WiFi vs Ethernet for my theater

6 replies
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I have the option of running ethernet cables to each of my speakers in my small theater:

PlayBar
Sub
Play1s Surround

Is there an advantage to doing so? It plays fine now via WiFi but my signal is not that strong in this part of the house.

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AirgetlamAnswer

The nice thing about wiring ethernet is you remove most wifi interference possibilities, although not duplicate IP issues, unless you set up reserved IP addresses.

That being said, if it's working fine the way it is, why change it?

Note that when being used as the "home theater" aspect, with the line in from the TV, the actual signal that everything in the Home Theater is connecting to is the PLAYBAR, and not your home wifi. It's only when you stream music to it that the data will go across your wifi (on a 2.4ghz signal) to your PLAYBAR, which then sends it to all the "bonded" devices of the SUB and surrounds on a 5Ghz signal that it generates.

So ultimately, even if you were to "wire" the system, all you really want to do is wire the PLAYBAR.

Bruce

AirgetlamAnswer

The nice thing about wiring ethernet is you remove most wifi interference possibilities, although not duplicate IP issues, unless you set up reserved IP addresses.

That being said, if it's working fine the way it is, why change it?

Note that when being used as the "home theater" aspect, with the line in from the TV, the actual signal that everything in the Home Theater is connecting to is the PLAYBAR, and not your home wifi. It's only when you stream music to it that the data will go across your wifi (on a 2.4ghz signal) to your PLAYBAR, which then sends it to all the "bonded" devices of the SUB and surrounds on a 5Ghz signal that it generates.

So ultimately, even if you were to "wire" the system, all you really want to do is wire the PLAYBAR.

Bruce

J

John B

Agree with Bruce - if you wire anything just wire the Playbar.

H

Hopi BonAuthor

Contributor I

Thanks, everyone. Got the Playbar wired.

J

Jorts1302

Contributor I

Hey, related question: my theater/basement has poor WiFi. I have a sound bar and two play ones for surround. Playbar is wired and surround play ones cannot be wired. It’s set up as a room with sound bar and L and R play ones.

In settings, do I need to change the sound bar to turn off WiFi? If turned off, will the surround speakers be relying on WiFi from upstairs, and not from the wired sound bar?

Thanks

Airgetlam

Don’t turn off wifi on the PLAYBAR. It uses the same antenna to communicate on a separate 5Ghz channel that you can’t see to the surround speakers. As long as you’re not streaming music to it, you’re fine, it gets the data from the TV on the optical connection.

Bruce

J

John B

If you were to 'disable wifi' on the Playbar your wireless surrounds would become non-functioning for all sources. Don't do it.

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