Q: Apple TV keeps forgetting wifi password

Thanks Diana, I'm IT literate and have already looked for IP issues and used a wifi analytics program on my MacBook.

I have some noise on 2.4ghz but not on 5ghz, but I tend to stick to 2.4 as the range is much lower on 5ghz.

I'm trying swapping them around as suggested earlier, so hopefully that will rat out a faulty box or indeed the location.

What's odd in this case, at least to me, is that the network it was connected to remains visible, but it still refuses to accept the password.

I agree that Apple's implementation seems odd, as it's iPhone innards and yet my iPad and iPhone never drop out when used in exactly the same place

OK - I tried a few things and finally got it working reliably. By doing the stuff below, I get no issues whatsoever.

What was annoying me mostly is that iPads and iPhones in pretty much the same place worked just fine on either the 2.4 or 5ghz network, but I typically couldn't try them in exactly the same place as the ATV was in a corner. Using network sniffing tools on my MBP and positioning it in exactly the same place as the ATV, the signal appeared better than 50% strength and was better than 50% quality (fluctuates up to about 60%), so should have been up to streaming and should certainly have been able to connect without password issues. What I did notice was that a neighbours 'HP Envy' printer was blasting all over the 2.4ghz network, on what was otherwise was the quietest channel. I also turned off the TV's own wifi (2.4ghz) though that should have made no difference to the final outcome.

The ATV could see the 5ghz network, but due to the walls etc. it was too weak to connect. This answered one question - the other ATV was also on the 5ghz network, but in a place with many fewer obstructions despite being further away.

As the troublesome ATV was in the kitchen, I put it on top of the wall cupboard and ran the power and HDMI down the rear of the cupboard via a service channel, getting it a full 1.5m closer to the router and no longer in a corner. In this location it works perfectly, connected to the 5ghz network thus cutting out the suspected interference from the printer.

While I was initially dismissive of the Apple wifi advice, and had no local sources of interference, I suspect my neighbour's printer to be the main culprit, combined with the corner location of the ATV. Two factors that made it harder to diagnose and would have been impossible without a wifi monitoring program. As 5ghz signals don't go through obstacles as easily, that makes it cleaner if you can get a signal, which moving the box allowed me to do.

This doesn't let Apple off the hook in my opinion; I personally think they have made an iPhone in a box with inferior wifi to an iPhone, and have tried to give advice to mitigate the suppost calls. I also think the inability to enter a password was a symptom of the location and/or interference. It is what it is though - hopefully this will help if you're having a similar issue.

That maybe so, but our iPads and iPhones from a 1 foot distance from the ATV never missed a beat streaming. Not once.

And if the signal is that poor or has issues, I'd challenge the designers to come up with a more representative icon display. What is the use of showing 70% of the signal strenght on an icon when it just doesn't deliver anything like that? Or even let you log in?

BTW - I didn't say Apple engineering was inferior, I merely stated that the ATV has inferior wifi capabilities compared to an iPhone or iPad. This is important if you're thinking of buying one. I suspect it's a cost-related design choice, there is a big price difference after all.