WiFi signal to TV

So I ran a speed test using an app on my TV and only see about 50% of the signal that I get from a test on my PC which is very close to the router. Unless there is something out there that I don;t know about, I guess I need a wired connection to the TV. The problem is getting into the TV connection with a cable is a real PITA due to the basement under the TV in this house.

So, I was thinking, what if I connected the T-Mobile gateway box to a router that is close to the TV? The wifi signal would then only be a few feet compared to 30' plus a wall at present. This would be much easier to run a cable to from the T-Mobile gateway box that we are using.

Before doing anything I think I'll get a 50' cable and run it across the floors to the TV to be sure a hard wired connection is what I should consider. If it is indeed a big improvement, are there ethernet cables that can be run outside of a building?
Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
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Comments

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    Would something like a Netgear WiFi extender work? When I was in the basement and the router was on the first floor plugging in the Netgear extender to a outlet in the middle between the TV and the first floor router made a huge difference.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    If you need an extender, I have a nice one that I no longer use....if you are interested.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    Definitely worth a try, unless Bob already gave that a go.
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,039
    The extender would be a whole lot easier than routing 50' of cable. I'm willing to try anything. Hoping something gets rid of the almost constant buffering we get when trying to watch anything using rare Breed(somethiny my daughter wanted me to try). If we can get around that it will be adios to DirecTV.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,039
    So, this morning the Mrs was watching something for an hour or so....and no buffering at all. I ran a speed test and it was 17 to 20 mbs. I know, pathetic by cable standards but, here in the boonies I doubt we'll ever see cable and sat would dig into my beer $$ :) .

    Ran a test at the pc and it was about the same. I'm guessing the signal speed is dependent upon how many other people are using the T-Mobile gateway as it slows down in the evening.

    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    muncybob wrote: »
    So, this morning the Mrs was watching something for an hour or so....and no buffering at all. I ran a speed test and it was 17 to 20 mbs. I know, pathetic by cable standards but, here in the boonies I doubt we'll ever see cable and sat would dig into my beer $$ :) .

    Ran a test at the pc and it was about the same. I'm guessing the signal speed is dependent upon how many other people are using the T-Mobile gateway as it slows down in the evening.

    We should talk. I have T-mobile HINT and I have tweaked things to get this kind of speed
    je6mf0nrr9m2.jpg

    You can really get more out of it by using an external router and turning off the gateways wifi. The Nater Tater channel on YouTube has a lot of good information about optimization for T-mobile HINT.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    A good indicator is to check the speed you get from the T-mobile signal over your phone (not connected to wifi) inside the house.
    Assuming you have a newish 5G phone, the speed you get on the phone will be an upper limit. If the phone doesn't see over 100Mbps, then you probably won't get much improvement, but if your phone sees something like 600Mbps, then I'm sure there are gains to be had.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    This is my phone speed over 5GUC in the house.
    sr2lpc3gbcim.jpg
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • stevep
    stevep Posts: 335
    Do both the PC and the TV share the WiFi versions as the router? It's not unusual for a phone to have a later, faster version than a TV. First because the adopt sooner and second cause they get upgraded more often.

    Have you checked to see how clear your WiFi signal is in the various parts of your home? Both the signal strength at each point and how many other WiFi hubs are seen and if there is any overlap in channel usage. My home net is pretty clear cause it' on a big lot but my condo is a mess with 11 other routers surrounding me and only 10's of feet separation. There are only 3 real non-interferring 2.4GHz channels and a few more in the 5GHz band to you get lots of contention.

    All of this effects speed.
  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 11,007
    You can also use the electrical plugs as extenders providing you buy the correct ones then hard wire your tv. Powerline ethernet adapters is what they are called.
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,039
    631 Mps...holy bytes batman! What is HINT?

    You guys have given me a lot to look into. Getting the best network options is all new to me.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    muncybob wrote: »
    631 Mps...holy bytes batman! What is HINT?

    You guys have given me a lot to look into. Getting the best network options is all new to me.

