This topic

Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 17:40:50 GMT

I have a smart hub 2 and one disc. I get a lot of buffering when streaming TV. Once the disc has been set up with the hub, can I connect it to the TV with an ethernet cable and if so, would it be likely to improve the signal to the TV

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:05:44 GMT

You can, but the signal will only be as good as the weakest link which is probably from the hub to the disc.

Re: Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:10:46 GMT

Thank-you

Would the fact that the TV can only connect to the 2.4Ghz wifi be important - I assume the disc can pick up the stronger 5GHz signal so could the ethernet connection be stronger than direct wi-fi

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:21:37 GMT

5Ghz is not stronger than 2.4Ghz. 5Ghz is faster but has shorter range than 2.4Ghz.

Re: Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:35:16 GMT

OK, I appreciate that I know very little about this technology and have used the wrong terminology, but in order to reduce/stop the buffering, isn't it the faster speed that I need? Distance isn't a problem, as the hub is only 15 feet from the TV, but to trail a cable across the room to connect the TV directly to the hub isn't very practical

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:46:54 GMT

The 2.4Ghz signal will be more than adequate depending on distance between source and TV. It is far more likely to be a better signal than 5Ghz. Signal strength is determined by distance.

If the hub is only 15feet from the TV you certainly don't need a disc, the 2.4Ghz signal will be more than adequate. Try running an Ethernet cable directly from the hub temporarily if it is that close to see if the problem is definitely WiFi related.

Re: Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:56:25 GMT

ok, thanks for the advice

I only assumed it to be wifi related because I can stream the same programmes to my laptop and they run perfectly, but I know the TV only connects to 2.4Ghz wifi and the laptop is able to connect to the 5Ghz.

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:59:02 GMT

You could try changing the 2.4Ghz WiFi channel on the hub, the problem could be due to interference.

Re: Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 19:33:27 GMT

Thanks for that idea. I had previously seen it suggested on another site, but as someone who knows little about these things I'm a little wary to start messing with the settings on the hub, though I suppose I can return it to default if any changes are unsuccessful. When talking about interference, are we mainly referring to other equipment within my property, or is it more general

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 19:46:21 GMT

It could be anything or anywhere. The hub is restricted to channels 1,6 or11, try all 3.

As you already have a disc, you could try connecting it to the TV via Ethernet. That will eliminate the WiFi receiver in the TV.

Re: Wi fi disc

Laur1 — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:04:27 GMT

Thankyou for your thoughts licquorice

I thought I'd just post this last message on this subject in case anyone else might find it useful

I have BT full fibre 500. In theory it should be enough to give me good streaming reception on TV even at 2.4Ghz

This isn't the case. BT say the broadband signal is fine, and running a speed test on my laptop using wifi confirms this

I tried changing channels on 2.4Ghz as suggested - made a little difference but not really significant. I'm confident that if I connected the TV to my hub using ethernet it would be fine, but a) I don't have a 15ft Ethernet cable and b) it wouldn't be practical to run a cable diagonally across the room.

So I tried the method I first suggested in this thread and set up my BT disc next to the TV and linked them with an ethernet cable - problem solved. Even the Discovery+/TNT sports (which was previously the worst problem) streams smoothly with no buffering

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:16:31 GMT

Which probably indicates the problem is with the WiFi interface on the TV as per my last suggestion or interference at 2.4Ghz.

If you turn off the 5Ghz WiFi on the hub and see if your laptop works ok on 2.4Ghz it will show where the problem lies.

Glad you solved it though.

Re: Wi fi disc

Crimliar — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:09:19 GMT

Just a heads up because I do really get fed up with the knowledge demonstrated in these forums on occasions.

2.4GHz WiFi ch 1-13 max power output 100mW
5GHz WiFi ch 36 - 64 max power output 200mW
5GHz WiFi ch 100 - 140 max power output 1W (1000mW)

Yeah so in reality it's not as straightforward as that, but lest at least get the stupidly basic facts correct!

So with the *right* client on the *right* channel, 5GHz can be more powerful than 2.4GHz in home WiFi.

Re: Wi fi disc

licquorice — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 09:41:27 GMT

The other stupidly basic fact is that 5Ghz needs twice the power of 2.4Ghz to reach the same distance.

WiFi isn't just about EIRP