Need help with a slow internet connection on my tv

[ricleo2]

I have a samsung smart tv where Hulu and Amazon barely play. I went through samsung tech support and att tech support. On the wireless tv web browser I get 4.15 mbps but on my laptop in the same room I get 21 mbps. Does this mean the tv is broken since my laptop works fine?

 

[ch33zw1z]

I have a samsung smart tv where Hulu and Amazon barely play. I went through samsung tech support and att tech support. On the wireless tv web browser I get 4.15 mbps but on my laptop in the same room I get 21 mbps. Does this mean the tv is broken since my laptop works fine?

No, it doesn't mean your TV is broken, what model TV is it?

If you can, try using a network cable instead, and check again.

Check for TV firmware updates

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, some basic questions:

1) How fast (in megabits) is your internet connection from your ISP? (www.speedtest.net will tell you).

2) How fast does the internet connection at your TV have to be, to stream those services?

3) What brand / model wireless router are you using? What freq. band are you using? (I assume that the TV is connected wirelessly?)

4) Are there a lot of wifi networks near you, showing up on your laptop? Are you in an apt. complex?

You might need to consider a wireless bridge device, or PowerLine Networking, or MoCA Networking, if the TV is connected wirelessly, and it's in a far corner of your home, away from the main router. If it's not a mobile device, it should be wired, however.

If you have an older Wifi router, like a good ol' WRT54G or something, it should most definitely be upgraded, to something AC1200 or better.

 

[Ketchup]

I don't see one other question - how far is the TV from the wireless signal (presumably your router)? A good test would be to run the speed test on the laptop from as close to the TV as possible. Is the TV is a cabinet , on the wall, or sitting on a desk? Cabinets can be signal killers.

 

[ricleo2]

I failed to say this is a new problem. The tv has worked fine for 2 years.
I plugged a cat 6 cable and got 8.00 mbps. Which is an improvement but not near the 20mbps I get from my desktop computer.
Samsung Model: UN55J6200AFXZA
If at&t come out and check the lines and find nothing wrong there will be a $99 charge.
I live in a house and can probably use my neighbor's internet to test it but they won't be home until late next week to get there password.
I have a fairly new router, about 6 months old. I don't know what the freq. band is.
Firmware is up to date.
Thanks for all the help.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I failed to say this is a new problem. The tv has worked fine for 2 years.
I plugged a cat 6 cable and got 8.00 mbps. Which is an improvement but not near the 20mbps I get from my desktop computer.
Samsung Model: UN55J6200AFXZA

Hmm, that is a bit puzzling. I assume that the "desktop computer" that gets 20Mbit/sec is wired to your router? So when you wire up the TV, you only get 8Mbit/sec? That IS weird. Either the speed test site(s) are different, and not comparable (PS3/PS4 speed tests never quite match PC speedests on the same wired LAN), or the processor in the TV is slowing down, maybe overheating, or a lack of power (weak PSU over time)?

Edit: That said, I can watch 4K YouTube channels, with an 18Mbit/sec connection. So 1080P streaming, should be possible on 8Mbit/sec, I think.

 

[Ketchup]

Have you run a reset on the TV yet? Is the problem newer than the router?

 

[Batmeat]

1080P on 8Mbit will still give you a hiccup here and there. The question is why is your tv so slow? My guess is that it's the network card in your TV, especially if it worked just fine earlier. The other problem could be the network setup in your TV itself. You'd have to go into your network settings and see.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The other problem could be the network setup in your TV itself. You'd have to go into your network settings and see.

On my Brother printer, I had to change the network settings from Wifi to Wired, when I switched it to ethernet, and then, I had to dig into the settings, and do a "Network Reset", which involved having the printer reboot itself, before the :LAN port was activated, and I got a link light on my switch.

Edit: Maybe something similar has to be done to the TV, to get it to use the wired connection. Maybe it's still using the wifi.

 

[ricleo2]

Well, I resolved the issue by installing a Roku which works fine. Thanks to all.

 

[Batmeat]

Same thing I had to do to a cannon and brother printer on my dads whole network setup. Hard to do when I’m tempting in and trying to tell him what to do....

On my Brother printer, I had to change the network settings from Wifi to Wired, when I switched it to ethernet, and then, I had to dig into the settings, and do a "Network Reset", which involved having the printer reboot itself, before the :LAN port was activated, and I got a link light on my switch.

Edit: Maybe something similar has to be done to the TV, to get it to use the wired connection. Maybe it's still using the wifi.

Anyway, glad the roku worked. Is it a 3 or a 4?