    HINT is simply short for Home Internet. I use it to differentiate T-Mobile phone service vs their Home Internet service.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,039
    Willow wrote: »
    You can also use the electrical plugs as extenders providing you buy the correct ones then hard wire your tv. Powerline ethernet adapters is what they are called.

    So, if the speed at the router is slow will these increase the speed in the network? The best speed I get at the router using ethernet is about 20 Mbps and it's irratic as very often it's about 50% of that.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    That's crazy low. What is your cable provider's minimum standards?

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    edited November 2023
    muncybob wrote: »
    Willow wrote: »
    You can also use the electrical plugs as extenders providing you buy the correct ones then hard wire your tv. Powerline ethernet adapters is what they are called.

    So, if the speed at the router is slow will these increase the speed in the network? The best speed I get at the router using ethernet is about 20 Mbps and it's irratic as very often it's about 50% of that.

    Maybe you need a new router. How old is it and who is it through, OR maybe give your provider a call and see what they can do for you.
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    treitz3 wrote: »
    That's crazy low. What is your cable provider's minimum standards?

    Tom
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    muncybob wrote: »
    Willow wrote: »
    You can also use the electrical plugs as extenders providing you buy the correct ones then hard wire your tv. Powerline ethernet adapters is what they are called.

    So, if the speed at the router is slow will these increase the speed in the network? The best speed I get at the router using ethernet is about 20 Mbps and it's irratic as very often it's about 50% of that.

    Maybe you need a new router. How old is it and who is it through, OR maybe give your provider a call and see what they can do for you.

    Y'all aren't grasping that he has T-mobile home internet. It is a gateway device that uses 5G and 4G LTE signals to provide wifi in the house.

    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    Copy that. You are correct.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    edited November 2023
    I'm sorry Bill, thought maybe his house was different. Why would there be such a vast difference between his phone and the home? I'm asumming this was his phone
    631 Mps...holy bytes batman!
    The best speed I get at the router using ethernet is about 20 Mbps and it's irratic as very often it's about 50% of that.
  • stevep
    stevep Posts: 335
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Why would there be such a vast difference between his phone and the home? I'm asumming this was his phone
    631 Mps...holy bytes batman!

    If I'd reading correct it's two different people, billbillw gets the 631Mb/s and muncybob only gets 20 Mb/s.
    I'm assuming his T-Mobile service is via cellular and he doesn't have a great connection to the tower.

    Bob, Just like there are different WiFi levels there are different Ethernet speeds. 1, 10, 100, 1000, 2500, 10000 Mb/s. Few people have better than the 1000 Mb/s (1Gb/s) and I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that one of more (Gateway or PC) only does 100Mb/s (what was called FastEthernet when it came out).

    What you see for bandwidth is only going to be as fast as the slowest link in the chain. If your Internet link is only 20Mb/s you'll never see more than that when streaming from the Internet but you might see more when moving files from one place in your house to another if your local network (WiFi and Ethernet) links are faster.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    Damn, I really need to learn how to read.
    🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    edited November 2023
    I get 600 on my phone. My HINT is between 300-400. I was trying to tell Bob to see what his phone does in a test because that would be an upper limit. T-mobile HINT doesn't have speed tiers. It is a DIY setup in home and there are ways to optimize it. When I first got the service, I was lucky to see 100 down.
    It is possible that Bob lives somewhere with poor signal. I've been talking over PM with him to see if we can improve his speed.

    By default, the T-mobile gateway is over worked trying to send/receive wireless (5G/LTE), route traffic, and send local wifi to devices. You can take a major load off the gateway by using an external router (which is what I do). There is also a way to disable the gateway's wifi, which let's it get better signal to/from the cell tower. I have also done that.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 748
    Look at a couple of ASUS mesh XT8, XT9 or if ya got the cash XT12 …

    Can’t be beat , will solve all your problems !

