Netflix pausing/buffering issues

I have been having this issue intermittently for several months with my AppleTV over a hardwired, not wireless, connection to my router. I had replaced everything except the AppleTV including the switch, cables, settings. Running SpeedTest and similar applications I am getting throughput over 21Mbps. I have a 20Mbps FTTP connection and tried everything including connecting directly to the fiber which provides the AppleTV with a public IP and removes any hardware constraints on my end. I have spoken with Apple and Netflix and both pass the buck, I do not have this issue with my Wii, XBox360, several Windows based computers, a Mac mini, iPad2 or 4 iPhones that are in the house. Yesterday afternoon I decided I had had enough so I bought a $98 Roku XS and so far have not had the first problem and I get 1080p, when available, to boot. I am leaning toward the AppleTV being the issue. This weekend I plan to run both side-by-side and see what happens.

If you wouldn't mind doing a huge favor for the posters with the same issue. If you would create a video of the side by side comparison this would be fantastic. Post up to youtube and link on this page.

nmballa,

I was having Netflix issues with streaming over my home wireless to the Apple TV so, that was my situation that I wrote about. Here's my advice regarding your situation. Please take it with a grain of salt.

Since you have your device hardwired right to your Belkin router, my assumption would be that you would be getting the maximum throughput possible on your Apple TV from this connection, since it's probably just passing the Internet signal straight through at whatever maximum speed the router can handle from the DSL/Cable Modem. Of course, your Belkin router sees your Apple TV as another device and is providing the Apple TV with a non-routable IP address. That non-routable IP address is one of the things protecting you (sort of) security-wise. The Belkin router may be limiting, but that is unlikely unless it's really old. Probably more than 5 yrs. old or more (10 Base-T). As for streaming difficulties through this type of set up, recall from my P.S. post, your maximum throughput by hardwire to the Apple TV is 100 Mbit/s. This is the limitation of the Apple TV's hardware (10/100 Base-T). If you can use an 802.11N wireless connection, you'll get 300 Mbit/s, but remember my original post, it appears that some (As in my case. I can't speak for all.) wireless routers default all wireless connections to the slowest 802.11xxx device on accessing the network. So, if you can somehow set up an 802.11N exclusive network you should be getting connection speeds close or at 300 Mbit/s. That most like would fix your streaming problem.

Remember, the goal is to get the fastest possible constant throughput to the Apple TV for it to work the best:

Hardwire = 100 Mbit/s

802.11N = 300 Mbit/s

Hope that helps.

The only advantage to the 300Mbps bandwidth is going to be internal to your network and that will be shared across all connections once it hits your switch or router. The external/WAN port on your router is not going to be more than 100Mbps. Regardless of your internal speed you are further going to be limited by the actual speed of your Internet connection and likely even more as you go further down the line, think weakest link. So even if you have a 50Mbps Internet connection, which most people don't come close to approaching, as did an earlier poster then that is all you are going to get to your router and then to your devices at the most. I have friends with 1/50th of the external bandwidth that stream video without issue so I doubt it is a bandwidth issue. On another note the hardwired connection while only 100Mbps is going to be far less prone to interference and will be more reliable.

nmballa,

Also, remember this: If you chose to hardwire your Apple TV out of one of the ports from your Belkin router, depending upon the router, it may cause this router to do something similar as the WiFi and renegotiate any faster (Gigabit or 1000Mbit/s) other hardwired devices down to the slower 100Mbit/s speed. So, for example, if you have a computer hardwired to your Belkin router and they are communicating at Gigabit speed (1000Mbit/s) and you add onto this router your Apple TV, the router may downgrade that other (or all) connection speed to 100Mbit/s.

Something to think about. Of course you can test your computer's speed to the Belkin router using Apple's Network Utility tool, as I described in my original post, and see what your speed is both before and after connecting the Apple TV and see for yourself if this is the case with your network. Many newer Macs are now Gigabit ethernet enabled.

