Wanted to have a specific thread for those of us that want to use a wireless USB adapter with the WD HD TV Live.

Specifically, I wouldn't mind finding a cheaper solution than the ones listed on WD's website. Most of the ones listed are in the $50-80 range (local retail), as they are generally N wireless dongles. Paying that much when I bought my WD unit for only $108 seems ridiculous. Are there cheaper G-based units that work as well (yeah, I know they are slower for HD, but I'm OK with that).

I've also read some reviews of some of the 'approved' adapters, and some of them sound rather weak in performance. Specifically, the Trendnet units are not well received in NewEgg reviews. I don't want to order an approved unit online to save money only to find out it has terrible range or connection issues.

Models I've tried and did not work:
ATT 6802g G based usb stick
GigaFast WF741 UFC usb stick
Buffalo external G based module (not a stick).

I also tried a powerline networking unit (Universal Broadband Link) from Radio Shack that I picked up several years ago. I could connect, but couldn't play any vob's or YouTube without serious lag.

In testing: an approved Linksys WUSB100 purchased at B&M Target for $49.99 -- better price than I could find delivered online.

Report the results of your own tests here.

I know some of this is discussed and buried in other threads, but I think this deserves its own thread for clarity.

jb

A follow up on the Linksys WUSB100 test.

The WD TV Live does not seem to recognize this 'approved' unit. I did not get the dialog box that is supposed to appear to select wireless when I connected the adapter to the WD. It also did not appear when I connected the unit and then turned on the WD.

Anyone have success with this adapter? Are other people getting the select wireless/wired dialog box when plugging in their wireless adapters?

Fortunately it is returnable to Target.

jb

i had a asus 160N usb adapter work for me, but i now use a dlink dwa-140 which has a stronger signal and streams my HD self encoded br backups with no stutters. but i cant get the original m2ts br files to run longer than 30secs before they start stuttering. i think 20000kbps encodes and below are ok, but br encodes are capable of 40000kbps bitrate.

the dlink is the better adapter tho.......

jbarm

Could you provide a link to where the WD approved dongle list is? thanks

Found the list

Wd Support/Knowledge Base/Freqently Asked Question/ ID 3805
The following devices have been tested and are compatible with the WD TV HD Live Media Player.

USB Wireless Cards:

Brand Model
Belkin F5D8051 V3100
Belkin F5D8055 v2
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300HP
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300N
Buffalo Buffalo WLI-UC-GN US
D-Link DWA-140 V1.30
EnGenius EUB-9701
Linksys WUSB100
Linksys WUSB600N V1
Trendnet TEW-644UB V1.0R
Trendnet TEW-645UB
Trendnet TEW-664UB V1.0R
Sitecom WL-329 V1 001

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Routers/Switchs/Hubs:

Brand Model
Belkin F5D7230-4
Buffalo WHR-G300N
Buffalo WHR-HP-G54
D-Link DIR-655, HW: A1
D-Link DGL-4100
D-Link DGL-4500
D-Link DIR-625
D-Link DIR-655
Linksys BEFSR41
Linksys RVS4000
Linksys WRT160N
Linksys WRT310N
Linksys WRT54GC
Linksys WRT54GL
Netgear RP614 v3
Netgear WNDR3300
Netgear WNR2000
Netgear WNR854T-100NAS
Netgear WPN824NA
Rosewill RNX-N4
Trendnet TEW-432BRP
Trendnet TEW-633GR

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Western Digital Network Attached Storage Devices:

Device Name Device Model
My Book World Edition (Blue Rings) WDG1NCxxxxx
My Book World Edition (White Light) WDH1NCxxxxx
My Book World Edition II (Blue Rings) WDG2NCxxxxx
My Book World Edition II (White Light) WDH2NCxxxxx
Western Digital Sharespace WDA4NCxxxxx

Important:

•While most NAS drives drives that have either UPnP streaming, or appear as a SAMBA device on your network, will work with the WD TV Live HD Media Player, we have done the majority of our testing using Western Digital NAS drives. As a result we cannot guarantee compatibility with any specific third-party NAS drives.
•The My Book World (Blue Rings) does not support UPnP Streaming so will only be accessible by the WD TV Live Media Player as a Samba Device. Additionally as the drive was not designed as a media streaming device it may have trouble streaming video or streaming to multiple sources.
•Western Digital recommends using an "N" class router when streaming wirelessly to the WD TV Live HD Media Player. Playback of video may be unstable when using a "G" class router.

