MiTV Wifi Problems & Drop Outs

5 Feb 2019 

# Wifi,  MiTV4, Drop out,  Drop off,  Wifi Analyser,  TV problem  
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1. System Clean up Step by Step 
2. Frequent Movies Interruptions
3. Why Wi-Fi Interference?
4. Ethernet Cabling

Users often encountered technical problems with Smart TVs especially Android TV such as MiTV.  Some cannot use Bluetooth;  some have missing APKs while others have difficulties with frequent  movie interruptions or internet drop outs. 

Many of these problems got resolved by either switching the TV off for about 30 seconds and then switch it back on again or by resetting the OS.

What Can Go Wrong?

If the TV can resume normal operation after switching it off and on again or through a reset,  most likely,  the TV is still in working condition.  Then the  source of trouble could be attributed by none other than the internet connection problem or corrupted OS unless there is already a technical fault developing in the TV. 

Why?

There are many many reasons why smart TVs behaved that way.   Before one starts to blame the TVs and the Internet Providers,  one should understand that all smart TV’s OS can be easily corrupted when it is connected to the internet World.  The most common enemy of the internet  is the [viruses] or [Trojans] .   Then,  there is the poor internet connection or interference.  Lastly,  there are technical limitations such as limited memories clogged with memory "rubbish" so called temporary caches.

Some smart TV especially MiTV often has [Auto System Update] as a default.     So when the manufacturer has an update,   the new TV OS will be downloaded in the background and updated automatically without users' permission.   If there is glitch or interference in the downloading process,  the updated OS will be corrupted and one would have endless problems.

Therefore,  to prevent future OS corruption,   it is best to disable the [Auto Updating] features as soon as possible.  In MiTV,  the [Auto Updating] feature is hidden in [setting]/[About] section.

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System Clean up Step by Step

In case of trouble,  do the followings

Description	Action	Remarks (Doubleclick Picture to enlarge)
1.  Switching off and then on the TV again	1.  Pull the plug out from the outlet and let the TV rest for at least 30 seconds to discharge the residual electricity;  after that plug back to turn on the TV;	If the TV resume normal operation,   most likely the TV is still in good operating conditions.
2.  Clean up the memory and reset the router	1.  Do a memory clean up as soon as possible 2.  Test the Internet connectivity 3.  Test the Internet Speed	1.  Most TVs have in-built cleaners to clean up memories.  For MiTV,  the default cleaner is  called [TV Manager].  Do the basic cleanups such as [Optimising],  [Memory Boost] and [Trash Clean]. If necessary,  try also CCleaner or Clean Master or all other popular cleaners to further clean up and make sure that viruses if any are get rid off. 2.  If the connectivity test shows some errors,  most likely the router's memory is corrupted.  Reset the router by turning it off for a few seconds and then turn it back on again; 3.  If the internet speed is low,  less than 200kb/sec;  most likely one would not be able to watch seamless YouTube movies.  Wait for internet to improve or reset the router or assume there is an  internet speed problem
3.  Perform a reset	Please refer to the following article to do a reset on MiTV : Xiaomi TV: Factory Reset	1.  There are 2 types of reset available.   One is the soft reset and the other the hard reset.   2.  The hard reset will allow the TV's OS to be reloaded with all  defaulted programs. It will wipe out all other installed APKs.  So make a copy of the installed APKs in thumb drive or cloud drive.

Before doing the above,  one should always check the strength of the Wifi signal at the location where the TV is located just to make sure the TV is not located in any of the blind spot not covered properly by the Wifi router.

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Frequent Movies Interruptions

There are a few possible reasons.   Most probably due to the  following

1.   Corrupted OS;
2.   Hardware problems;

3.   Poor internet reception;

4.   Wi-Fi Interference

In here,  this article will deal with how to solve Wi-Fi interferences.  This is usually the likely cause when TV is connected to the Internet by Wi-fi.

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Why Wi-Fi Interference?

Most routers have a factory defaulted channel to send Wi-Fi signal.  If  the neighbour is using the same channel,  there could be Wi-fi interference.  This will cause interruptions to the TV reception or TV's operating system.

How Could it be Detected?

Fortunately,  there is a way to identify if there is such possible interference for Android TV or Android devices. 

Description	Actions	Remarks (doubleclick picture to enlarge
1.  Download Wi-fi Analyzer	Download  from here   or here    and sideload it to MiTV using thumb drive or Cloud Drive	Wi-fi Analyzer can be used to find out if the Wi-fi bandwidth is already used by others routers and if there is a need to change the channel to prevent Wi-fi signal interference. If one is using an Andriod Phone,  download the apk from Google Store and use the phone to analyse the wifi signals.
2.  Analyse the Wi-fi Channel	1.  Fire up the Wi-fi Analyser,  one would be greeted with the screen  shown on the right.	One could tap the 2.4G or 5G button at the top left hand corner to change the Wi-fi network. For 2.4 Ghz,  there are 14 channels and for 5 Ghz,  there are 3 bands with channels from 36 to 161
3.  Change Channel	1.  Note down the channel number that is least congested in the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz band; 2.  Change the channel by entering the defaulted address [192.168.1.1] in an internet browser  such as Firefox or Google chrome.   The browser will ask for User name and password; 3.  For ASUS routers,  the next screen will appear after the successful log-in..   Select [Wireless] In the next screen,  select the correct Wi-fi frequency (2.4 Ghz or 5.0 Ghz) and change the control channel number as shown	If the Wi-fi is congested in a particular channel,  the reception could be easily interrupted by other Wi-fi routers. For new router,  the user name is [admin] and the password is usually [0000] or [admin] or none. The TV will always select the stronger of the Wi-fi range automatically.  2.4 Ghz is usually stronger unless the router is located nearer or next to the TV.

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Ethernet Cabling

The use of Ethernet cabling is always preferred under all circumstances as its signal transmission is least affected by external interference.   If one still have problem with the internet connection using Wi-fi connection,  it is best to try it out using Ethernet cabling.

The Best Time to Update the OS?

Should one feel that it is time to update the OS,   one should first check if there is any adverse remark on the new version by googling.    One could consult the following link to get the new version number.    Then google search using [version number 小米]  for example [1.3.79 小米]. 

The best time to download and update the OS is when the internet is having the best download speed.   This can be judged by doing an internet speed check.   Never do any OS updating work during internet peak hours.

To update OS manually,   goto [Setting]/[About],  doubleclick the MIUI TV version and thereafter,  the system will check if there is a new version and direct one to update the OS manually.