Knowing the maximum speed of your personal Internet hardware is important. Try Googling the model #s of your devices (DSL/Cable Modems, routers, etc.) and looking at the specifications for both input & output hardwire and wireless speeds.

aisop

True! My SpeedStream ADSL router is only 100Mbit/s. Getting my WiFi up to near 300 Mbit/s has helped tremendously. This probably due to interference loss as you suggested. So, no argument here. I'm just trying to relay important information on how to optimize (hardwire and WiFI) connection speed inside of the router. This definitely was an issue in my case and getting maximum speed 300Mbit/s to my Airport Extreme (N) base station fixed my problem.

aisop

Also, I'd like to add, I'm in a very congested WiFi zone too. I see as many as 10-12 WiFi routers at home each time I check on my Mac. Going to 802.11N also moved my signal from a very public and over used 2.4Ghz to the less crowded 5Ghz band. Again, probably cutting down on interference.

Recall from my very first post, that my original 802.11xx connection speed was only around 54Mbit/s or so, throw in a bunch of interference and who knows how much data was really getting to my Apple TV. Hence, my constant struggles with streaming Netflix. Optimizing has certainly helped, no quesiton about it.

With the current config that I have Netflix streaming worked fine until recently. My PS3 streams Netflix flawlessly. The only changes that I can recall is a new update to ATV recently and I just installed a Cisco device (Linksys RE1000 Wireless N Range Extender MIMO QoS 802.11B/G/N Repeater 1x 10/100 Port) upstairs to expand the reach of my wireless signal.I have two ATV's and they are both buffering/pausing when using Netflix. I will look into changing to 802.1N from my default setting and see if it helps but I still don't understand why it was working fine before and not now.

There is one other nice tip that I recently learned from this article:

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/01/31/in-pictures-airport-utility-6-0s-missing-features /

If you have a Mac and the now older version Apple Airport Utility 5.6, you see at what speed your WiFi devices are connecting to your Airport Extreme base station. Pretty cool! Here's how to do it:

Open Apple Airport Utility v.5..6 (doesn't work on the latest version from just a couple of days ago). Next, click on the "Advanced" tab. At the bottom click on "Logs and Statistics", then click the "Wireless Clients" tab. From this window you'll get a dynamic readout of each of your connected wireless devices, there signal strength, noise ratio (interference), data rate, and speed of connection.

Also, from the screen capture I have here, you can see that one device is connecting quite slowly (52 Mbit/s), that's my Apple TV and I'm not sure why it is connecting so slowly. I still have yet to have a problem since I set up my all 802.11N network with this newer Airport Extreme base station, but I'm still not sure why the Apple TV is communicating so much slower than my other two devices (both Macs). Additionally, notice that the Apple TV's lower communication setting is NOT dragging down the other devices communication speed on this 802.11N exclusive network.

Certainly as user "aisop" suggested 52 Mbit/s should be far faster than necessary to receive and transmit movie data within my home, but a precipitous drop due to interference or noise MIGHT cause an issue for buffering. When tested my Internet speed to my house is 2.2 Mbit/s to my router, in this case we're talking about the signal inside of the home, past the router. Knowing the most you can about your end of the network helps to eliminate variables and excuses from both Apple and Netflix if you're still experiencing pauses/buffering.

F' ATV. Done with it. Pretty much disgusted with Apple at this point. Way to not stand behind your product. How about a post recognizing the fact there is an issue and how about a promise to resolve this. FAIL Apple...

This is a user forum, apple will not respond here. At the very least it's a combination of the two, not just Apple. It's also not an issue for everyone.

I just don't buy that it has anything to do with netflix, short of perhaps apple's latest firmware update having compatibility issues with the existing app. At this point it has become completely unusable. Apple has dropped the ball.

You may not, but it does. It's working flawless here at any rate.

Consider yourself one of the lucky ones...

I've talked to many who have no issues. There is an issue but it's not everyone at the same time. It has to do with the servers and how it's communiticating with the unit but it's random.