TV streaming box - best ones?

[Ronnie-]

I mentioned earlier that I have the $19.88 2023 onn 4k streaming box (not the $49.88 2024 Pro version) and its connection has been rock solid. FWIW.

I previously had one of the older ones as well, and I never had an issue with it as far as wifi, but these new ones, IDK.

 

[WhiteBeard]

You know the old saying, you get what you pay for. But even more expensive electronics aren't guaranteed to work properly all the time.

 

[dishdude]

Luckily I haven't had any Wi-Fi issues with mine or the ones I've installed for others. If it doesn't work out you can always return it.

Walmart's next Google TV box leaks as a Chromecast replacement with 16GB storage

Walmart has a new “Onn 4K Plus” streaming device on the way, and the hardware seems like it’s going to...

9to5google.com

 

[jayn_j]

You know the old saying, you get what you pay for. But even more expensive electronics aren't guaranteed to work properly all the time.

True that any component can fail, but a quality product has likely had stress testing and failure analysis performed. Possibly even beta testing in user environments. The box we are discussing here was most likely rushed into production as soon as the prototype was operational. Their philosophy seemed to be that as long as it worked in a controlled lab environment, it was good to go.
It isn't just hardware, the device in question may very well been unable to adapt by searching and using a less crowded wifi channel, not properly handling an acknowledgement handshake or some other software protocol error that fell apart in the real world.

 

[WhiteBeard]

True that any component can fail, but a quality product has likely had stress testing and failure analysis performed. Possibly even beta testing in user environments. The box we are discussing here was most likely rushed into production as soon as the prototype was operational. Their philosophy seemed to be that as long as it worked in a controlled lab environment, it was good to go.
It isn't just hardware, the device in question may very well been unable to adapt by searching and using a less crowded wifi channel, not properly handling an acknowledgement handshake or some other software protocol error that fell apart in the real world.

I still can't get my sons iphone 14 (or 12) to connect to my router on 5 GHz while all other devices work fine - including Android devices. No one seems to have a solution for the iphone. Since everything else connects fine I have to say that these high priced iphones aren't worth the money. I remember trying to sub to Consumer Cellular but had to go back to my old carrier because we couldn't get an iphone to connect to their service. It's just one example of the crummy products being put out. It's not just iphones but other electronics have been a PITA. There's usually a workaround but the hassle of getting some devices to work is a challenge that I don't want to be involved with. I've lost track of how many devices I've had to return over the past 20 years.

 

[thomasjk]

I still can't get my sons iphone 14 (or 12) to connect to my router on 5 GHz while all other devices work fine - including Android devices. No one seems to have a solution for the iphone. Since everything else connects fine I have to say that these high priced iphones aren't worth the money. I remember trying to sub to Consumer Cellular but had to go back to my old carrier because we couldn't get an iphone to connect to their service. It's just one example of the crummy products being put out. It's not just iphones but other electronics have been a PITA. There's usually a workaround but the hassle of getting some devices to work is a challenge that I don't want to be involved with. I've lost track of how many devices I've had to return over the past 20 years.

I have an iPhone 16 connected to Consumer Cellular and had no problems connecting it to 5ghz on my router.

 

[primestar31]

I still can't get my sons iphone 14 (or 12) to connect to my router on 5 GHz while all other devices work fine - including Android devices. No one seems to have a solution for the iphone. Since everything else connects fine I have to say that these high priced iphones aren't worth the money. I remember trying to sub to Consumer Cellular but had to go back to my old carrier because we couldn't get an iphone to connect to their service. It's just one example of the crummy products being put out. It's not just iphones but other electronics have been a PITA. There's usually a workaround but the hassle of getting some devices to work is a challenge that I don't want to be involved with. I've lost track of how many devices I've had to return over the past 20 years.

Maybe it's trying to use an IP address that's already in use (or reserved) for another device? My wife's phone has done that a few times. I finally reserved an IP address on my router for her phone. DHCP doesn't always work as well as it should.

 

[WhiteBeard]

Maybe it's trying to use an IP address that's already in use (or reserved) for another device? My wife's phone has done that a few times. I finally reserved an IP address on my router for her phone. DHCP doesn't always work as well as it should.

He can't connect to the AP at all so he wouldn't be able to draw an IP, static or dynamic.

 

[ncted]

I still can't get my sons iphone 14 (or 12) to connect to my router on 5 GHz while all other devices work fine - including Android devices. No one seems to have a solution for the iphone. Since everything else connects fine I have to say that these high priced iphones aren't worth the money. I remember trying to sub to Consumer Cellular but had to go back to my old carrier because we couldn't get an iphone to connect to their service. It's just one example of the crummy products being put out. It's not just iphones but other electronics have been a PITA. There's usually a workaround but the hassle of getting some devices to work is a challenge that I don't want to be involved with. I've lost track of how many devices I've had to return over the past 20 years.

There are some 5Ghz channels the iPhone won't use because they are not licensed for use in the US. Many devices will still connect to and use them, but not all. This is just one possible reason for the issue you are seeing. I actually had wi-fi issues with my Shields and had to put them all on Ethernet for reliable use.

 

[Bruce]

There are some 5Ghz channels the iPhone won't use because they are not licensed for use in the US. Many devices will still connect to and use them, but not all. This is just one possible reason for the issue you are seeing. I actually had wi-fi issues with my Shields and had to put them all on Ethernet for reliable use.

No iphone, but a ipad pro, no issues at all, even the 6Ghz channel works perfectly.

 

[WhiteBeard]

There are some 5Ghz channels the iPhone won't use because they are not licensed for use in the US. Many devices will still connect to and use them, but not all. This is just one possible reason for the issue you are seeing. I actually had wi-fi issues with my Shields and had to put them all on Ethernet for reliable use.

I ran through EVERY setting on the router and every freq that is allowed in the U.S. and it was no-go. The iphone sees the 5 GHz SSID but it won't connect. Also, I have a Shield but I use it's ethernet port to connect to a WDS Station router next to it. Works that way but I've never tried to use its own wifi. That's another thing, the shield keeps locking up and I have to power reboot to make it work again. That's why I got into this thread because I want something stable (or much more stable).

 

[ncted]

I ran through EVERY setting on the router and every freq that is allowed in the U.S. and it was no-go. The iphone sees the 5 GHz SSID but it won't connect. Also, I have a Shield but I use it's ethernet port to connect to a WDS Station router next to it. Works that way but I've never tried to use its own wifi. That's another thing, the shield keeps locking up and I have to power reboot to make it work again. That's why I got into this thread because I want something stable (or much more stable).

Yeah, I hear ya. When we decided to get rid of Dish, I tried out all the big name devices available at the time. We settled on the Firestick because it seemed pretty stable and we liked the remote the best. After about a year, we found that the stability was deteriorating, and they changed the UI to be much busier and with more ads. That is when we switched to the Shield, which essentially had the same issues about a year in. We've now had the AppleTV 4k on every TV in the house for 3+ years.

They aren't perfect, they aren't for everyone, they are expensive, but we haven't felt the need to look for something else. We don't really need to reboot the devices to solve weird issues, the UI has remained pretty much the same and isn't full of advertising, and they perform about as well as anything else available. We do occasionally need to restart a misbehaving app, I don't like how they deal with audio formats, and the remote could be a little better from a functionality standpoint. I also wish there was just a little more customization available, just like every other Apple product, but I guess there are always tradeoffs.

My advice is to try as many different things as you can to find what works for you. That is what return policies are for. As for the iPhone Wi-Fi problem,