than whatever is built in to the TV. However, if your TV isn't HD widescreen and/or has no HDMI, then it's time for a new TV. I'd still use a PC as the brains, even with a new TV. All a TV needs to do is function as a display.

author: Syntax Error
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 10:31:23 am
content: I would agree @Ranayna, the suspect is the TV's wifi connection. From your 'kernow' name and avatar, I assume you're on BT. So you have a white box fibre modem and a BT smart hub? Is your wifi signal trying to pass through granite walls?BT does wifi boosters - it's a mesh network - which might be included in your package. It's under their Complete Wifi brand. You could try playing with the wifi settings on the router, if that can be done. FYI:https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/what-is-the-wireless-mode-feature-on-my-bt-smart-hub-I understand the BT hub cannot do user defined QOS. If all else fails, you might consider a more capable router?

author: PerranOak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 12:09:31 pm
content: Cheers all.Sorry, I wasn't clear on my post. The "trouble" I had was that some things (old laptop, etc.) don't connect as fast as other things (newer iPad) so I wondered what the TV would be like.Syntax Error: you're quite right. I've had the FTTP fitted here in Cornwall, by BT (well OpenReach) and it works well at about 200Mbps though I clocked 450Mbps last night on the iPAD! The walls are indeed solid granite but the router is quite high in an "open living" type space so the TV is in a direct line-of-sight. However, I noticed that my old laptop only connects at 50ish as do the older phones.This made me wonder about the TV (Samsung UE40F6320 40-inch HD 1080p Smart 3D LED TV) - which (I just checked) is 7 years old! If I upped my Netflix sub to the higher def one I may be wasting money as the TV can't connect at a high enough speed. Ranayna: yes, Netflix works fine on it. I'll try out fast.com, cheers. I can't see how to find the TV's connection speed on the router; all there is is the 5GHz/2.4GHz thing.rdl: I'd never get that past the boss. I was a fight and a half to get what (she considers) a wide-screen TV!

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 01:25:11 pm
content: Note, i do not have one myself.But as far as i know, an Amazon FireTV Stick will also run the Netflix app and costs way less than a new TV or a PC. Essentially this is similar to the suggestion by rdl.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 04:35:49 pm
content: Older devices having slower speeds may be due to limitations of their internal networking hardware.Your TV seems like it would work fine as a display only, it just needs a more more up to date way to connect.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2020, 04:58:07 pm
content: There are different WiFi standards that have come out over the years, progressively faster that previous standards. I don't know what that particular TV has but the information should be available.I have always thought "smart" TVs were a really dumb idea. It marries something that should have a 20 year expected lifespan with something that has a 2-3 year projected lifespan. I prefer a TV that is just a monitor with HDMI inputs and then connect an external streaming device that can be upgraded as needed. Any advantages of integrating it into the TV are more than offset by the disadvantages, some of which you are seeing and others such as the TV is likely spying on you and sending your viewing habits to the manufacture.

author: PerranOak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2020, 07:30:23 pm
content: Cheers all.I get the point. My TV, as a "monitor", is pretty good; the picture quality is excellent.However, I think a better "device" for communicating is a great idea. Any recommendations for a "stick"? One caveat: I don't like "Alexa"-type things that spy on one's every word: I say some pretty rum things and I don't want them all being stored in Cupertino awaiting the "Great Reconning"!!

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2020, 11:08:21 pm
content: I'm also very much opposed to having any listening devices in my home, which means no "Alexa enabled" anything and no Google hardware. My first inclination would be some kind of small PC running Linux. All it really has to do is run a modern web browser. The cost would be higher than one of those TV sticks though, maybe 4x as much, and probably a lot bigger. Maybe something like a NUC?

author: samnmax
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2020, 09:45:47 am
content: Anecdotally, I "fixed" the WiFi on my smart TV, a Samsung UE40JU6400.Quite annoyingly, it was losing connection very often, requiring to power off/on to recover. I opened it up and saw that the WiFi module was in a plastic enclosure attached to the chassis with plastic clips. I removed the enclosure (better cooling) and screwed the PCB to the chassis in the provided hole that Samsung did not bother to screw, thus providing a much better ground for the WiFi antenna. Result: no more dropouts.BTW, it's a 5 years old TV, but Netflix, Prime Video, and Youtube still work quite well (crossing fingers).

author: PerranOak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2020, 02:32:14 pm
content: Cheers both.I could probably get away with a "stick" (if there is one that isn't a spy too!) but never even a small PC.Funnily enough mine used to refuse to connect at least half the time. This seemed to be to do with my network speed though(?)