Will a New Router Improve T.V Streaming

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

I currently watch T.V through I ilikeHD. My T.V is 60 inch, I have a M8 Android box connected to the T.V, I'm using wifi to connect the Android box to the Internet. My download speed is variable between 5 and 8 mbps, and upload less than 1 mbps.

Trying to watch live premier league football through ilikeHd just lately has been almost insufferable due to the picture freezing or jittering. Before I spend money upgrading my broadband I want to know if there is a simple solution. I suspected maybe my router is getting old, had it around 6 years now. So I googled my router "D-link DSL 2640T", I discovered the signal 802.11b/g used by the router is outdated by the new "ac" and the wifi bands are 2.4 ghz.

Would buying a more modern router which uses 802.11ac make a significant difference ?.

I have also thought about running a Ethernet cable from the router to the box, which would mean running around 20 meters od cable through the ceiling, and I don't like unsightly cables down the walls.

Any suggestions or solutions would be most appreciated.

MJCM · May 10, 2016

Alternative

http://www.invadeit.co.th/search/powerline/

What is it ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-line_communication

Edited May 10, 2016 by MJCM

Pib · May 10, 2016

What is the speed of your Internet plan as that is the pipe providing internet to your home. And what "international" speed are you getting with that plan?

Your current wifi router should be more than good enough but if your Internet plan is providing poor speed the latest technology wifi router is not going to help make your Internet plan any faster.

Rama · May 10, 2016

Sounds like your wifi router is not in the same room as your streaming device and tv. If you can, first locate your wifi router in the same room. If you can't do that, buy a wifi 'booster' (wifi extender). It will boost the signal strength of the wifi signal for your streaming device. They're not expensive. Many electronics shops in Thailand sell them.

Chicog · May 10, 2016

Yes 802.11ac is the way to go, or Powerline adapters as suggested above. Or an Ethernet cable.

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

Alternative

http://www.invadeit.co.th/search/powerline/

What is it ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-line_communication

Looks very viable and simple, never heard of that before. So if I understand correctly I simple plug 1 into my existing router via the nearest wall socket, and the other into the socket closest to my Android box, the connect to box via Ethernet cable ?. I think even I can do that.

Question, if in the future I upgrade my router will the powerline boxes still accept a 802ac signal ?

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

Sounds like your wifi router is not in the same room as your streaming device and tv. If you can, first locate your wifi router in the same room. If you can't do that, buy a wifi 'booster' (wifi extender). It will boost the signal strength of the wifi signal for your streaming device. They're not expensive. Many electronics shops in Thailand sell them.

They are in the same room, Android box is approx 8 meters away from the router.

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

What is the speed of your Internet plan as that is the pipe providing internet to your home. And what "international" speed are you getting with that plan?

Your current wifi router should be more than good enough but if your Internet plan is providing poor speed the latest technology wifi router is not going to help make your Internet plan any faster.

Not sure what speed my plan is to be honest, think it's around 10 mbps from TOT. When I measure download speed it is between 5 and 8. Will international speed make a difference. I'm using ilikeHd, which I understand is served from Thailand.

Eclipse · May 10, 2016

Try using the official ILikeHD Stream Box.

You can now record, pause live TV and a 3 day re run.

So you can watch peak time TV when you are awake.

http://knd1.ilikehd.com/kaneda/web/free/streambox.php

Edited May 10, 2016 by Eclipse

ukrules · May 10, 2016

This old router works faster than your internet connection, I doubt changing it will make much if any difference.

Now this might be a conincidence but the ilikehd service seemed to work just fine nearly all of the time when I tested it out, but when there was a popular sporting event on - when everyone else is also using it I had problems with constant stopping and starting.

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

This old router works faster than your internet connection, I doubt changing it will make much if any difference.

Now this might be a conincidence but the ilikehd service seemed to work just fine nearly all of the time when I tested it out, but when there was a popular sporting event on - when everyone else is also using it I had problems with constant stopping and starting.

I also find the problem occurs mainly when watching epl, VOD often plays without a glitch. So maybe the servers are overloaded. When I first started using ilikeHd the problem was not nearly so bad.

justsignedin · May 10, 2016

Try using the official ILikeHD Stream Box.

