Forum Discussion
Random TV Buffering
OK. I studied all the setup procedures, tweaking and ideas to get the most performance out of my T-mobile gateway. Though having good speed is only part of the answer, I cannot seem to rectify my TV...
@coooldad, those numbers look pretty good to me! I'd be very happy if I could get that speed. My gateway connects, at best, at 60-70 Mbps, and usually only 35-40 Mbps. Nonetheless, I am still able to use 48 devices simultaneously, including streaming TV, computers, et al. My point is that speed is relative to what you're trying to do. If your devices are operating well and are accessing the Internet at the speeds you show above, you are doing very well.
You did exactly the right thing with the Orbi! While you are adding a hop from the gateway to the Orbi, it doesn't appear to have negatively affected your WiFi signal. Just make sure that the Orbi is in Access Point mode so that solo the T-Mobile gateway is managing DHCP.
As for WPA, that is really a factor of the client that is connecting. It's a security setting for the WiFi you are broadcasting in your home. It has nothing to do with the tower. Hence, WPA3 is more secure than WPA. Some older devices can't read WPA3, which is why you sometimes have to create a new network with only WPA/WPA2 and 2.4 GHz.
Hope this helps. Good luck, although it doesn't look like you need it!
@coooldad, are you using the Orbi in Access Point mode or did you just plug it in to the Ethernet port on the back, configured the way it's always been?
There is limited configuration for the T-Mobile gateway, so you can't shut off or configure DHCP, DNS, or add a VPN at the gateway level. You also can't NAT from the router if it's in AP mode.
As an experiment, disconnect the Orbi completely from your network, then try running the TV and see if the problem is still there. (I'd reset the TV first re @copz1998's suggestion.) If you still have buffering, then obviously the Orbi has nothing to do with your problem. On the other hand, if the buffering stops, you'll know what's causing the problem.
Make sure you are running your Orbi in AP mode so that DHCP is handled by the T-Mobile gateway. Dual DHCP servers can cause lots of problems on a network.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