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Western Digital External USB Hard Drives:

Device Name Model Number
WD My Passport Studio Edition WDMSxxxxx, WDMTxxxxx
WD My Passport Elite Edition WDMLxxxxx, WDBAACxxxxxxx
WD My Passport Essential Edition WDMExxxxx, WDBAAAxxxxxxx
WD My Passport Essential SE WDMETxxxxxx, WDBABMxxxxxxx
WD My Passport for Mac WDBAABxxxxxxx
WD Elements Portable WDE1MSxxxxx, WDBAARxxxxxxx
WD Elements Desktop WDE1Uxxxxx, WDBAAUxxxxxxx
WD My Book Essential Edition WDH1Uxxxxxx, WDBAAFxxxxxxx
WD My Book Elite Edition WDBAAHxxxxHCH
WD My Book Studio Edition WDH1Qxxxxxx
WD My Book Home Edition WDH1Cxxxxx
WD My Book Office Edition WDH1Bxxxxx

Note: While most USB hard drives and flash drives will work with the WD TV Live HD Media Player, we have done the majority of our testing using Western Digital hard drives. As a result we cannot guarantee compatibility with any specific third-party hard drives.

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Digital Storage Cameras/Camcorders:

Device Name Device Model
Aiptek Go-HD 720P Z5X2
Canon Powershot SD20
Canon Powershot SD1100 IS
Canon Vixia HG20
Casio Exilim EX-S770
Casio Exilim EX-Z1080
Samsung TL-100
Sony Cybershot DSC-W90
Sony HD HandyCam HDR-SR10

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Televisions:

Device Name Device Model
Sony Bravia KDL-46Z
Sharp LC-37A53M
Samsung LA32S81 32"
Samsung LN32A330
Samsung LN32A550
Samsung TXT3092/td>
Sharp LC-37A53M
Sharp LC32D64U
Toshiba 32AV500U
ASUS MK241

I have a Belkin F5D8053 N1 Wireless USB dongle. I'm considering getting this to try it as it is RT2870 based as the other Belkin adapters.

I tried the Trendnet TEW-644UB and one of the "tested" Linksys USB adapter, but always get the same result. Videos play for 3 to 5 minutes and then the WDTV LIve says it has lost its connection.

I have also tried 2 different wireless routers. One was my old Belkin G router and the other a new Trendnet N router. Both had the sames results.

During my tests, the WDTV live always had either 2 to 4 out of 4 bars for signal strength.

My conclusion so far is that the wireless part of the WDTV Live is just not reliable. Last night my son was sick a and we tired to watch a show in his room, but every couple minutes the thing would disconnect.

try getting any of the DD-WRT compatible routers and set it up as wireless bridge.
This way you avoid the possibility of buggy wireless setup on WD Live side(it is connected via WIRED to the wireless bridge) and the routers can be had for $25 sometimes.

try getting any of the DD-WRT compatible routers and set it up as wireless bridge.
This way you avoid the possibility of buggy wireless setup on WD Live side(it is connected via WIRED to the wireless bridge) and the routers can be had for $25 sometimes.

Is that like what people use for game consoles?

If so, what thruput speeds are you getting? I have a Belkin N+ gigaport router & the DLink DWA-140. When moving content from the external drive to my PC, I easily can hit above 4 MB/sec. But moving it from the PC to the external, I'm lucky to see 110kB/s. :eek:
Why the huge difference in transfer speeds? I've tried moving the dongle location around, changing channels etc, but if it can hit 4MB/s one way, it should be able to do better than 110kB/s the other way.

I've got the Linksys WUSB600N and it's working, but it loses it's connection every few minutes. I have to restart the WD to see my shares again.

A follow up:

I took the Linksys back. I emailed WD for help, no response yet.

After reading about how flaky wireless is for video streaming even when the WD recognizes the adapter, I decided to try a powerline network device.

The basic powerline devices out there are rated at 85 Mbs, but apparently in real world applications actually deliver in the 15 Mbs range -- too slow for HD streaming at 20-25 Mbs.

