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Netflix buffer stuck at 25%

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85K views 24 replies 4 participants last post by  Couriant 
#1 ·
I'm trying to help my sister solve her Netflix problem and we need some assistance determining the cause of the issue and finding the right solution. I don't know when it started but every time my sister uses Netflix on her Vizio 55 inch smart TV the show or movie she's trying to watch will load up to 25% then it will just sit there trying to buffer forever. We did a network check in the Netflix app and it was able to connect to Netflix and it said her download speed was 0.93kbps. Since her internet is included in the rent we asked the landlord what speeds were supposed to get which is 15mbps download. He also told us his kids stream a lot of stuff like Netflix and games which I think could be affecting the speed my sister is getting because the Wi-Fi connection on her TV is 5 bars. I've already looked into setting up an access point but the landlord won't allow us to run Ethernet wiring from the router to my sisters 2nd floor apartment. Do you think one of these solutions could get Netflix working again.

Option 1) Login to Netflix.com and change playback setting from auto/high to low or medium, this would force Netflix to use less bandwidth.

Option 2) Purchase this tp-link Wi-Fi extender and setup to boost Wi-Fi signal or use it's build in Ethernet port to connect TV to internet instead of using built in Wi-Fi. https://www.walmart.com/ip/TP-LINK-TL-WA850RE-N300-Universal-WiFi-Range-Extender/29340958
 
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#4 ·
Terry I totally forgot about testing the internet connection on another device. I'll ask her to do that soon and will let you know what speed the other devices get.

TonyB25 my sister is on a very tight budget which is why her landlord offered to add cable & internet to her rent. If she needs more bandwidth maybe we can convince the landlord to upgrade his speed.

My sister forgot to tell me that occasionally her smart TV will disconnect from the internet for a couple of hours then reconnect all by itself. She's tried to manually reconnect her TV to the Wi-Fi but every time she does the TV says "No Wi-Fi Networks Found". At the same time her husband was able to stream YouTube on his phone in HD using Wi-Fi.

To me it's starting to sound like her TV's built in Wi-Fi may be the problem.
 
#5 ·
Yes, the TV's Wi-Fi may be a problem, but it also, from the little we know now, may be that the TV (actually its wireless antenna) is in a location in which the wireless signal is too low for a reliable connection. And/or maybe the signal sometimes gets blocked.

I'm guessing that the antenna is strung along one or more sides of the TV, but I don't know how to tell unless the manual is kind enough to say. So, I'd test with a phone or laptop very near the TV. (I won't suggest moving a 55" TV to test for a better signal.)

Back to your initial post. If the problem is a low or unreliable signal where the TV is located then the "best" (my opinion) solution is a wireless bridge (extends a wireless network to an ethernet portion). That Wi-Fi extender to which you linked also works as a wireless bridge. If she can buy it and return it after testing then go for it. But there are several potential drawbacks:

a. Cheap unit; may not work very well;
b. Note that it has to be in a position where it "gets" a good signal from the router and also "gives" a good signal to the TV;
c. A range extender is also called a "Repeater" because it rebroadcasts the signals it receives; this slows the network.
 
#6 ·
Terry, my sister just called me after doing a speed test on her laptop and cell phone. She put both devices in front of the TV and speedtest.net gave her a download speed of 15mbps on both devices. I think that proves her TV's built in Wi-Fi is the source of the problem.

Would connecting a wireless bridge to the TV help get Netflix working again? Can you recommend one that will do a good job and cost $50 or less. My sister is on a tight budget and can't afford to spend a lot of money.
 
#7 ·
Would connecting a wireless bridge to the TV help get Netflix working again?
It should, but cannot guarantee. The TV does have ethernet capability, right?

I have a Wireless Access Point, but it is ancient and hasn't been for sale for years. Just by looking and reading I think that this one has a pretty good chance of being satisfactory. And only $5 more than the one I called "cheap unit." :rolleyes: But to me it is more flexible and, with the external antennas, better.
 
#12 ·
Hi Terry just wanted to update you on the netflix situation. My sister hasn't gotten around to buying the wireless bridge yet because she's been very busy at work but yesterday when i was at her house for thanksgiving dinner i found out that she had to rearrange all of her living room and dining room furniture so she could make room for all of her invited guest which was about 15-20 people. Since her living room and dining room are in one big open room she temporarily moved the tv to the other side of the room so her guest would more easily see it and i found out from my brother in law (Sister's Husband) that the tv was now directly over the room that the wi-fi router was in and now getting the same download speed as there other devices. Because of this netflix is currently working normally again. When my sister finds time we'll get the wireless bridge so when the tv is moved back to where it normally sits she can still use netflix.
 
#14 ·
My sister's router is a wireless gateway and all of it's antenna's are internal. None of them are external. We tried moving the modem but when we plugged it back in in a different spot an electrical surge came into the building and the only thing that it damaged besides a couple of surge protectors was there wireless gateway. The wireless gateway still works but not as well as before because at the moment the wi-fi signal will only work on the first floor. You can't pick up the signal on the second floor anymore. My sister's mother in law called their isp and there getting a new wireless gateway this weekend. If the new modem works better than the old modem before the electrical surge then my sister may not need the wireless bridge. We'll have to wait and see what happens once the new modem is installed.
 
#16 ·
Hi James, the tv's wi-fi card is built into the tv and can't be removed but it does have an ethernet port so if an external wi-fi adapter could work with the tv only if it can be connected to the tv's ethernet port.

My sister told me this morning her isp replaced her broken modem with a brand new one over the weekend and now she's getting a better signal than before but after she rearranged all of her furniture for thanksgiving she decided to keep the tv where it is now because it's closer to the internet modem. She did say she may move the tv back to where she had it after christmas when the tree comes down so when that time comes we'll know if her tv needs an external wi-fi adapter or a wireless bridge.

I'll keep you posted.
 
#18 ·
My sister is in a second floor apartment and the modem is in the first floor apartment which her landlord lives in and he won't allow us to run any ethernet from the modem on the first floor into my sister's apartment. That's why i would prefer to use some kind of external wireless adapter that can be connected to the tv's ethernet port.

Before you ask the reason why the modem is located in the landlord's 1st floor apartment is because cable and wi-fi is included in my sister's rent.
 
#19 ·
OK, that makes sense. :) Perhaps powerline adapters would be a solution if wireless does not. The problem with wireless is all of the potential interference that can disrupt it. Well I look forward to your update when things get moved around again! :)
 
#23 ·
I'm writing to inform you that my sisters netflix problem has been solved. After the holidays when my sister moved the tv and her furniture back to it's normal spot the netflix problem returned but before i could do some troubleshooting the outside cable/internet wire between the house and the poll snapped and broke in 2 pieces so her isp (Time Warner Cable) was called and they installed new outside wiring. They also discovered the broken outside wire was about 15-20 years old and had a bunch of deep cracks with rain water dripping out of it. After the new wiring was installed netflix on my sister's tv started working normally again and it's been working normally ever since. The technician thinks the rain water that got into the old wiring weakened the internet signal and because of that netflix stopped working.

Now that netflix works again i wanna say thanks for all your help. I wouldn't have suspected the culprit this whole time was old and damaged wiring. LOL :)
 
#25 ·
Very interesting. That would affect all of her services from the cable company... Did she have any issues with any other devices?



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