You can now record, pause live TV and a 3 day re run.

So you can watch peak time TV when you are awake.

http://knd1.ilikehd.com/kaneda/web/free/streambox.php

There's no guarantee that would improve the live viewing experience though. Thanks for the heads up though, I thought all those features were only in beta mode.

Pib · May 10, 2016

What is the speed of your Internet plan as that is the pipe providing internet to your home. And what "international" speed are you getting with that plan?

Your current wifi router should be more than good enough but if your Internet plan is providing poor speed the latest technology wifi router is not going to help make your Internet plan any faster.

Not sure what speed my plan is to be honest, think it's around 10 mbps from TOT. When I measure download speed it is between 5 and 8. Will international speed make a difference. I'm using ilikeHd, which I understand is served from Thailand.

You might want to confirm what speed your internet plan is. But let's say your internet plan is 20Mb or less, then you current Wifi 802.11b/g router should able to fully handle that wifi bandwidth ....actually it should fully handle it up to around 25Mb speed in wifi speed....or say you had a 25Mb internet plan your router would be able to handle all of that via Wifi retransmission at close range....now the further away you are the less the speed would be. But at only eight meters away with no wall/floor obstructions you should still be able to get near full wifi bandwidth/speed from the Wifi router. And actually, the only real advantage a 5GHhz router has on a 2.8GHhz router is higher wifi bandwidth, not to imply 2.8GHz does not have good wifi bandwidth also...and for the wifi signal pentrating obstructions such as walls/floors the lower 2.8GHz frequency is better as higher frequencies are more easily attenuated by obstructions. Like during a rain storm many people with KU band (around 12Ghz frequency) TV may lose their TV signal which someone watch in the same channel but on C band (around 4GHz freqency) still have a clear signal, because the higher frequency KU band frequency was attenuated much more by the clouds and raindrops than the lower C band frequency.

Yes, if your streaming is coming from "in-Thailand" servers then a 10Mb plan should be fine, but if the iLikeHD service is really just a Thai gateway which connects to foreign servers to watch foreign broadcasts then ultimately you are connecting to foreign servers. Then again, maybe you are watching delayed/recorded telecasts which are maintained on "in-Thailand" servers.. I'm don't use the iLikeHD service so I can't say for sure.

As soon as you said your broadcasts are "pausing" that almost always a sure sign of a low speed connection. Absolutely no shortage of moans and groans on ThaiVisa over the years of folks with fast internet plans but they wonder why their foreign live streaming or youtube video playback pauses/freezes/loses connection---that's most likely because their "international" speed is low and/or no a smooth/consistent data flow. Like although they are using a 10Mb plan (that's the advertised in-Thailand speed) the international speed they get may on be around 2 to 3Mb on a good day---it can vary a lot between plan and of course different speed testers give different results.

But one thing for sure, the newest and fastest router on Earth won't make your internet plan provide data to your residence any faster. You might want to investigate your internet plan speed some more as that could very well be your problem.

DPGumbypgh · May 10, 2016

I had buffering problems using Ilikehd on a minix box located right next to the router when using wi-fi even with type 802ac. when i connected using a ethernet cable all buffering problems went away.
Powerline adapters may be a solution worth trying if it is impossible to do with a cable but they are susceptible to interference from mobile phone chargers.

Have you thought about moving your router closer to allow an easier connection to the box.

Eclipse · May 10, 2016

Try using the official ILikeHD Stream Box.

You can now record, pause live TV and a 3 day re run.

So you can watch peak time TV when you are awake.

http://knd1.ilikehd.com/kaneda/web/free/streambox.php

There's no guarantee that would improve the live viewing experience though. Thanks for the heads up though, I thought all those features were only in beta mode.

True.

Just letting you know that iLikeHD Ultra is now up and running.

bkkmick · May 10, 2016

Is there a link to the new version of the app? Having tried the Web version I'm keen to get my hands on the rerun feature.

Pakaty · May 10, 2016

Connecting the router directly with a LAN cable is always better than using the wi-fi.

Chicog · May 10, 2016

Oh and another factor is that some modern routers actually have an option to optimise streaming traffic, too.

