AppleTV 4th Gen and Bluetooth Audio do not mix...

Question

AppleTV 4th Gen and Bluetooth Audio do not mix...

It seems my AppleTV cannot cope with simultaneously streaming video via my wifi connection AND transmitting bluetooth audio to (any) BT headset AT THE SAME TIME. The problem is demonstrable - every time. Usually after a few seconds (up to 2/3 minutes on occasion) my video stream will pause and start buffering (YouTube or Netflix for example). From that point on I will be lucky if I get a buffering-free stream and if I do the picture quality/resolution will be very much downgraded.

I suspect this is a hardware design flaw as I suspect that either (a) the processing power within the device is simply not capable of carrying out these two functions at the same time or (b - more likely) the bluetooth radio output is swamping the built-in wifi receiver and killing the data stream. Bluetooth operates around 2.4GHz I believe and, coincidentally, so does my router. The AppleTV location is too far away from router to practically have it connected via ethernet so I cannot compare but am confident, when I source a cable long enough. that it will work properly with a wired connection. Have had this problem ever since I first thought I would try out the convenience of bluetooth audio.

If I disconnect the BT headset the problem goes away.

Question - if anyone uses AppleTV via wifi connection and that wifi is operating at 2.4GHz (the standard for several years) - please confirm whether you have similar problems using BT headsets. To be fairer comparison, although I think maybe relevant, a broadband speed of around 8 or 9Gbits would compare with my own setup - (no that is not a particularly fast speed but yes it has been ample for my personal needs...)

Apple TV 4, 12

Posted on Feb 20, 2019 7:40 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

vazandrew

Level 8

40,948 points

May 7, 2019 1:35 PM in response to Curiously Perplexed

The reason for that was already given and the issue was resolved when using the 5ghz band which isn't prone to said interference. The hardware was already ruled out, that was merely further proof. Further troubleshooting could be done to decrease the interference on the 2.4ghz band, and if you took the unit to another network it would work just fine regardless. You can believe what you want but there is nothing to validate that claim.

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Answer 2

vazandrew

Level 8

40,948 points

Feb 22, 2019 7:13 AM in response to Curiously Perplexed

Again, the distance will definitely be a factor. If you want a proper verification you need to run a diagnostic for the network. In regards to the broadband speed that still comes back to your network, you are starting out low to begin with and when you add in interference it doesn’t take much to cause a noticeable issue because the network can’t keep up. It has nothing to do with the device itself. If you took the unit to another network or to Apple it would work just fine.

If If it was in fact the hardware it would be easily identifiable by the regular testers on this forum and it would be a widespread issue, with this forum alone being full of reports. The evidence easily contradicts that assessment.

I have given you suggestions on what to look for, if you have no intention of actually troubleshooting this and want to continue making an assumption then there is nothing further to say and I will leave you to it.

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Answer 3

vazandrew

Level 8

40,948 points

Feb 21, 2019 7:46 AM in response to Curiously Perplexed

Yes, that kind of distance can still cause an issue, and lead to interference.. I am on wifi and operating on 2.4GHz. You will need to troubleshoot your network as above.

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Answer 4

Feb 21, 2019 3:08 AM in response to vazandrew

I do not think distance from router is issue. Have a very small house and the straight line distance from router upstairs to the AppleTV is around 18 feet.

Would not suit having cable draped down my stairs.

Are you using similar WiFi set up? What frequency is it operating at??

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Answer 5

Feb 22, 2019 12:50 AM in response to Curiously Perplexed

Has anyone torn down one of these devices? Curious to see hardware placement inside - particularly the bluetooth and wifi transceivers. Still convinced the problem I am experiencing is down to poorly thought out architecture.

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Answer 6

Feb 22, 2019 12:57 AM in response to Curiously Perplexed

Also you have not commented on your broadband speed... at 8Gb the "data loss" due this "interference" might be nearly all of my 8Gb - maybe at 30Gb the loss might still be around 8Gb but will leave me with a workable 22Gb and therefore I would be unaware of the problem in the first place?

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Answer 7

Apr 6, 2019 7:52 PM in response to vazandrew

For the benefit of other readers (no further replies from previous responder please) - I am being compelled to believe that I suffer from a very elusive and intelligent source of external interference to my AppleTV WiFi reception ability each time I pair my BT headphones to the AppleTV. The interference source is smart enough to simply wait around, inactive until the precise moment I decide to use my BT headphones then suddenly leaps out and swamps my WiFi data stream. Peculiar. The reality is clearly that some facet of the BT process tied to the AppleTV is actually causing the issue. As this is likely the case then something is wrong if I am expected to take a hit on my WiFi bandwidth of several Mbps each time I use the headphones. A reliable 8-9Mbps bandwidth from my router has been more than ample for my streaming needs (HD requires 3GB per hour stream and this is slightly exceeded by 7Mbps thus 8-9Mbps is good to go)

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Answer 8

vazandrew

Level 8

40,948 points

May 7, 2019 12:00 PM in response to Curiously Perplexed

In other words it wasn't the hardware as you kept insisting and was rather an issue with interference. If you had spent less time ranting and done proper troubleshooting in the first place that conclusion would have come much earlier.

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Answer 9

Feb 22, 2019 12:46 AM in response to vazandrew

I do not think the current distance from router is an issue given that when I check broadband speed my AppleTV is receiving is almost comparable to it being in the same room.

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Answer 10

vazandrew

Level 8

40,948 points

Feb 20, 2019 10:32 AM in response to Curiously Perplexed

I do vigorous testing for the forum and regularly use BT headsets with a 4th Gen as well as a 4K without issue. It is also working fine for the majority.

The issue would be within your setup. Distance between Apple TV and router will leave more room for interference, and that is what will make it more prone to issues when using another device that is transmitting over the same frequency.

To see a proper representation of the network you can run a diagnostic using stumbler, netstumbler or similar. This will show values for signal strength, noise, as well as nearby network.

You can also take the unit to test on another network, preferably a controlled one like Apple's.

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Answer 11

May 7, 2019 12:30 PM in response to vazandrew

Actually no, this does not completely write off the hardware at all. If the operation of the BT audio channel from the ATV was consistently the only event which killed off the incoming signal from the router then my theory is still viable. It will remain a possibility.

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Answer 12

May 6, 2019 5:20 PM in response to Curiously Perplexed

Update: moved to 5GHz wifi and problem eradicated.

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AppleTV 4th Gen and Bluetooth Audio do not mix...

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