Right bit of advice needed, I'd like to get "the internet" on my new tele, it's got a thingy on the back for a USB and an ethernet cable. Now what I was thinking was the ethernet would be better because it's a fixed line in, but the other end would have to go into my router (N300 Mpbs), so basically would the router be able to keep up. At the minute I use the lappy (never gets higher than 54 Mbps) but 4OD or Iplayer sometimes it's as if they have to buffer, so would the tele get the full 300 and will this be good enough ?.

How far away from your TV is your router?

Cable is pretty much always reliable, where as wireless can suffer with interference etc, and with it only being USB, sounds like you'd have to buy a WiFi adapter for your TV anyway.

Obviously the only downside with cable, is the router has to be near to the TV, otherwise you have long cables trailing over the place.

4OD or iPlayer buffering could be down to you connecting wirelessly, but then it could just be your actual internet connection failing to keep up. The laptop only connecting at 54mbps is probably because your laptop is doesn't support N connection protocol, it will ,more than likely only support B/G, which has a maximum throughput of 54mbps.

It's unlikely that your internet speed is anything like that anyway.

Easy way to find out the cause of the buffering would be to connect your laptop to your router with ethernet as a temporary measure and see if it does the same thing.

Networking is a series of bottlenecks and so all will run at the speed of the lowest one (which is usually your WAN/internet connection). As a general rule, wireless is slower than wired, but if what you're downloading/streaming is buffering, it's most likely the internet connection which is causing this unless you have a particularly flakey wireless connection.

Chris

Thanks guys, the lappy isn't all the time and is something I can happily live with ( I've had the lappy for about 3 years and it wasn't new when I got it). The router is in another room to the tele but it's not a problem having a cable as I can hide it along the same wall, just need a little hole drilling in one wall, the nub of it is will it work OK ?

If you're fine with running the cable, then ethernet will be easier and more reliable than wireless, especially since you won't have to buy a USB WiFi adapter to plug in the back of the TV (if it even supports that - The USB might be for video and picture playback only)

Should be just plug in and go

I have an LG LCD TV wired in to my Sky N300 Router (along with a Blu-Ray player and a Sky+ box) and it works just fine (got lots of wireless stuff that plays 4OD, iPlayer etc too, such as PS3, Wii, mobile phones, laptops).

Your telly likely won't get 300 Mbps on wireless or cables (nor will you need it), most Ethernet connections run at 100 Mbps which is more than sufficient to stream a full HD movie, should you so wish. Most wireless stuff will top out at 54 Mbps unless it's the latest and greatest N150 or N300.

If you get issues with buffering/stuttering/loading on an Ethernet connection, it's almost certainly an issue with your internet connection (considering most broadband connections struggle to top 8 Mbps, this is where the bottleneck lies). On a wireless connection this is less of a sure thing, you can get interference or simply be at the limit of signal range. And wireless can be a pain to set up, ethernet tends to be plug in and go unless you have a complicated network at home.

You could also use a powerline adapter to save on drilling holes and very long cables -look out for Comtrend ones that come with BT vision on eBay. Basically they send the network traffic through the mains wiring in your house.

If you can cater for an ethernet cable to your router, I'd stick with that solution. It's simple, and it works. We have our Samsung TV connected this way but have the router right next to it so for us it was a no-brainer.

Our connection is via BT and speedtests show we get around 17meg, more than sufficient for browsing and streaming - although occasionally, evening traffic in our area (or simultaneous heavy downloading on the laptop) can mean Lovefilm buffers. Weirdly, if I stop the stream, then re-start it, it plays fine with no further buffering.

One thing. Most "smart" TV's access the internet via specific apps, rather than a browser (in the sense a computer user would understand a browser). I can only access the apps Samsung have installed or offer as an update. So for video, I can get the BBC's iPlayer (but not ITV Player or 4 OD), Lovefilm Instant (but not Netflix yet on my particular model), and a variety of other pay for services. We can't "browse" the internet generally.

Where originally broadcast in HD, iPlayer offers this option, but Lovefilm can be variable and at best looks (to me) equivalent to SD broadcasts. The streams are convenient, but none give the high def video and audio you get with blu-ray. Also, if your internet supply is subject to a monthly download limit, keep checking your usage. Streaming a lot of iPlayer HD can gobble up your data allowance.

Good luck

PS- yes - meant to confirm, the USB socket is usually so you can plug a drive in and play pics/video/music on the telly. On ours we can wirelessly connect the phones and laptop to the TV. I can also use my phone as a remote. Hours of endless fun

You could also use a powerline adapter to save on drilling holes and very long cables -look out for Comtrend ones that come with BT vision on eBay. Basically they send the network traffic through the mains wiring in your house.

If you go this route, I have a pair I could let you have for a nominal amount. Had them since I got BT Vision ages back and never use them now.

Thanks all, have to say the idea of sending it through the mains scares me a little bit !, I think there's a good chance I'd screw that up :yes: , I'll go with the cable just needed to know it would be good enough. It's mainly the catch up tv I'm after plus I am quite taken with those Netflix £6/month adverts.