The next level of powerline devices offer 200 Mbs ratings, but deliver in the 35-50 Mbs range which should work for HD streams. The only problem is most of these devices cost in the $150 range at local retailers.

Powerline devices are also a bit hit or miss in terms of whether they will work at your house, as your home electric wiring setup determines how well they work. Therefore I didn't want to get one online and find out it doesn't work.

Went to the usual Office stores and Bestbuy and the costs were at the $150 mark. Then I stop into Target and find the Belkin AV powerline kit 200 Mbs for $99 -- much cheaper than I could find online.

Took it home, plugged it in (no real setup required). I have a strong connection. Streamed divx and vob files from my PC with no lags or dropouts. Will be trying HDDVD rips tonight, but it looks good.

I think I found a solution. Hope this helps someone.

jb

I've got the Linksys WUSB600N and it's working, but it loses it's connection every few minutes. I have to restart the WD to see my shares again.

I got the same, although no issues or network drops on my end.

A follow up:

I took the Linksys back. I emailed WD for help, no response yet.

After reading about how flaky wireless is for video streaming even when the WD recognizes the adapter, I decided to try a powerline network device.

The basic powerline devices out there are rated at 85 Mbs, but apparently in real world applications actually deliver in the 15 Mbs range -- too slow for HD streaming at 20-25 Mbs.

The next level of powerline devices offer 200 Mbs ratings, but deliver in the 35-50 Mbs range which should work for HD streams. The only problem is most of these devices cost in the $150 range at local retailers.

Powerline devices are also a bit hit or miss in terms of whether they will work at your house, as your home electric wiring setup determines how well they work. Therefore I didn't want to get one online and find out it doesn't work.

Went to the usual Office stores and Bestbuy and the costs were at the $150 mark. Then I stop into Target and find the Belkin AV powerline kit 200 Mbs for $99 -- much cheaper than I could find online.

Took it home, plugged it in (no real setup required). I have a strong connection. Streamed divx and vob files from my PC with no lags or dropouts. Will be trying HDDVD rips tonight, but it looks good.

I think I found a solution. Hope this helps someone.

jb

Sound like you are one of the lucky ones.
They don't sound very reliable in this testing, though the real key is if your intended network targets are on the same circuit in your home

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Powerline-Networking-Test,review-1333.html

Thanks, I read that review. The Toms Hardware review really does not dismiss powerline networking as a viable way to stream HD video. In fact they conclude that powerline networking works fine when streaming HD video from one source to one target -- like my experience.

If you want to be downloading big files and streaming video at the same time, it may not work so well, but my demands are much more simple than that. I want a stable connection that will reliably stream video to my WD Live. This seems to fit the bill.

Also, most reviews compare raw speed of wireless N with powerline but do not take into account the fact of multiple interference paths that make wireless N less reliable (i.e. glitches in data streams) than the powerline units.

Again, make sure to purchase your device from a place you can return it to because your wiring may not support a high-speed connection.

jb

I got the same, although no issues or network drops on my end.
I enabled all network shares in the Vista network center. This worked for me.

try getting any of the DD-WRT compatible routers and set it up as wireless bridge.
This way you avoid the possibility of buggy wireless setup on WD Live side(it is connected via WIRED to the wireless bridge) and the routers can be had for $25 sometimes.

I have tried this setup with two wrt54g routers with DD-WRT installed on both and one set up as a wireless bridge. With this setup I lose the network connection every 3-5 minutes like other people above have stated above.

I have also tried using a WUSB600 Linksys usb adapter and I am seeing the connection drop at the same 3-5 minute interval.

I am connecting to my windows home server as a network share, not streaming.

Another user of Linksys WUSB600N and I don't have any problems.

Maybe try power cycling the WDTV?
Or maybe the signal is not strong enough? Those usb adapters don't have "real" antennas, right?

Guys,
There is not a cheap and good solution to stream files without any issues?

I am very dissapointed, I believe that is firmware problem and not the wireless or routers adapters, what do you think?

i have netgear WN111 V2 wireless N adapter - it's not recognized by wd tv live. it looks like the firmware needs fixing. there's no cheap wireless solution for HD video at this time.

i have netgear WN111 V2 wireless N adapter - it's not recognized by wd tv live. it looks like the firmware needs fixing. there's no cheap wireless solution for HD video at this time.

