Slow Internet Download Speed on Roku TV
I have a Gig of Internet speed from Verizon FIOS. My Roku TCL TV (new) is hard wired (ethernet) to my router but Netflix constantly buffers and my TV Internet Download Speed is only 91Mbps!
Why is...
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You getting 99 megabits a second is by design Roku on all Roku wireless AC products. Roku puts a brake or governor on WIFI speeds. I own 3 Roku TVs and stream all of my channels buffer free, no freeze ups either. I don't subscribe to sling. You might want to contact Sling support.
I'm also getting slow speed on my wired TCL (30 Mbps). I wonder if a USB to Fast Ethernet adapter would help. ??
zeitchap wrote:I'm also getting slow speed on my wired TCL (30 Mbps). I wonder if a USB to Fast Ethernet adapter would help. ??
There's only a handful of USB adapters that will work with a Roku TV, and I personally have no idea which ones they are. And Fast Ethernet is what your TV already has.
One comment: other than my Ultra 4800, none of my Roku devices report an accurate Internet connection speed. My Xfinity speed varies between 600-700 Mbps. My wired Ultra 4800 reports 93 Mbps (which would be accurate for a Fast Ethernet 100 Mbps connection), and moving it to wireless I have seen a bit over 200 Mbps. So a Roku device that supports 5 GHz is capable of speeds higher than Fast Ethernet. All my other Roku devices, wired or wireless, are down in the 30s-60s Mbps, all connected to the same wired Gigabit network and high speed wireless access points.
Besides the reported low speeds, are you experiencing buffering or other problems while streaming? Remember, if you're streaming from the Internet, there's almost no content that streams much over 20 Mbps, so there's no limitation using Fast Ethernet.
Finally, Roku doesn't build Roku TVs. In your case, TCL is the manufacturer. And it is the manufacturer that chooses the hardware to install in the TV. If there's a hardware issue with your network connection, that can only be addressed by TCL.
Besides the reported low speeds, are you experiencing buffering or other problems while streaming? Remember, if you're streaming from the Internet, there's almost no content that streams much over 20 Mbps, so there's no limitation using Fast Ethernet.
Yes actually, I AM experiencing problems like buffering and freezing quite often. When i said that my speed was 30, i meant that as a HIGHEST speed. And yes i know that the TV already has "fast ethernet" but obviously 30 max is a long way from 100. I have a 1gig fiber internet connection and have no trouble with my other devices. when the tv was brand new i was getting 80 Mbps. 1 year later it is now down to 20 to 30 The point here is that while that may be good enough for YOU, it is not for me and others. I guess it would be ok with you if for example you purchased a new watch and every week, that watch lost 5min. According to your philosophy that's acceptable because hey, it still works, you just have to adjust it once a week. The point here is that yes, we know 20 to 30 Mbps should be adequate, but sometimes it's not and when it is not, then it degrades the streaming experience that we are PAYING for. Thus, just a LITTLE indignation on your part over this obvious snafu would be more warmly met rather than your "Hey, quit crying snowflake" attitude.
zeitchap I believe you misunderstood my response. First, I don't work for Roku. I'm another user like yourself, but with a lot of experience with streaming, networking and computers.
I'm in no way telling you to accept what you are getting. I'm saying that Roku doesn't build the TVs, so has no control over the hardware. I completely understand how annoying buffering is, and my questions were to try to help isolate possible problem areas.
My comment about the speed reported in the Roku is also accurate. Not all devices report an accurate speed test. Years ago there was a private channel that used Speedtest.net that did a reasonable job of reporting actual speed. But whoever created it dropped it (possibly they didn't have permission from Speedtest to use their site), and there's been nothing since then that provided a very accurate speed test. The Ultra 4800 is the first Roku I've owned that provided a reasonably accurate speed test.
Now, back to your TV. If there's a defect in the network module on your TV, you need to talk with TCL about it. Your reported issues are certainly indicating an issue somewhere. Since I don't see wholesale complaints about Roku devices and slow speeds (yes, there are some reports here, but that's a minute number compared to the total users), it's likely not related to the Roku OS. Only TCL can address hardware issues in their TVs.
I did a quick search online for a USB Ethernet adapter for a Roku TV and came up with this. It specifically says it supports a Roku TCL TV. However, it shows unavailable and no reported availability date. You might try some other search terms. I used: USB Ethernet adapter for "Roku TV"
