Insufficient wireless signal strength, apparently

[lithoartist]

My Sony TV model is KDL-32EX653.  I have fibre broadband that shows a regular 37.5Mb/s with an ethernet cable connection between my router and desktop PC.  My television sits in a room directly below my router. Trying to play iPlayer always ends with the screen going blank (as though the TV has been powered off) after five to ten minutes.  I have tried numerous broadband speed test checkers on the TV that do not require Flash.  I could get only two to work at all due to the way Sony internet works and only one of those two (Bandwidthplace) gave me any sort of result.  At best that was 2Mb/s.  I was astonished at the result.  I wonder if that is reasonable.  Are other makes of TV likely to be any better?  Could there be an issue with my TV?  What alternative solutions are there?  

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi there

From your description, it certainly appears to be a Wifi issue - You could confirm this by plugging in a LAN (ethernet) cable to the TV from the router - but as the TV is downstairs, it would mean lumping it upstairs to do so.

However, the solution will be probably be in the form of  "Homeplugs".  They are available on Amazon : HERE - this will provide a "wired" solution.

Cheers

[lithoartist]

Quinnicus

I thank you for your reply.  My ISP suggested a few things I could try such as changing channels and disabling power reduction.  My instinct is they would not make the necessary difference.  I read many reviews of the Powerline adapters to which your link pointed me and have ordered a pair.

[lithoartist]

Further to my previous post, I have received and tried the Powerline adapters.  The broadband speed tests were no better.   I took the television into the same room as the router.  The speed registered wirelessly was still between two and three Mb/s.  Finally, I connected the TV to the router with an ethernet cable.  Lo! and behold, the speed was the same!  The television had been taken to a repair company who say on-demand TV could be played without cutting out when connected to their router.  I had always felt there was something amiss with the TV.  Now, I wonder, is it possible my broadband is at fault, though I can't think why?

[Anonymous]

Hi there

When you connected the powerline adapters to the TV and Router - Did you goto the network settings of the TV and set it up again - When doing so, did you choose WIRED instead of wireless??

Also, have you updated the firmware on the TV.

Also, on your PC, goto http://www.speedtest.net and do a speed test of your internet connection - this should indicate how fast your getting.

Cheers

[lithoartist]

Quinnicus

I thank you for your constructive reply.

1. I had not changed the TV setting to wired.  I went through Settings>Network>Network Set-up>Set up network connection>Custom>Wired Set-up.  The connection was established.  The speed test immediately following returned 2.87 Mb/s, however.  This is in the same two to three Mb/s range as all previous tests.

2. I checked the software update through Settings>Product Support>Software Update.  "Newer version not detected" displayed.  The software version is PKG2.100EUA-0002.

3. I used the link you provided for the speed test.  It returned 31.19 Mb/s download speed for the connection to my PC.  http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ returned 37.54 Mb/s, consistent with all my previous speed tests since I switched to fibre in January.

[Anonymous]

Hi there

Can you explain how you are doing the speedtest on the TV.  I remember someone else had an issue with a web-based speedtest via the TV, and was reporting in-accurate (ill see if I can find that thread again) - is this the case...(see below)?

Can you try using some of the applications like iPlayer, YouTube and various others.  Are you experiencing problems playing back video considering that your on a highspeed connection, you shouldnt be experiencing 'buffering' etc.

Cheers

EDIT: This is the thread I was refering to:

http://community.sony.co.uk/t5/televisions/kdl42w829b-slow-download-speeds-using-ethernet-amp-wirele...

[lithoartist]

Quinnicus

The thread to which you provided the link is interesting.  The first part seems so similar to my own situation but differs in the second regarding iPlayer.

1. I had to find broadband speed test checkers that do not require Flash, in order to be able to use them on the TV in the first instance.  BandwidthPlace, SpeedOf.Me and Tracert are ones I have used, and BandwidthPlace most of the time.

2. Playing iPlayer is where this all began, as I reported in my first post.  I tried iPlayer again yesterday when I had the ethernet cable attached from my router to the TV directly and when the speed test result was still between two and three Mb/s.  The screen went blank after five minutes just as it has done always.

I have taken the trouble this afternoon to disconnect my TV once again, carry it upstairs and try it connected by ethernet cable to the router, checking that the Network settings report a wired connection and that it is 'OK'.  The result is the same two to three Mb/s.  The rotating dots in the upper right corner of the screen with a progress bar below seem to be ever-present, almost.

I have tried both iPlayer and Demand5 this afternoon with a wired connection through the Powerline adapters.  iPlayer lasted eight minutes before the screen went blank and Demand5 five minutes before "Whoops!  The programme you are trying to watch isn't currently available.  Please try again later." appeared.

[lithoartist]

Update

John Lewis, from whom I purchased the TV, arranged for a TV Engineer to attend today.  He changed the Primary DNS in Network Set-up from 192.168.1.254, I believe, to 8.8.8.8, Google's server, citing the problem is probably caused by the various servers involved not talking to one another properly.  iPlayer did play longer than on any previous occasion but quit after 21 minutes and 28 minutes in the two attempts I made.  I am told now by the engineer's company a motherboard might be ordered to replace the existing one.

I see from BandwidthPlace that the server is now Amsterdam, NL instead of London, UK.  The latest speed test returned 0.3 Mb/s!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update Lithoartist.

Interesting turn of events - I wouldnt have picked a hardware fault to be honest, but it certainly is looking that way.

Good luck with everything, and please post back, as I am interested in knowing how it all turns out.

Cheers