    Bk
    PS Audio S300 , WiiM Ultra , Yamaha wxc-50 , Salk SuperCharged Songtowers , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Eversolo DMP-A6 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    Parasound A21, Eversolo DMP-A8 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Ascend Acoustics ELX Ribbon Towers , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN system

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    gyosa wrote: »
    Look at a couple of ASUS mesh XT8, XT9 or if ya got the cash XT12 …

    Can’t be beat , will solve all your problems !

    Bk

    Probably not good advice for him. He needs to improve the speed of his T-Mobile gateway, and then worry about WiFi coverage. For less $, using a pair of regular Asus RT AX routers in AiMesh mode with wired back-haul offers better coverage than their XT lineup.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • polrbehr
    polrbehr Posts: 2,830
    edited November 2023
    TVs are not PCs or even cell phones when it comes to download speeds * . Unless newer 4K models have better network cards, I've found that all my TVs top out at 100Mbps no matter what - and they are all fed from Cat5e ethernet cables connected to F/O @ 1Gbps. Fast.com on my laptop, plugged in to the same ethernet jack as the TV, will hit between 500-600Mbps. Maybe I should upgrade all my TVs... :)

    * this is just a generalization, not aimed at OP by any means.
    So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?


    http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,745
    edited November 2023
    polrbehr wrote: »
    TVs are not PCs or even cell phones when it comes to download speeds * . Unless newer 4K models have better network cards, I've found that all my TVs top out at 100Mbps no matter what - and they are all fed from Cat5e ethernet cables connected to F/O @ 1Gbps. Fast.com on my laptop, plugged in to the same ethernet jack as the TV, will hit between 500-600Mbps. Maybe I should upgrade all my TVs... :)

    * this is just a generalization, not aimed at OP by any means.

    I agree. I can pull more than 300Mbps from any of my laptops over wifi, but my TVs struggle to get anything close to 100. Their ethernet ports are usually maxed at 100 also (my 2021 Sony OLED is 100 max). Same goes for my Roku boxes. They are actually faster over wifi than by ethernet, but I prefer to keep them wired for better latency and to cut down on wifi devices.

    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • stevep
    stevep Posts: 335
    edited November 2023
    billbillw wrote: »
    Same goes for my Roku boxes. They are actually faster over wifi than by ethernet, but I prefer to keep them wired for better latency and to cut down on wifi devices.

    Same for most (all?) of the FireSticks. The USB Ethernet will do 100Mbps but the WiFi will do much better on a good network. Don't have any Cubes so I can't speak about them.
  • stevep
    stevep Posts: 335
    Forgot to add that 100mbps should be plenty fast enough for 4k60Hz video assuming the error rate is close to 0.
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,039
    Sheees, I'll be happy getting 20! T-Mobile said the reason for my buffering is due to not having a phone line with them so when the network gets congested we suffer. People with one of their better cell lines don't see the drop like we do. Thought about switching to one of their phone plans, but in the long run we'll be better off with an external antenna.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • CGTIII
    CGTIII Posts: 1,069
    stevep wrote: »
    Forgot to add that 100mbps should be plenty fast enough for 4k60Hz video assuming the error rate is close to 0.

    I've read that even 25 Mbps is plenty for each 4K stream. 5 Mbps for each 1080p HD stream. Of course, that's true throughput without packet loss.
    I occasionally use packetlosstest.com to check.
    Expect that there will be bumps in the road. Choose to not let them rattle you.

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    ​Thompson Adventures, Inc.
  • polrbehr
    polrbehr Posts: 2,830
    @muncybob, don't sweat it. The installation guy (a sub that Optimum used for my CATV hookups) basically told me I was silly for paying for all that bandwidth; he maintained that 25-50 Mbps is all the avg. user would ever need, and that even 100 was overkill. I didn't bother asking him what kind of internet he had, mostly because I didn't care. My reasoning was, we have many wireless-only devices that are pretty much always on (+/- 20). That's why I use ethernet wherever possible. Plus the deal they gave us to bundle fiber/CATV was too good to pass up.
    So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?


    http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/