If you can wire it then that is always best. I wasn't a fan of the idea of using the mains so bought one of these for my parents Sony

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Netgear-WNCE2001-Universal-WiFi-Wireless-N-USB-Internet-Adapter-Adaptor-WLAN-/290636689096#vi-content

Just connect it to an existing computer, follow the instructions and reconnect it into the TV creating a wireless bridge. Works flawlessly for us and streams iPlayer and 5 on Demand fine

......It's mainly the catch up tv I'm after plus I am quite taken with those Netflix £6/month adverts.

Of the two main film streaming services in the UK, Netflix is thought to have the edge, and *some* content is apparently HD video, if not full blu-ray style HD audio. But that's only relevant in a 5.1 channel (or above) home cinema set up. Do make sure Netflix is available on the TV if that's important to you.

Thanks all, have to say the idea of sending it through the mains scares me a little bit !, I think there's a good chance I'd screw that up :yes: , I'll go with the cable just needed to know it would be good enough.

A length of cat5 between your router and TV is the cheapest solution. My router is in my loft and I run 2 lengths of cat5 to both living rooms (future proofing). The ethernet-other-mains solution works well, but is somewhat more costly (ie. http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=devolo+dlan+500&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1045&bih=710&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=2246349612647290245&sa=X&ei=kX2hT8y6AcbLhAf2hv2RCA&sqi=2&ved=0CHIQ8wIwAg).

My Sony TV can have some fancy (ie. expensive) Sony Wifi USB plugged in to allow it to connect to the internet.

I use the devolo stuff to get network connectivity to my garage, but the rest of the house is wired up. Wifi I use for my laptops and my phone.

Dad uses wireless USB dongle on his Samsung, works fine with all the associated stuff (iPlayer/lovefilm).

I also use wireless to an Apple TV unit, streams 1080p HD content fine from my server.

However wired is always best.

All a router does is filter traffic. In your case you want it to filter your internet connection coming into the house and send it to your laptop and the TV. Speed doesn't come into it as you are limited to your broadband speed.

In my case i have a 6mbps line coming into my router and from there i have a 10metre cat5 cable run around my living room to a 8 port router behind my TV. From this router there are cables running to my TV, Server, HTPC, Surround Amp (internet radio) and my PS3. These are all connected at 100mbps from the broadband router to the other router. Everything on the other router interconnects at 1gbps so i can stream HD content from my server to my HTPC and run backups etc.

Then onto the wireless. I have 4 mobile phones, iPad, Macbook, Laptop, PC upstairs and a iMac upstairs.

Not bad for just 2 people and a 6mbps line

So to sum up if you made any sense of that, route a cable and it will connect at 100mbps but connection will be limited to your broadband speed.

Right, got the cable and plugged it in, but all I can get is the Sony shop page, been through the I manual and everything's set as it should be, all assigned auto/default so what am I doing wrong ?, also I bought a wireless keyboard in anticipation but the tele says it's not supported, do I need a special keyboard ?

And the TV is definitely "smart" ? ie, it can/should access a range of apps ? What's the model ?

It's a Sony 32ex523,

OK, it's not current according to the Sony site http://www.sony.co.uk/product/tv-80-32-lcd/kdl-32ex523#/Overview but it should still be able to:

Browse the Internet on your TV screen - Visit your favourite websites and search the Internet using a simple web browser (display of embedded video not supported)

Enjoy the best of the web on the big screen - Connect your TV to the web and stream full-screen Internet videos or keep up-to-date on social networks (firmware upgrade needed)

The bit about firmware upgrade may be relevant. Do you see anything in the internet settings section (on the TV menu) about checking for updates ?

If you know how to check your router settings from your computer, does it show the TV as connected ?

Sony don't list a keyboard as an option for this TV ?

Thanks, it was in the sale at Christmas, can't remember seeing anything about updates but will have another try when I get home, if there's no keyboard option does that only leave me with the remote, which was basically the up down OK buttons ?

OK. When you're back home, have another look in the internet section of the TV menu for an update option, and if you can, see what the router says about connected devices. We're trying to ensure the TV is actually being allowed to access the internet. If the "Sony Shop" you can see is online, you can. You should still be seeing the other apps listed though. I can't find a pic of it's internet screen so I don't know how it's presented to you.

If there's no keyboard option yes, you're left with the TV remote, but that isn't necessarily the drawback you'd assume. If our TV is representative, the apps (iPlayer, FB, YouTube etc) are stripped down versions of what you'd see on a computer, and appear as lists, so you can really only scroll up and down and left and right. For that, the TV remote is fine, if a bit slow, especially if searching for a show in iPlayer for example. Bit like old style texting. But choosing in a list is OK.

It's a Sony 32ex523,

Good TV that. I've got one in the bedroom and picture quality is superb and sound quality is better than most flat screen tv's I've listened too.

My Sony TV automatically detects updates and offers to install them for me when I take the TV out of standby.

Good TV that. I've got one in the bedroom and picture quality is superb and sound quality is better than most flat screen tv's I've listened too.

I'll defer to John's knowledge of the specific TV then