Apple

First wired is always better and you can get creative with how to do it. Don’t give up on it.

I was just at my in laws and they were having problems streaming from my Plex server. Ran a wire and no more problems. I can’t explain it because the ATV was in the same room as the WAP. But hours of troubleshooting and a $7 cord fixed it.

But yes, 6e/7 could help because it opens 6 GHz, which will help with neighbor interference. No idea on that roadmap though. Is it rumored? It may not be worth waiting for. ATV has never been bleeding edge and Apple is early in its 6e adoption. I would definitely say it’s desirable though for a wireless ATV.

Steam Link is always going to be better wired. Everytime.

I used to live across from a building that was concave. I could literally see about 100 Wi-Fi networks because of it and I never had issues with my AppleTv or anything wireless for that matter. I’d try changing channels first to see if that helps.

The higher the GHZ, the less it penetrates walls. So depending on where the AP and the Apple TV are will start mattering more.

The Apple TV wouldn’t benefit from any further 802.11 upgrades. WiFi 6 is already too fast for what the device is for… streaming. Media streaming averages are 5-15Mbps for your typical apps (Netflix, Hulu, etc). TV+ streams higher than all other providers… around 25-35Mbps. That being said, the Ookla Speedtest app on my Apple TV shows I get nearly 500Mbps over WiFi. So I literally always have a minimum of 400Mbps to spare… upgrading to WiFi 6e, 7, or hell, 10 will yield absolutely no performance benefits for a streaming device.

For anyone who does experience buffering on their Apple TV… buy a decent router and don’t set it up in the closet on the opposite side of the house.

May I know your internet connection speed?

I don’t think you’d see a difference. Know that 6Ghz doesn’t penetrate walls well or spread that far. I only see higher speeds when I’m in the same room as my router on my 6Ghz compatible iPhone. If the router is in the same room as your Apple TV, you could probably already run Ethernet.

Ethernet is the way to go. What most people don't take into consideration is that all radio spectrum, i.e. wifi, is a shared medium, shared with other wifi networks and non-wifi appliances, microwaves, and who knows what else.

Will make zero difference

Keep the box, keep the protective film on, when the new one comes out, just flip it. You can probably get 85% back.