Fix TV Streaming and Networking - Ethernet or Wifi

Hello everyone, it has been a very long time since I have posted about fixing networking appliance issues.  The last post I can remember was about making a hole in your router so you could put heat sinks and a fan on it.  I thought those reliability problems were gone, but it seems I was mistaken. This post is about fixing your TV's networking and streaming issues, with additional specific advice for LG OLED TV owners.

 

Before we get into any hackery we'll deal with some basics truths:

•  Ethernet (cable network) is always going to be more reliable than Wifi.  Not just for your TV side but for your router as well. Wifi routers DO overheat, and signals degrade. 
• Wifi routers are usually not set up correctly.  In an apartment complex it's often hard to find an unused channel so you are competing with your neighbors for Wifi bandwidth, even so we have ways to help. 
• It seems LG TV's networking can overheat no matter the type of networking, we have a solution for that too. 
  

Tip 1: Switch to Ethernet

This will always give you the most reliable signal, and reduce the chances of your router overheating, in large part due to the overhead of encryption. This is not a guaranteed solution though, but it's often the most frustration solving. 

Tip 2:Examine your WiFi Neighborhood

You can find Wifi analyzer programs for almost every type of device. PC, Mac, Android, iPhone.  If it has a WiFi connection you can probably find an equivalent tool. The goal is to get your home WiFi on an unused channel.Take your analyzer to your TV's location to see the quality of your WiFi signal from the TV's perspective.  For whatever reason, even in the 21st century, the auto-channel selection of most WiFi routers is useless. You need to pick your own channel and stick to it, even if it means channel hopping a couple of times a year. Routers all tend to go to the same channels, so they always get congested.

 

Let me show you an example from MS-Windows 10, WiFi Analyzer. The Analyze view shows all the channels available on the 5GHz band.  Each colored hump or hill below represents a router's wifi signal.  Mine is on the for right, labelled MiWiFi.  As you can see, my signal is all alone, no other routers overlap.  On the other hand, if you look at the channels on the left (36, 40, 44) they are all pretty congested. Channel 40 especially looks like it may have 4 or more routers competing for bandwidth.

 

This is a frustrating situation because the quality of your signal streaming will vary a lot based on how busy those users are right now, and has nothing to do with you. The solution of course is to go into your home router's admin page and change your router to use a signal that is as clear as possible. 

Typically the newest signal bands are the most clear.  That is, 5GHz tends to have more open channels than 2GHz, but this has changed as the older, single band routers have started to age out of the population.  It is however worth while to try this experiment on 2GHz as well, just in case. :) 

Of course, you want your signal to be as strong as possible. If you can't get a better signal than -60dBm and you can only do WiFi, try to orient your router and TV for the best reception. Remember that routers transmit horizontally and down. If you live in a 2 story home you probably want your router on the top floor. If you still can't get a decent signal at all because your home is too big consider a mesh router. They are fresh on the scene, but I hear great things about the TP-Link offering, which is less expensive and less expensive to expand than others:

 

Tip 3:  Cool Off Your Router

Too often the TV's get blamed for what is actually a router problem. Before you blame it, see if the real problem isn't your router.  When you next have a problem, reset it and put a fan of some sort onto it. Does this solve your problem?  Are you also having problems with other devices at the same time?

Streaming 4K television takes a lot of processing power, maybe 60-80% of this processing power is due to encryption.  The higher the level of encryption, the more power, the more likely to overheat. Sometimes the overheating issue creep up on you.  Doing a marathon watching of Star Trek : Discovery and when you hit season 2, bam, down it goes.  Since most routers also have USB connectors it may be useful to see my USB fan ideas, below.

Tip 4:  Cool Off Your LG

Honestly I shouldn't even have to say this, but the reality is that so many embedded CPU and WiFi products are woefully under-cooled. Even if you maintain your TV room at a comfortable 74 degrees at all times I have seen evidence of these televisions getting too hot, and after several hours being unable to connect to anything, even with Ethernet.  The solution is to shut the TV down, wait a minute, and start again.

To understand the following hacks we need to find out where the CPU and network controller chips live, and for that we can rely on Youtube channel Tips and Tricks which posted a disassembly video from which I captured this key frame, below.

 

There are three important landmarks here: 

• The Ethernet jack (below the yellow jack)
  
• USB connectors to the right of the Ethernet Jack
• The big silver heat spreader, and black heat sink poking out inside of it. 

 The reason you need to know all of this is that you are probably going to want to take the next steps without actually taking the whole rear panel off. I recommend you attempt the following hacks in stages as the first one involves no tools.  

Hack 1: USB Fan

There are a lot of these, and you may need to experiment due to noise issues, but here's an idea I really like, a USB fan on a microphone like extender:  

 

 

You just plug it in, and point it in the general area of the heat spreader. It may take you several days of not having a problem before you can say everything is fixed. 

 

 

Hack 2: USB Fan + Ventilation

First, you are responsible for any damage you may cause if you attempt this.  If you are not familiar with using power tools to cut through thin plastic do not attempt this! If your power tools touch anything inside you can ruin your TV. This being America, you are free to ruin your TV if you want to, just don't come crying to me that you didn't know what you were getting into.

 

This is basically the same idea as the hack, above but use a hole saw or Dremel or just drill bits to ventilate the back panel directly over that heat spreader. You can see why I'm not suggesting this as your first step, right?? 

If you really want to do this, but really are afraid, follow the instructions on the video, above, to take the panel off, and drill the panel off the TV. The good news is that losing plastic dust inside your TV won't hurt anything, but accidentally drilling the printed circuit board sure can. If you use a drill I strongly encourage this approach. The heat spreader is a little sturdier than most components, so maybe try a very small drill bit to ensure you are in the right area before using a bigger bit. If you lay it out nicely it may even look like it was made that way.

Personally I'd attempt this with a Dremel abrasive wheel and friend to hold a vacuum hose while cutting.  

If you go this route, consider getting a fan with a speed control instead of the one listed above. You don't need a lot of air movement to substantially cool this beast down.  This little beauty here would work, but you'll have to figure out how to best attach it.

One last thing:  You don't need a huge amount of air here.  A couple of slots, or a few 3/8" holes should be enough with a fan.  

Tip 5: What about non-LG TV? 

The same principles apply.  Look for the Ethernet jack, then find the heat sinks or heat spreaders near it, and try to cool them off.  You may even be able to tell by putting your hand on the back panel and feeling for the warmest area.