It's usually an implementation of QoS, e.g.:

http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23853/~/how-do-i-optimize-video-streaming-performance-with-downstream-quality-of

Edited May 10, 2016 by Chicog

Eclipse · May 11, 2016

Is there a link to the new version of the app? Having tried the Web version I'm keen to get my hands on the rerun feature.

They sent me the link by E Mail.

As far as I know it only works if you have their StreamBox.

http://knd1.ilikehd.com/kaneda/web/free/streambox.php

Edited May 11, 2016 by Eclipse

Will27 · May 11, 2016

What is the speed of your Internet plan as that is the pipe providing internet to your home. And what "international" speed are you getting with that plan?

Your current wifi router should be more than good enough but if your Internet plan is providing poor speed the latest technology wifi router is not going to help make your Internet plan any faster.

Not sure what speed my plan is to be honest, think it's around 10 mbps from TOT. When I measure download speed it is between 5 and 8. Will international speed make a difference. I'm using ilikeHd, which I understand is served from Thailand.

You might want to confirm what speed your internet plan is. But let's say your internet plan is 20Mb or less, then you current Wifi 802.11b/g router should able to fully handle that wifi bandwidth ....actually it should fully handle it up to around 25Mb speed in wifi speed....or say you had a 25Mb internet plan your router would be able to handle all of that via Wifi retransmission at close range....now the further away you are the less the speed would be. But at only eight meters away with no wall/floor obstructions you should still be able to get near full wifi bandwidth/speed from the Wifi router. And actually, the only real advantage a 5GHhz router has on a 2.8GHhz router is higher wifi bandwidth, not to imply 2.8GHz does not have good wifi bandwidth also...and for the wifi signal pentrating obstructions such as walls/floors the lower 2.8GHz frequency is better as higher frequencies are more easily attenuated by obstructions. Like during a rain storm many people with KU band (around 12Ghz frequency) TV may lose their TV signal which someone watch in the same channel but on C band (around 4GHz freqency) still have a clear signal, because the higher frequency KU band frequency was attenuated much more by the clouds and raindrops than the lower C band frequency.

Yes, if your streaming is coming from "in-Thailand" servers then a 10Mb plan should be fine, but if the iLikeHD service is really just a Thai gateway which connects to foreign servers to watch foreign broadcasts then ultimately you are connecting to foreign servers. Then again, maybe you are watching delayed/recorded telecasts which are maintained on "in-Thailand" servers.. I'm don't use the iLikeHD service so I can't say for sure.

As soon as you said your broadcasts are "pausing" that almost always a sure sign of a low speed connection. Absolutely no shortage of moans and groans on ThaiVisa over the years of folks with fast internet plans but they wonder why their foreign live streaming or youtube video playback pauses/freezes/loses connection---that's most likely because their "international" speed is low and/or no a smooth/consistent data flow. Like although they are using a 10Mb plan (that's the advertised in-Thailand speed) the international speed they get may on be around 2 to 3Mb on a good day---it can vary a lot between plan and of course different speed testers give different results.

But one thing for sure, the newest and fastest router on Earth won't make your internet plan provide data to your residence any faster. You might want to investigate your internet plan speed some more as that could very well be your problem.

Thanks for the info, I have the same problem.

When I watch ilihdtv via my android box, I get a perfect picture.

When I watch AFL which I assume the server is from Oz, I get a fair bit of freezing.

I have TOT 13mbps.

Using a speed test, I get 12.9 mbps through a Singapore server and 9.2 using an Oz server.

So my question is, would I be better of trying to upgrade my speed via TOT or would connecting

an ethernet cable directly from my android box to my Ethernet switch be just as good?

I'm not internet savvy so please "dumb down" any answers.

Regards

Pib · May 11, 2016

Just give an ethernet direct connection a try...easy, cheap, and should be fast to do. Then go from there after seeing the results.

JDGRUEN · May 11, 2016

I suggest among other suggestions is to get a Dual Band Router and a Dual Band WiFi transceiver for your computing device (if not already dual band capable). Dual Band operates at both 2.4 Mhz. and % Mhz. between your router and your computing device. Even though the boost at 5 Mhz. only affects the WiFi connection between router and computing device it has a dramatic effect on 'speed' / bandwidth improvement.

