[gene0915]

Posted at FT also:

I have a Minix X7 and X8-H. Have recommended them to many friends and family but here lately since I've started using the PleXBMC add-on in XBMC and pulling data from my Plex server..... I've noticed that the wireless is sh*t on both these boxes. Because of where they are, I can't hard wire them and need to use wireless. I understand that due to the network chips used in these boxes, wifi is on the mediocre side so here's what I'm looking for:

1) The box/stick must be able to run Kodi (so no Roku). Don't want to use a FireTV stick either since I want Kodi to be right on the main screen....no digging around for the app.)

2) Has to have freaking amazingly fast wireless. I have a N300 access point it can talk to and a little bit further away, a D-Link AC1900 DIR-880L dual band router it might be able to hit.

3) Looking for either an Android box (or an Android box I can put OpenELEC on if I so choose) or an HDMI stick.

4) Either come with, or support, a physical remote control. Don't want to use a tablet/phone/PC to control it. Simple and easy.

5) Would like to keep cost around $100.

I guess if none of the above is possible, I can spend $90 and get this: Linksys RE6500-FFP Wireless AC1200 Dual Band MAX Wi-Fi Range Extender BUT...... I wonder if the ethernet on the Minix boxes is sh*t too?

I have tried Bob's firmware and the stock firmwares. Both produce about the same results when pulling data from the Plex server. 720p/1080p movies drain the cache dry when lots of stuff is happening on the screen and I get pauses. Yes, I tried that zero cache XML setting and no difference. My mind is made up, I either need a new box/stick or need a wireless bridge and use the Minix's ethernet.

Whatever happened to these: http://liliputing.com/2014/11/meegopad-t...e-100.html

Anyone find a trustworthy place that sells them? (and has them in stock)

[katsup]

You can put Kodi on the main screen of the FireTV.

http://kodi.wiki/view/Amazon_Fire_TV#Lau...ome_Screen

[shabuboy]

I would also recommend the AFTV. Best device under $100 right now.

Also, wireless networks, are only as fast as the wireless routers. Hardly ever the client comes into play. It is usually how fast and good your wireless router is and distance/interference

[gene0915]

Thank you both for the recommendations. I recently returned a FireTV due to the Plex app sucking on it and I never got around to experimenting with side loading Kodi. (Not sure why I didn't think to try Kodi before returning it.... DUUUUH. Might have been the answer to my quest.....especially since I got it for $70.)

Could one of you hook your FireTV up via wireless and run the Ookla app on there and tell me what you're getting? I'm curious what the wireless performance is on the Fire TV box.

[shabuboy]

Still that will not give you the answer, It will test my ISP's speeds (WAN) more than anything, all networks are different.
AFTV can do wireless B/G/N.

Wireless N is 150Mbps on paper. However, the actual speed will be more like 60-80.

See this: http://www.speedguide.net/faq/what-is-th...reless-374

Bottom line, I can do 100s test on my LAN with the wireless devices, but it will never apply to your network, unless we have the same routers, wifi, distance, hard drives, motherboard, etc, etc...
See this to understand more, similar concept applies to wireless:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/giga...321-3.html

[gene0915]

Still that will not give you the answer, It will test my ISP's speeds (WAN) more than anything, all networks are different.
AFTV can do wireless B/G/N.

Wireless N is 150Mbps on paper. However, the actual speed will be more like 60-80.

See this: http://www.speedguide.net/faq/what-is-th...reless-374

Bottom line, I can do 100s test on my LAN with the wireless devices, but it will never apply to your network, unless we have the same routers, wifi, distance, hard drives, motherboard, etc, etc...
See this to understand more, similar concept applies to wireless:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/giga...321-3.html

I totally understand all that. I guess a better question would have been.....if you hook your FTV up via wireless, does it come close to maxing out your connection? Example.... I have 50/5 and when my Minix boxes are wireless and I run the Ookla speed test on them, I get anywhere from 3-15 down and 5 up. (Sh*t).

[awp0]

I don't think speedtest is an effective way to measure wifi performance. Too many variables and potential bottlenecks in the path from the speedtest servers to your client device. The wifi link is only one of many links in the chain.

I can tell you that I've been quite impressed by the FireTV Stick's 5G wifi performance. Mine only cost $19, which IMO is amazing for a device with decent XBMC support and a bluetooth remote control. It meets my requirements perfectly. Even for the normal $39 I think it's hard to beat.

[buzzqw]

using a powerline could be an option ? (to bring ethernet cable...)

