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Apple TV WiFi issues (Disconnecting)

Can anyone explain why the Apple TV WiFi is so awful and how to fix it? My Apple TV consistently stops responding to WiFi but is connected. This will happen anywhere from 30min-1hr-1hr1/2. It will show it’s still connected to WiFi but apps get no connection. I have to restart the device.

I work in IT for an MSP and have a lot of experience with networking installation and break/fix work. I have Nest Cameras, Nest thermostat, multiple 4K TVs that stream, multiple computers, phones, Sonos, smart plugs, Hue lighting, etc. NONE of these devices have any issues. I’ve also since upgraded my router and I still have the same exact issue; more interesting I bought a new Apple TV two months ago and it does the SAME exact thing!?!

Out of the 20+ devices connected to my network, these are the ONLY devices that have any connectivity issues. Nothing, I mean nothing else drops connection or stops responding on my network. Just to throw it out there my ISP speeds are

600D/20U Cable

My router is a Netgear RAX120 dual band router prior was a ASUS AX6000 tri-band

The two rooms the Apple TV’s reside get consistent DL speeds of 300mb+ on my phone, laptop, and Surface. The Apple TV even gets 300+ on the Speedtest app.

Based off the fact that I have two Apple TV’s, have had two different routers, no issues with any other devices and the Apple TVs react the exact same way; I refuse to believe it has anything to do with my network or router settings. It’s interesting to do a search on the internet and see the amount of people that have this same issue with no resolution.

I like the Apple TV because of the the responsiveness compared to a TVs built in smart features or the other competitors products. But it would be fantastic if a $200+ device didn’t stop responding to WiFi like it’s 2012 and I’m running an a/b/g ISP provided modem router combo on a 2MB DL DSL connection.

Apple TV 4K

Posted on Jul 22, 2020 6:43 PM

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Posted on Jul 23, 2020 8:23 AM

I analyzed the channels in my area and the channels are set to the most optimum. Again, the ONLY DEVICES ON MY NETWORK WITH THIS ISSUE ARE THE APPLE TV'S (BOTH) OF THEM. This is not the router. You cannot tell me two different routers give the same result to ONLY THE APPLE TV's but somehow that makes it the routers fault.

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Jul 23, 2020 8:23 AM in response to Urquhart1244

I analyzed the channels in my area and the channels are set to the most optimum. Again, the ONLY DEVICES ON MY NETWORK WITH THIS ISSUE ARE THE APPLE TV'S (BOTH) OF THEM. This is not the router. You cannot tell me two different routers give the same result to ONLY THE APPLE TV's but somehow that makes it the routers fault.

Jul 23, 2020 8:26 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Did you read what I said. No I have not reached my network capacity in fact I'm far from it. If this were the case why is it just the two Apple TV's have the connectivity issue? Yes, 4k requires a lot of bandwidth. As I said I'm in IT, I setup networks and servers for businesses. This is not an issue of bandwidth. I have also tried disconnecting everything from my network minus my thermostat and the Apple TV's still do this. This is not a problem of the router or network traffic, it's a problem with the HW or FW of the device. I did this through completely resetting the router renaming my SSID and before I reconnected all of my devices I used the Apple TV's first to see the result. The result was the same. If it were me reaching capacity; I wonder why the new Nest camera I added never looses connection which is outside of the house opposite of where the router is streaming in 1080P... Food for thought?

Jul 23, 2020 8:56 AM in response to rkaufmann87

I appreciate your input but needing to upgrade to a mesh network because I have Apple TV's is not a solution. I have a $500 router and my signal quality degrades one bar at the furthest point in my house. One of the Apple TV's is in the living room 8 feet from the router.

Again, I appreciate it. If I can't get them to work on the network I have, I will just move to Nvidia Shields.

Thanks for the help.

Jul 23, 2020 12:12 PM in response to vazandrew

Troubleshooting:

Ensure FW up to date

Ensure rotuer FW up to date

Ensure router band channels are optimized

Try different band channel widths

Try on the 2.4GHz band

Reset router to factory, change SSID, connect apple TV's and one other device (Nest T-stat)

New different router, perform all of the above again

Try disabling mu-mimo

Try disabling AX and features

Try disabling OFDMA

Move Apple TV's to different rooms

I'm sure there's some other random things I did here and there over the last year.

