Plasma TV Interfering with Wifi

[GraemeMcD]

Hi All

Had to disconnect home entertainment setup for a new carpet to go in a while ago and since I've put everything back together again I'm getting occasional interference on my wifi whenever the TV is on. It's quite an old (15yrs) Panasonic Plasma.  With TV off I get a solid 30MBps on Speedtest (ios), with TV on it's all over the place, dropping as low as 2-3MBps.  I've tried resetting the Hub (with the TV on so the interference will be present) and it seems to sort itself out for a few days but then the problem comes back.  Anyone seen this kind of thing before??

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

Router on the way to you now.

Regards,

Karl. 

[GraemeMcD]

Hi Michelle - yes thanks that'd be great - we can at least rule the router out as the cause.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Morning,

Would you like us to send a replacement router for testing purposes to rule this out? We would also send a router returns bag so that one of the routers can be returned.

Thanks

[Gondola]

@ferguson Polish your fuzzy assumptions! The HDMI specification includes Ethernet from HDMI 1.4 that was introduced 2009. Maybe the OP's date is a bit out. But as the OP's troubleshooting is now refining down to direct radiation it's a case of distance between the TV and other pick up sources being the next bit of troubleshooting to go for.

[ferguson]

OK, it could be a router issue then. Wait for the support team to pick this up and they may well offer you a swap out. 

[GraemeMcD]

Rebooting the router does fix it but only temporarily, sometimes it's fine for a week, sometimes just a couple of days.......

[ferguson]

Ah, sorry to hear that. Have you tried, sorry if it seems obvious, rebooting the router? 

[GraemeMcD]

Just pulled the Firestick and disconnected it from the power and the problem persists, so that eliminates it from the inquiries!  Will systematically work through the other connections to see what happens.

[ferguson]

@Gondola 

The "fuzzy logic" was you assuming an Ethernet capability. HDMI is capable of more than just supporting HDMI cables, otherwise devices connecting that way would simply not work. I trust the OP is on the right lines and will resolve this in the end. Resetting the Firestick included. 

[Gondola]

---

@ferguson wrote:...So the Panasonic cannot support plug-in HDMI devices?

Somewhat fuzzy logic!  An HDMI socket is designed for plug in HDMI cables which is precisely what I've advocated in order to move the Firestick itself further from the source of the interference on the assumption that the device itself is picking up the interference.

It is of course possible that the Firestick is no longer sitting firmly into the HDMI socket so screening / earthing is not effective.  But a cable extender will do two things. Have a less weighty plug into the HDMI socket so avoiding the device misaligning itself in the socket and put the Firestick further from the source of the interference.

[GraemeMcD]

@Gondola @ferguson It was working fine before I de-rigged it all so it's unlikely to be a fundamental incompatibility issue?  I took the Firestick out of the HDMI and the problem was still present, although I didn't disconnect its power so I could try that. I guess the other thing I could do is de-rig it all again to check cables etc, or maybe disconnect things one by one to try and isolate the problem.

Thanks both.

[ferguson]

So the Panasonic cannot support plug-in HDMI devices? I have used both a Chromecast and a Roku on my mum's old set with no issues. The fact that it was working in this case previously is what puzzles me. 

[Gondola]

@ferguson the Firestick is not OEM equipment but a user add-on. Panasonic designed out the interference issue when connecting via Ethernet.

[ferguson]

@Gondola If you have a WiFi capable device connected to the TV via HDMI and to the router wirelessly I am not sure why Ethernet would be an issue here? 

[Gondola]

Given that the Panasonic Plasma network connection was via Ethernet and that connection was filtered by dint of the ferrite rings it would not have been designed for a direct plug in Firestick Wi-Fi connection.

The interference pickup can be mitigated by using a Firestick HDMI extender cable to move the Firestick further away from the TV.

[ferguson]

OK, try removing the Firestick temporarily and see if that changes anything. If so, try resetting it. 

[GraemeMcD]

Only internet connection the TV has is via an HDMI Firestick over wifi - it's not a smart TV so has no connectivity of it's own.  

[GraemeMcD]

It's about 4 ft away from the nearest [top right] corner of the TV (used to be a bit closer before the problem started but I moved it away a little)

Yeah it's a great TV - picture way better than most new TVs

[Gondola]

The Plasma TV will connect to broadband using an Ethernet cable. To reduce the interference, Panasonic supplied a couple of large ferrite rings that the user fits by winding a few turns of each end of the Ethernet cable through the ferrite rings and fixing in place with small tie-wraps. Are you still using that arrangement to connect the Plasma TV to broadband?

[ferguson]

Also, your cabling may have been disturbed during this recent change. Again, make sure all are secure and there is good spacing between them.