BHH

[Jacksmyname]

I'm using a Fire TV stick, connected to my A/V receiver. My home network is hard wired.
The only gear I have that uses wireless is the Fire stick and two Samsung Galaxy Tab 10" tablets.
Wifi is an Apple Airport Express, first generation. It's located about 5 feet from the stick.
I have zero problems with the tablets or the stick. The only issue I have is running Netflix on the stick.
When playing a movie, most of the time the video will freeze about 10-15 minutes before the end of the movie. Audio continues to play. It's the only app that does this, all of the others play perfectly; no dropped connections, freezes, hiccups, etc.The Airport Express is rather limited in range but in my setup it works great, even with no 5G.
Don't know if this info helps at all.

[gene0915]

I'm using a Fire TV stick, connected to my A/V receiver. My home network is hard wired.
The only gear I have that uses wireless is the Fire stick and two Samsung Galaxy Tab 10" tablets.
Wifi is an Apple Airport Express, first generation. It's located about 5 feet from the stick.
I have zero problems with the tablets or the stick. The only issue I have is running Netflix on the stick.
When playing a movie, most of the time the video will freeze about 10-15 minutes before the end of the movie. Audio continues to play. It's the only app that does this, all of the others play perfectly; no dropped connections, freezes, hiccups, etc.The Airport Express is rather limited in range but in my setup it works great, even with no 5G.
Don't know if this info helps at all.

Can you install the Ookla speed test app (I believe it's an official Amazon app) and tell me your results? I also need to know what speed internet you pay for. I have 50/5 and every wireless device that I can test, pretty much nails that speed except for the Minix boxes. I'm curious if FireTV (and sticks) can max out their wireless connection.

For the moment, I'm leaning towards a Chromebox and going the OpenELEC route with it. Also been toying with the idea of a Zotac or NUC. The thing I worry about with the FireTV stick is sub-par wireless and pauses when I install the PleXBMC plugin into Kodi and start pulling 1080p rips from my Plex server. I also have some home movies with bit rates beyond what the FireOS can handle (greater than 20 megs, but this isn't a HUGE show stopped).

[awp0]

If you search the forums, you'll see threads like this one: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=211991

There's a comment in there that someone is getting 45mbps with their Fire TV Stick about 40 feet from their router, streaming uncompressed blurays. So apparently it's capable of at least that, but there's no guarantee that you'll see this performance in your environment.

[gene0915]

If you search the forums, you'll see threads like this one: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=211991

There's a comment in there that someone is getting 45mbps with their Fire TV Stick about 40 feet from their router, streaming uncompressed blurays. So apparently it's capable of at least that, but there's no guarantee that you'll see this performance in your environment.

I saw that thread and it only tells me half the picture. For the person getting 45Mbps..... does he have 1 gig, symmetrical fiber? 50 meg download? 100 meg download? I'll state it again....... I'm curious of the FireTV/stick can max out your INTERNET connection when on wireless. I know, I know......if I have a 20 year old router, yeah, that could be a bottleneck but I'm willing to bet nobody here (that is into wireless streaming of media) is using a 20 year old router. My Minix boxes get 15 megs or less for download. Now, if I had 15 meg service, that might be OK. Since I have 50/5, 15 megs (or less) tells me that the Minix boxes have a crappy wireless chipset. Knowing what my ISP is theoretically capable of delivering helps to paint the picture that the wireless on Minix boxes is crap. I need to know the other side of the equation to get a rough idea of how well the FireTV/stick performs over wireless and to do that, I need to what Ookla tells you when connected via wireless AND I need to know what download speed you're paying for from your ISP.

[awp0]

I'm not sure that you're looking at this correctly. 45mbps is 45mbps regardless of your streaming from the internet or transferring files across a LAN. According to the other thread, the Fire TV is capable of at least that. So if you have 50mbps bandwidth from your ISP then you should be satisfied that the Fire TV can support at least 90% of it, provided you have the wifi/network and environment to support it.

[katsup]

By the way, the Ookla speed test app is not supported on the Fire TV. I could side load it, but it wouldn't let me select "begin test".

[wrxtasy]

For people having WiFi issues with the Fire TV stick, I question if they are even using dual band (MIMO) WiFi routers. (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz).

More detailed specific setup information is needed before dumping its WiFi performance in the crap bin.

You WILL get WiFi interference from operating a Microwave oven in the house if using a single band 2.4Ghz WiFi router.

Consumer (Microwave) ovens usually use 2.45 gigahertz (GHz)—a wavelength

Lesson here is get a WiFi router with dual band (MIMO) and a media device that uses that dual band for good WiFi performance at reasonable distances.