[killjoy]

I have a Samsung Smart TV which has buffering problems with Netfiix so I have checked the WIFI internet speed and I get only 1MB down load and 2MB upload. When I do the same same test on my laptop I get 16MB and 2.5MB respectively.

If I run a wired connection on the TV I get 39MB and 3MB, so why is the WIFI so slow?

Both connections give a ping of 300~400 ms

[Chris Frost]

It's because you're measuring the speed "at source" rather than what the TV is getting.

Streaming requires a consistent flow of data. TVs don't have much capacity to hold a reservoir of data to cope with the dips in the transmission rate within your wireless network. Those dips are caused by interference or other devices using the available channel width.

If you have the option to run a cable then run a cable. Nothing beats a bit of copper wire.

[chrisjr]

Poor signal is the usual cause. If the router and TV are far apart then you could be getting a weak signal on the TV plus interference from other networks in the vicinity. You would have to try the laptop in the exact location of the TV to make any sort of meaningful comparison.

Mind you if you can cable the TV to the router without any problem and without tripping over the lead all the time then stick to the bit of wire.

[killjoy]

The laptop was next to the TV and the higher speed was obtained using a home plug, it's just that I didn't want to use one of my home plugs on the tv if there was another way of boosting the TV's WIFI performance.