One Apple TV is 8 feet from the router

Download speeds never go under 300mbs anywhere within my walls and signal loses one bar at the furthest corner of my house. Regardless of speed. When they are working streaming is fine, it's never degraded, they just stop talking to the router.

Please let me know what other steps I can take

Jul 22, 2020 11:52 PM in response to allen_jd

You may want to re-examine which Wi-Fi channels are being used by your router/access point. If it overlaps with with the channels in use by your neighbors, then that will cause interference. If your router/access point has an Automatic Wi-Fi channel configuration, then a restart may be enough (at the moment when the issue occurs), to have it make a new best choice.


You may want to examine other equipment in use in your house that may cause interference. Anything with radio emitting capability or high energy use electrical equipment, that goes on and off intermittently, e.g. a refrigerator, can be a source of interference.

Jul 22, 2020 7:40 PM in response to allen_jd

You need a Mesh network. Streaming 4K media requires a lot of bandwidth, your current network has a lot of devices on it and you have reached its limit. There is nothing wrong with your Apple TV it’s the network being overtaxed. The issue is not network speed it’s network bandwidth.you spent a lot of money on a router, for less you could get a nice Mesh network.

Jul 23, 2020 8:40 AM in response to allen_jd

Other devices working does not rule out a network issue. Proper investigation, starting with a diagnostic report, would be needed to dial in what is occurring within your environment.


You can claim it is HW or FW of the device, yet it is working just fine for the vast majority, including those that regularly test for this forum. The amount of reports seen amounts to a select group of people, which occur on a sporadic basis, in cases where adequate troubleshooting is done then the issue is rectified. There can be no proper resolution when that is refused. Otherwise it would be widespread, with reports everywhere (including this forum being flooded on a consistent basis) and this thread would have also received numerous responses by now.


If you refuse to believe there is anything wrong on your end and are intent to simply blame the device then there isn't anything anyone here can do.

Jul 23, 2020 8:46 AM in response to vazandrew

I haven't refused to believe. I have been dealing with this for almost a year, and have tried every single possible avenue and troubleshooting step I can think of to the point I bought a new router, and still the problem exists. You say it's not the Apple TV's but I have two, the only devices on my network that do this. I'm am now refusing to believe there's a network issue because of the amount of time I spent troubleshooting. I've exhausted every possible thing I can do to troubleshoot. I'm not the typical user who just blames the device that has a rented modem/router from their ISP.

Jul 23, 2020 8:49 AM in response to allen_jd

I have well over 30 wi-fi devices on my network including 4 Apple TV's and all devices work just fine. I had similar issues to you about a 1 1/2 years ago and upgraded to a Mesh Network, guess what the problem disappeared. My home is a single store 2500 sq. ft. house, a partial list of devices I support are:


4 Apple TVs

1 iMac

1 Mac Min

1 Macbook Air

2 iPHones

2 iPads

A Nest Thermostat

2 Alexa

4 Smart TVs

Home Theater Receiver

and the list goes on........


So as mentioned, if you insist it is the Apple TV's and think your network is fine then there isn't a thing anyone on this forum can do to help you out.



Jul 23, 2020 11:06 AM in response to allen_jd

You mention doing all this troubleshooting but you haven't really gone into that aspect much within your posts. There is no possible way for anyone here to know exactly what you have done, nor have the correct information to suggest next steps.


Based on the information given it looks as though only a few rudimentary things were tried and then you blamed the device. For example, you continue to insist it is the Apple TV because they are the only devices experiencing this issue.


I also have two of them, both of which work fine. Not only are they used personally but also vigorously tested for the forum.


These same types of symptoms can also be easily found by users who have other devices, a lot of which choose to blame the device simply because everything else works fine. Again, for those who do investigate further (some cases require more work than others) the issue is almost always rectified.


Moving to another device may yield different results but that doesn't mean you will never experience it elsewhere in the future, unless you fix the problem within your environment. There really isn't much else to say so I will bow out of this discussion.



Apple TV WiFi issues (Disconnecting)

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