Programs constantly buffering and pixilated picture help

[Anonymous User]

hi I have the fab fibre plan and the entertainment, kids, and movie passes. I also have 2 Now tv boxes Now tv live channels and the Now Tv app on the roku box in my bedroom is constantly buffering (or displaying the 'something went wrong' message) and the picture keeps pixilating, clearing and then pixilating again. The loading time for changing from different pages is also (in my opinion) very slow. This also happens with the roku box in the living room but not as often and not for as long. This is not an issue with either box when they are on the 'free-to-air' channels. The wireless connection to my s8 is unpredictable and my daughter's tab 4 has wifi connection issues more often than not. We live in a small-medium sized 2 bedroom flat however, the Now tv router seems unwilling or incapable of providing a decent signal strength within approx 30ft of the router.

I am really close to leaving at this point as I have tried everything suggested by Now tv and still haven't had the issue resloved.

has anyone else had this problem and managed to resolve it?

thanks

[Andy]

@Anonymous User

Welcome to the forum. The NOW TV Hub doesn't have great wifi range, but you should be able to get it working adequately in most situations. However if you're living in an apartment surrounded by lots of other wifi networks it could cause issues.

You say you've tried most things suggested by NOW TV so you've probably already tried this, but just in case try rebooting the hub as by default this should make it choose the best wifi channel for your environment (unless you’ve previously chosen a specific wifi channel for it to use). Alternately you can choose a wifi channel yourself (preferably 1, 6 or 11) by going to
http://192.168.0.1/Now_TV_wireless_channel.html

You might also need to experiment with placement of the hub, generally speaking you want it as central, as high up and as far away from electrical interference, metal obstructions and solid walls as possible. Trying to use Ethernet to connect devces as much as practically should also help. 

If you are still struggling, try giving the NOW TV Broadband Team a call as they can check the router and your line and suggest further. 

[Anonymous User]

hi thanks for the reply, I can pick up 2 other wifi connections from inside the flat. 

yes I have rebooted both the hub and the Now Tv box but it's still doing it. It was also suggested that we disconnect some of the devices in use but this is not practical at all and was not a problem at our old home (despite using the same equipment and having the same package)

Forgot to mention I bought a wifi booster box that u plug in, and although it does boost the signal it will only work in 2 locations which only boosts the signal by 1 bar. 

Unfortunately I only have 1 master socket in which to connect the router so I think I'm going to have to buy a longer cable (forget the name of it) and then reposition 're router. If that doesn't work I may have to upgrade to the next broadband package.

My broadband speed is currently between 38 -40

[Andy]

@Anonymous User

Sounds more likely to be a wifi issue than a line issue, so I don't think upgrading your package will help (you're still stuck with the same Hub).

I wouldn't recommend buying anything until you're sure of the issue, but If you have a spare Ethernet cable lying around try connecting one of the boxes with this to see if that cures the buffering issues you have. If it does again it would point to wifi problems.

The other thing you could do is to find out what wireless channels the other two wifi networks you have in range are on, and then try manually selecting a wifi channel on your Hub that is as far away from both those channels as you can. The following might help you do this

https://www.howtogeek.com/197268/how-to-find-the-best-wi-fi-channel-for-your-router-on-any-operating-system/

I'd also be tempted to temporarily try without the wifi booster, if you're just in a small-medium flat you might not need this and it can introduce extra issues while you troubleshoot. 

An RJ11 cable would let you move the position of the router if it's currently tucked away in a corner of the flat, but again try other troubleshooting first before you spend money.

And also if you haven't try giving the NOW TV Broadband Team a call so they can check your line and hub from their side as well.