TallGuyJohninBKK · May 11, 2016

I suggest among other suggestions is to get a Dual Band Router and a Dual Band WiFi transceiver for your computing device (if not already dual band capable). Dual Band operates at both 2.4 Mhz. and % Mhz. between your router and your computing device. Even though the boost at 5 Mhz. only affects the WiFi connection between router and computing device it has a dramatic effect on 'speed' / bandwidth improvement.

I have a M8 Android box connected to the T.V,

T

The OP has a current b/g only router connected to an Android box, which I'm assuming has its own wifi built-in. So, following your advice would require him to both a] buy a new router and b] buy either a new Android box or an AC wifi stick to add to it via USB.

Frankly, in all likelihood, it's probably not the fact that he's using a b/g router that's causing his streaming difficulties, especially when the content provider is ILikeHD. So spending a lot of money on new hardware is probably not going to pay off.

The problem could well be ILikeHD's servers being overloaded at time. It could be congestion on his TOT internet service. It could be not having the best streaming settings configured on his current router. It could be congestion from other nearby users using the same wifi channels as his wifi router.

There are a lot of possible causes/solutions that can be addressed/tried/ruled out before going out and buying a bunch of new hardware that may not even resolve his issue.

There's nothing inherently constrained about a b/g wifi connection -- assuming everything else is OK -- that would interfere with proper streaming of ILikeHD content, especially if the router and box are reasonably close together as the OP indicated they are.

Pib · May 11, 2016

Highly unprobable the OP's 802.11b/g Wifi router is the problem as even a 802.11b/g router can stream data via Wifi up to around 25Mb (or a little more)....and 25Mb is much more than enough to stream HD. Probably a slower than needed internet connection (especially for international speed), maybe obstructions between his router and receiving device that is lowering bandwidth/signal strength, and maybe router settings.

Just as a test to show b/g routers have the bandwidth capability (although googling will tell a person that) and since I have two Wifi routers running in my home...a True-provided 802.11b/g Wifi router that came with my True internet plan...this router provides Wifi coverage for the upper story of my two story home. And then I have an Ethernet cable connection running from that router downstairs to a 802.11n access point I use for Wifi coverage downstairs. I can connect to either Wifi signal from anywhere in the home but concrete walls/floors reduces signal strength which in turn reduce bandwidth throughput. So when downstairs I connect to the downstairs 802.11n Wifi access point and when upstairs I connect to the 802.11b/g Wifi router for best bandwidth. I have a True cable/DOCSIS 15Mb/1.5Mb plan which includes bursting capability...bursting means it can exceed the 15Mb speed for short period...usually longer than most speedtesters take to run their test...but bursting don't really help for live video streaming. I'm in Bangkok, ran the speedtest against the TOT Bangkok speedtester/server and below are the results. Note: you will see 22Mb router bandwidth below but I use to get around 28Mb when my True 15Mb plan was faster....probably had fewer users in my area before...now more users which as reduced my speed somewhat...buy hey, it still more than the 15Mb I'm paying for.

Notice practically no difference in the Wifi speed results between the b/g and n routers. And the test distance was 8 meters (big steps) between my laptop and the routers since the OP said his distance was around 8 meters and I also ensured no obstructions like walls or furniture between the laptop and routers. Also at the bottom added a NetFlix recommendation regarding bandwidth/speed need to stream video which is a lot lower than the approx 25Mb bandwidth of a b/g router. Yeap, my guess is the OPs problem is caused by his internet plan.

Results with 802.11b/g router

Results with 802.11n access point

NetFlix Recommendation

justsignedin · May 11, 2016

Thanks for all the replies. This thread has enlightened me, and now I have many options to try which I never even knew existed before. I watched United vs West Ham on the computer last night, played all the way through without a single glitch. Still very annoying but that's purely because United lost.

I've decided my plan of action, thanks to all your replies, is to buy an Ehternet cable ready for Sundays live games and just run it across the floor and test it before knocking holes in the ceiling.

If that does not improve things I will upgrade my Internet package.

Hope I do find a solution because I like what's on offer from ilikeHd.

