@Grounded 

Hello Marvin and thank you, the information you have provided has aided my understanding. Cost is a bit of a barrier to obtaining the latest Deco models and I still feel the units I have should be up to the job. I could connect an ethernet cable to the TV, but I guess I have a stubborn streak and believe a wiFi TV should be operable via WiFi. But perhaps that is unrealistic? I have a couple of questions though. Why would turning off mesh technology help my situation? And yes, my Deco units were supplied by Vodafone/One. NZ, in what way(s) have they been customised? Might that be in ways that would reduce their functionality?

Thanks again, I do appreciate it

Chris

  @Grounded Does the TV connect by wifi to the closest Deco? 

The TV might be confused by the "mesh technology" info received from the Deco.  By turning off "mesh technology", you could determine if this is the case. 

Changing the setup is frequently used to determine the source of an issue.

Similarly, connecting the TV by Ethernet will help determine that wifi is contributing, or not, to the issue.

Grounded wrote

I set up my mesh system about 4 years ago with 2 X20 units. With advice from the hardware supplier (Vodafone/One NZ) one X20 unit is connected directly to the optical fibre network point, therefore acting as a router. My house is not large, about 208 sqM, but two years ago I added 2 M4 (V4) units. My fibre network provider contract is for up to 900 MbPS. In reality I do not experience speeds anything like that, peaking at around 600MbPS download at best (at my home office desktop). The problem is that I still experience poor connection and buffering with my new "smart" TV which is connected via WiFi. The best technical advice my provider has offered is to re-boot the system, also they do not seem able to get their heads around my not having a dedicated modem/router. 

My question is, am I losing speed/functionality by not having a dedicated modem/router? Do I need to invest in additional nodes and perhaps sit one by the TV (it is at present about 4 metres away from the nearest node)?

Any advice or suggestions to address the problem will be much appreciated.

Chris

  @Grounded the sort answer is a separate modem should definitely not be needed and a modem/router will probably make things worse requiring you to put your Decos in Access Point mode (since you would then have two routers in front of your client devices, so called double nat if you don't put the Deco in Access Point mode).

It sounds like the support people at your ISP are not that sharp, didn't they provide the Deco units to you in the first place ...

  @raven-au 

Very many thanks, that is most helpful, and reassuring. I think your observation is probably on the money. I think the "technical support" have a rote-type list of questions and instructions to follow and their level of understanding perhaps varies markedly.

I am coming to the view that I should obtain an additional node to park next to the TV and connect it via an ethernet cable.

Chris

Grounded wrote

  @raven-au 

Very many thanks, that is most helpful, and reassuring. I think your observation is probably on the money. I think the "technical support" have a rote-type list of questions and instructions to follow and their level of understanding perhaps varies markedly.

 

I am coming to the view that I should obtain an additional node to park next to the TV and connect it via an ethernet cable.

 

Chris

  @Grounded perhaps, if your TV is connecting to a node other than the main node then your throughput will be halved due to the retransmission.

You probably should do some analysis of the situation first.

Consider that the TV typically doesn't need that much bandwidth so it really shouldn't be a problem.

TV's realy have better than wireless AC so they will sync at 866Mbps at best, less depending on distance and obstreticals like walls (as mentioned above) and there's the wireless and network stack overhead that often takes more than 30%.

OTOH putting a node near the TV would mean, at the least, your network connection would be able to sync. at up to 1200Mbps, so possibly better than you have but ...

In reality your TV should be able to handle this without a problem.

It's quite surprising what the streaming apps try and get in terms of bandwidth but it's equally surprising how little they need to operate well.

What are you trying to play on the TV?

Does the TV connect to the 5GHz wireless band?

If your trying to use Plex to play Dolby Vision Blu-ray rips at 100Mbps or more then that can be a problem for sure.

  @raven-au 

I am not a gamer, so I don't really play anything. I do have a BluRay player for GOT and BoB, but I don't mess with the settings. The problems have been with streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Chris

Grounded wrote

  @raven-au 

I am not a gamer, so I don't really play anything. I do have a BluRay player for GOT and BoB, but I don't mess with the settings. The problems have been with streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

 

Chris

  @Grounded Right, I was asking if you were encoding videos from blurays so that's not a problem.

Netflix and Prime should really not be a problem as long as the signal at the TV (and at any node it connects to) is sufficient.

How far is the TV from the nearest node and are there any obstacles, walls, etc.?

How far is that node from the main router, and are there any obstacles between the nodes?

  @raven-au 

The TV is about 12 m from the "main" (router) X20 node and there is one wall (wood frame) between them. The TV is about 4M from the nearest (M4) node, with no walls between as such but they are in separate rooms with a passage way between. It is also about 6M away from the second X20 node with 2 walls between.

I would have thought the TV was pretty well located really for a good signal.

Chris