Is it one of the models approved for use with the WDTVLive?

hmmmmm...doesn't appear to be the case.


The following devices have been tested and are compatible with the WD TV HD Live Media Player.
USB Wireless Cards:

Brand Model
Belkin F5D8051 V3100
Belkin F5D8055 v2
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300HP
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300N
Buffalo Buffalo WLI-UC-GN US
D-Link DWA-140 V1.30
EnGenius EUB-9701
Linksys WUSB100
Linksys WUSB600N V1
Trendnet TEW-644UB V1.0R
Trendnet TEW-645UB
Trendnet TEW-664UB V1.0R
Sitecom WL-329 V1 001

Since there is no way to install any drivers on the WDTVLive, you need to use an adapter that uses the driver set already embedded inside the unit. Hence, the approved listing.

Your particular problem is not a firmware issue, it is one of not doing some research.

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in purchasing the WD TV Live and was planning on getting a 1tb hard drive to use as portable storage for movies, pics etc.... I already have a WD elements 550gig hard drive connected to my PC but I don't want to be disconnecting this drive as it has computer stuff on it so its really more permanent. The elements drive has a ton of space on it still which got me thinking about the network side of the WD TV but I don't have a network socket near my TV so I thought hmmm wireless. I have never used dongles or wireless anything in my life and have no clue how it all works or even if I can do it...... which brings me here :)

Ok here is some info... Im connected to the net through adsl2 and I have the 2wire 2701HGV-W router... the 2wire is hardwired and I dont use it wireless to get the internet.

Soooo what I want to know is can I buy something that connects to the back of the WD TV LIVE ethernet socket that will get wireless information meaning movies etc I have stored on my elements hard drive on my PC??? If I can do this it would be so much more practical rather than connecting and disconnecting an ext hard drive and not to mention the savings on not having to purchase another ext hard drive.

I really don't know the first thing about wireless anything so detailed info would be great :)

One last question about the optical cable... I have a Samsung plasma and a Samsung bluray theater system... as far as I'm aware I only have one optical cable -in- on the tv which is being used from the theater optical cable -out-. so the question is where do I connect the optical cable -out- from the WD TV?

Thanks for reading guys and cheers :)

I can confirm that I have one of these wireless N3 Clipper cards hooked up, and it's working perfectly.

I bought it from rokland.com

The n3: 802.11n Wireless-N Long Range WiFi USB for Macs & PCs

It's under $40 U.S.

Complies with 802.11a, 11b, 11g, and 11n draft2.0
MIMO technology provides higher throughput and farther coverage.
Support 64/128-bit WEP Encryption, WPA, WPA2
Support Windows Vista/XP/2000, and Linux driver

Specifications:

* Data Rate
o 802.11b: 11 Mbps
o 802.11a/g: 54Mbps
o 802.11n: TX:150Mbps
o RX:300Mbps
* Data Modulation Type
o IEEE 802.11b: (DSSS), 5.5/11 Mbps (CCK), 2 Mbps (DQPSK), 1 Mbps (DBPSK)
o IEEE 802.11a/g: (OFDM), 48/54 Mbps(QAM-64), 24/36 Mbps (QAM-16), 12/18 Mbps (QPSK), 6/9Mbps (BPSK)
o IEEE 802.11n: (OFDM) QAM-64, QAM-16,QPSK, BPSK
* Output Power
o 11b: 25dbm @ 11Mbps
o 11g: 21dbm @ 54Mbps
o 11g/n: 18dBm @MCS7,HT20, 17dBm@MCS7,HT40
o 11a: 16dBm @ 54Mbps
o 11a/n: 13dBm @MCS7,HT20, 13dBm@MCS7,HT40
* Sensitivity
o 11b: -87dBm@11Mbps
o 11g: -74dBm@54Mbps -
o 11g/n: -71dBm@HT20,MCS7, -66dBm@HT40,MCS7
o 11a: -74dBm@54Mbps
o 11a/n: -70dBm@HT20,MCS7, -66dBm@HT40,MCS7
* Current Consumption
o RX: 300mA
o TX:11b:730mA@11Mbps,25dBm, 11g:440mA@54Mbps,21dBm, 11g/n:400mA@65Mbps,18dBm
o 11a:380mA@54Mbps,16dBm, 11a/n:350mA@65Mbps,13dBm