TallGuyJohninBKK · May 11, 2016

Also, be aware, that at least the last time I used ILikeHD, there are quite a few different settings in their settings menu that can be changed/adjusted to affect streaming performance from their service. It's been a few months since I last used them, but at that time, they had settings for controlling how much data is being sent for their stream, different server choices, and different preferences based on ISP or mobile network being used.

Before going out and buying anything new, if wifi streaming continues to be an issue, I'd at least tinker with those ILikeHD settings and see if that impacts your performance. If your ISP internet connection is lagging, then setting ILikeHD to stream a lower-res video would help solve that.

Using an ethernet connection, instead of wifi, will of course give you some idea of whether it's your wifi network that's contributing to the problems.

Nomad97 · May 12, 2016

My TV in the bedroom is only 4 meters from the router but there is a brick wall between the two. I tested the connection speed to my android with a wifi connection and it was a very slow 1 or 2 Mbps download. I then connected the TV to the router with a 10 meter ethernet cable, up the wall, across the ceiling and down the other side, and the speed was a whopping 80 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up. I do have a 3BB Fibre Optic link at 100/10 Mbps which is usually exceeded when using my PC.

I have been with iLikeHD for the past 3 weeks and the connection is pretty good for most of the time. The only exception is when the prime time footy is on and there can be, at times, a little buffering. However, this is well within acceptabe limits.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Nomad97

TallGuyJohninBKK · May 12, 2016

Here's a summary on the performance characteristics of 2.4 vs 5 Ghz wifi bands:

http://www.howtogeek.com/222249/whats-the-difference-between-2.4-ghz-and-5-ghz-wi-fi-and-which-should-you-use/

There are some substantial differences between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and what you can do with them.

As we said, the 2.4Ghz wireless band is a very crowded place because it’s pretty much used by most wireless devices beyond laptops, phones, and tablets. The lower-end wireless spectrum is also used by other devices like cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and much more.

By contrast, the 5Ghz band is more ideally suited for data devices such as your laptop, phone, or tablet because it can transmit higher amounts of data, and it’s naturally less congested. 5Ghz does have a downside in that it is less able to penetrate solid walls and objects, so if you go outside your house to use your phone, your connection might drop.

So to sum up, 2.4Ghz is very congested resulting in dropped connections and slow data throughput. However, it is better suited for transmitting data over longer ranges and through walls and other solid objects.

5Ghz by contrast, is what we’ll call the “indoor” band. It’s ideal for connections inside the house due to the lack of congestion, higher data transmission rates, and smaller effective range.

It’s also the only band available if you want to take advantage of the newer, super-fast wireless AC standard.

I have two different wifi networks for devices in my home, both 2.4 Ghz. Around my home, there are lots of 2.4 Ghz users, but hardly any 5 Ghz users, probably because Thai ISPs still are mostly issuing 2.4 Ghz routers to their customers.

But that's one reason why, any time I'm checking or updating my networks, I always use the inSSIDer freeware to survey the wifi networks around me, and see what frequency bands of 2.4 Ghz they're operating on -- the bands range from 1 to 13 -- and then select the bands for my two networks that have the least competing interference.

The same software also will tell you how strong the wifi signal from a given network is on the receiving device. For example, I'm typing this now on a laptop connected to my network via wifi. I run the inSSIDer software on my laptop, and it gives me a number and color coded reading on the quality of its wifi connection -- greens mean strong, orange means OK, red means weak.

Edited May 12, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

Will27 · May 12, 2016

Just give an ethernet direct connection a try...easy, cheap, and should be fast to do. Then go from there after seeing the results.

Just tried using an Ethernet cable and there was negligible difference.

Maybe because the wifi router isn't that far from my computer. Not really sure.

Will contact TOT and see if can bump up my package.

Thanks for all of the advice and tips.

chakeeoyen · May 12, 2016

Are you using the USB ports with an external HD or USB keyboard?

I also have an M8 box which I use to watch iFlix (iFlix being a sub-hd 720p only service). I have a 50mb connection with AIS Fibre and was having loads of problems. At first I thought it was iFlix's servers, but everything else sucked as well. Turns out the problem was the M8 box doesn't have enough power. After I unplugging my wireless logitech keyboard, I've had no problems since.

Edited May 12, 2016 by chakeeoyen

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