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Apple TV Gen 3 WiFi Death w/ Casualties

So the first batch of ATV3 units were known to have WiFi problems; info on that can be found here: Sudden Apple WiFi Death Syndrome


We have one of the units from this batch, and had no knowledge of the WiFi problem until a few days ago. However, the WiFi problem we are experiencing from our ATV3 is much more severe than what was described a couple of years ago. I wanted to post this in case it happens to someone else with "late symptoms."


We have had the intermittent disconnection problems, and periodically have had to restart the ATV3 in order for it to stream properly. 99% of the content we watch on it is streamed from iTunes running on a computer with a wired connection into an AirPort Extreme router. These problems have been infrequent, and the ATV3 has performed beautifully for the most part, for several years. It has used WiFi exclusively...we don't have an Ethernet connection in the family room (although now I'm strongly considering running one).


Starting about a week ago, our ATV3 has become unusable for streaming. When we start streaming something, the ATV3 pulls the content over WiFi very slowly...with the fastest throughput being ~ 3Mbps, but going as slow as the 10s of KB/s. I can measure this from the iTunes computer serving up the content. To put things in perspective, I can transfer files at ~15MB/s (120Mbps) from the same room as the ATV3 over the same WiFi network, using my MBP. The distance forces the use of the 2.4Ghz WiFi band, or it would be many times faster, but that's another story.


To make matters worse, when the ATV3 is attempting to stream something, communication gets disrupted to other devices on the WiFi network. For example, I can FTP a large file to my MBP (from either the Internet or the iTunes computer), and it will chug along at the ~15MB/s, until I start to stream from the ATV3. Then the throughput to both maxes out at ~3 Mbps, but often dipping down into the 10s of KB/s. Likewise, doing the "network test" from the Settings --> Network menu on the ATV3, which does some form of transfer test using the Internet, also causes my FTP transfer (and anything else I try to do on it) to slow to a crawl, until the test is complete, then things pop back to normal. Bear in mind that I performed these tests with nothing else connected to the WiFi network, and the ATV3 acts the same way when it is the only device on the network.


Our ATV3 is essentially now a hockey puck, unless we run an Ethernet cable to it, or replace it with the new version. We’ve certainly got our money’s worth from it over the years, so I can’t really complain too much, but the fact that it kills other wireless devices is certainly bad. For the time being we’re using the Amazon Fire TV until we get this sorted out…we much prefer the Apple interface though, and the 8GB cache the ATV3 provided.

Apple TV

Posted on Sep 23, 2015 1:26 PM

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Posted on Sep 23, 2015 3:15 PM

There are many many variables that can affect wifi networking even if other devices work well.


I've had a couple of episodes where streaming from local iTunes was problematic only for it to resolve itself at some stage later. Cause never really established but once was a failing (overheating) Netgear router.


For many years to avoid wi-fi issues I've used mains powerline network adapters to provide an ethernet link easily without running cables.

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Sep 23, 2015 3:15 PM in response to PleasantSpectrum

There are many many variables that can affect wifi networking even if other devices work well.


I've had a couple of episodes where streaming from local iTunes was problematic only for it to resolve itself at some stage later. Cause never really established but once was a failing (overheating) Netgear router.


For many years to avoid wi-fi issues I've used mains powerline network adapters to provide an ethernet link easily without running cables.

Sep 23, 2015 3:38 PM in response to PleasantSpectrum

I have noticed this as well!


My Apple TV 3rd Generation was too from the first batch, and about 3 or 4 months ago I started out of nowhere having WiFi connectivity issues. And no it was not the WiFi (I have an AirPort Time Capsule for WiFi), as all other devices were not having any issues at all. I too would have to reboot the Apple TV to get the connection back.


In the end I gave up on WiFi with it, just went with ethernet with it. I do notice though that the ethernet utilization is very low, I can never get it to go over 50mbps. This of course does not affect video playback, but just an observation.

Sep 25, 2015 7:34 PM in response to Alley_Cat

I received my powerline units today (D-Link AV2 1000), and while they don't perform anywhere near gigabit (my testing revealed 160Mbps best case in the same room), I am getting 50Mbps at one of the power outlets near our family room setup, which is just fine for streaming. I now have our three devices plugged into a switch there, and ATV3 operations are back to normal.


Yea!


Thanks again, Alley_Cat, for the tip!

Apple TV Gen 3 WiFi Death w/ Casualties

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