Certificate:

* CE
* FCC

I have both a Linksys Powerline adapter setup and a wireless N setup. I use the wireless to stream video because the Powerline is simply not fast enough (I have a Gigabit router on the way to see if that doesn't help the problem). I went out and bought a Belkin F5D8055 v2 N dongle to use. I found that it just didn't seem to have the range I needed. I dug out an old Zonet ZEW2542 I had laying around and tried it. It works great!

So my set up is the Zonet wireless to a D-Link DI-655 connected to my Dell Quad Core and an HP MediaSmart Server LX195 (and a laptop wireless G to the router). I had to go into my router and reserve an IP address for the WDTV Live, then set my firewall up to receive all hosts on both my laptop and my Dell. Now I can stream about anything under the sun to the WDTV.

I do have a problem sometimes streaming Hulu, but I think that is a problem losing the internet connect to Hulu from my desktop, not losing connection from WDTV to the router/desktop. At least I do not get the "no network connection" (or whatever it says) error message.

I cannot say how m2ts files ripped from Bluray work because I don't have any right now. I will grab one tomorrow and rip it and see if the raw (uncompressed) files will stream properly.

Hello, I have proved the wifi Linksys WUSB600N V2 (Really the supported one is Linksys WUSB600N V1) initially it was leaving me to look for the networks, and to put the key, but it was not connecting not receiving Ip, the following day when putting the key the Wdtv live was restarting me, and to the following day, was restarted only in spite of looking for the wifi, this has happened to you at some time? It can be a fault of the Wd or is of the wifi for being V2 instead of V1???



Thank you.

I got this WD media player 2 days ago and also got a linksys wusb100 (approved tested) and this linksys wusb100 does not work at all. The media player does not even read it or knows i plugged this adapter. I talked to tech support for WD and they dont seem like they know much about this. The tech guy told me the media player is defective so am planning on returning it but after reading this thread now am thinking its the linksys USB adapter which is the problem not the media player. I am so confused now. Please help which wireless USB adapter should i get. I have linksys WRT54GS so I thought I should buy linksys adapter but now i will buy anything that works.

I have the DLink DWA-140 & that worked
And again remember, the WD box is set up to use N protocol, so not sure if you will be happy with the G router speeds.

I have a trendnet tew-672gr and a trendnet USB N adapter from the list. My WD live shows up tomorrow, so we will see how it goes. From what I heard, everything that is streaming media should have a static IP on your network. WD LIve, NAS, Windows desktop (Vista, XP, 7, etc) I have ripped down quite a few DVDs to my new WD 1tb NAS drive pulled into the my gig port on the router. Hopefully this all works! If not, I will have a great "bundle" for someone to buy. ha.

To stream and play MKV files between 8GB to 15 GB what is the best method that does not cause any delays when watching the movies?

Is it one of the models approved for use with the WDTVLive?

hmmmmm...doesn't appear to be the case.


The following devices have been tested and are compatible with the WD TV HD Live Media Player.
USB Wireless Cards:

Brand Model
Belkin F5D8051 V3100
Belkin F5D8055 v2
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300HP
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300N
Buffalo Buffalo WLI-UC-GN US
D-Link DWA-140 V1.30
EnGenius EUB-9701
Linksys WUSB100
Linksys WUSB600N V1
Trendnet TEW-644UB V1.0R
Trendnet TEW-645UB
Trendnet TEW-664UB V1.0R
Sitecom WL-329 V1 001

Since there is no way to install any drivers on the WDTVLive, you need to use an adapter that uses the driver set already embedded inside the unit. Hence, the approved listing.

Your particular problem is not a firmware issue, it is one of not doing some research.


Tested Airlink 6075 and Rosewill N150UBE (Newegg house brand) and both worked with my WD Live. Not well, but that wasn't the adapter's fault. Each is about $10, but the Rosewill has an external antenna.

High power USB WiFi adapter is easy to use, plug & play.you can try the wifly-city wireless adapter.