I generally agree with the complaints identified here. I too "owned" a Netgear wireless router, 2.4 GHz model. I always "direct connect" or "hard wire" the LG Blu-Ray player to the router, so as to generally avoid "flooding" my wireless arena with Netflix "streaming video". Never, ever had a problem with Netflix, never, ever had to do "anything special" to cause the Netgear to "play" with the LG unit.
And, like others here, I did my research, and carefully chose a "dual channel" "A/B/G/N" wireless router. The DIR-855 seemed a perfect unit for the job. Until the LG unit was wired up to it. And I've had nothing but grief ever since. The DIR-855 works well on the wireless channels to all known computing equipment, including older "A/B" wireless games, "G/N" computing equipment by HP, Dell, and Apple, desktop built-in wireless, and add-on DLink and Netgear wireless PCI/PCIe cards running both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz.
But NO GO on the Netflix streaming video.
DLink technical support yielded to me the usual "idiot" suggestions: "cycle power", "firmware revision", "reload firmware", "reconfigure network", blah blah blah.
Netflix technical support yielded to me an utterly clueless suggestion: "decommission the magic number" and "new magic number".
Throughout all this, I have experienced the exact same symptoms as you all others have. Missing Netflix "icons" (empty icons), yet the "instant queue" choices are visible. Once in awhile and for no obvious reason, a movie will play. After "getting" it to "work" it will "work" once and then not again for hours, or days, or never.
Ok. So DLink refuses to recognize THEY have a problem here. A problem that will cause the "non technical user" to FLEE the DLink product line, and migrate rapidly to Netgear or somebody else. Not even a recognition, or an admission, that THEIR product ISN'T WORKING WITH NETFLIX.
How do "I" know this? Um, guys, gals, this was an easy kill. I simply "wired" the LG player DIRECTLY to the modem. POOF! All problems SOLVED. Movies plow in at my full 28,000,000 bps rate, all icons are visible, every time, all the time.
Re-insert the DLink router, connect the local LAN port via a DIRECT WIRE to the LG player, and SCREECH! Back to NO NETFLIX.
C'mon you guys. Millions of folks use Netflix. You can't possibly be "un-aware" of this customer malfunction, can you? Surely, LOTS of folks are complaining. Just search the Internet, etc. Get with it, and fix your software/firmware so Netflix is seamless.
I tried all the "voodoo doll" suggestions posted here as well. NOBODY has found the ROOT cause of this; so I'm entirely certain it's a DLink product problem with the DIR-855. (I'm using DIR-655 information to resolve my problem with Netflix, because there's even LESS information available about this Netflix interface problem with the DIR-855.)
The "DMZ" thing - DOES'T work.
Turning off all the security options - DOESN'T WORK - in fact, it actually "breaks" server connections to services such as Amazon, etc.
Reloading firmware - DOESN'T work.
Multicast options, fragmentation, static IP, etc etc - DOESN'T work!
Egad! Then, I discovered this amazing, cryptic suggestion for using this "mysterious" DNS service.
POOF! That, actually works!
Here's my DIR-855 solution, re-quoted for the DLink engineering team to chew, analyze, and incorporate into a NEW FIRMWARE version for the DIR-855 that FOREVER and FOREVER eliminates this problem with Netflix.
In the meantime, those of you with DIR-855 can use the following
(reference http://rhftech.com/blog/2009/05/lg-bd370-blu-ray-player-connects-to-the-internet-finally/)
DIR-855 router setup:
Setup, Internet, Manual
DHCP ... TYPE
Primary 208.67.222.222
Secondary 208.67.222.220
Setup, Network, Add DHCP Reservation
Enable fixed IP address for LG unit; e.g. 192.168.0.100
I also have these DIR-855 settings, which apparently did not matter, and probably don't, but I've included them here just so you know: Advanced, Port Forwarding, 80, 443, 32768, to the LG player at the fixed IP address, and Advanced, Firewall, DMZ Enable [X], to the same fixed IP as specified in DIR-855, e.g. 192.168.0.100.
Using LG Player model HP 954 (with Blu-ray and Netflix, multifunction):
Setup, Network
IP Mode Static
IP Setting
IP Address <same fixed IP as specified in DIR-855, e.g. 192.168.0.100>
Subnet <same subnet as DIR-855 IP Address, probably 192.168.0.1>
Gateway <IP address of DIR-855, probably 255.255.255.0>
DNS 208.67.222.222
Reboot the DIR-855.
Cycle power on the LG player.
Why does this "hack" actually cause Netflix to "work"?
That's the puzzle for you DLink engineers to discover!
Good luck, my friends, and next time I'd probably return this unit for a refund, as (probably) thousands of other "naive" folks have already done. If you want to make money, get your Netflix interface working seamlessly!
Thank you,
Timothy Frank
timothy.frank@toast.net
Phoenix, Arizona