With millions ditching cable and turning to streaming, the industry is booming. If buffering interrupts your streaming, discover how to enhance your viewing experience. We've all experienced it. Streaming a show on your TV, Hulu keeps buffering. You switch to Netflix, but it's slow. Amazon Prime, Disney+, and even YouTube TV disappoint with pixelated pictures and poor streaming quality. It's time to put an end to this frustration. Want to enhance your video streaming experience? It begins with your internet connection.

How to get better streaming quality

Experiencing lag or buffering during your TV show or movie streams is often due to your Wi-Fi connection. Unlike cable TV, streaming relies entirely on your internet connection to deliver video content. If your connection lacks the necessary speed to support the required bandwidth for streaming, it can lead to issues like buffering.

Upgrade your internet connection

Begin by examining your internet speed and comparing it with the speed necessary for smooth streaming. Most streaming services recommend a minimum of 15 – 25 Mbps for high-quality video streaming. However, you must also factor in the number of streaming services you use and the devices connected to your home network.
While a 100 Mbps plan might suffice if you live alone with just a few devices connected, you'll need to upgrade to a significantly faster plan if multiple people in your household have multiple devices connected to the home network simultaneously.

Upgrade your equipment

Another common reason for streaming issues could be outdated equipment. Even if you have a high-speed internet connection, if your devices can't handle those speeds, you won't be able to fully utilize what you're paying for. Make sure your modem, router, or gateway device is current and capable of supporting the speeds specified in your internet plan. If they aren't, upgrading your equipment is essential. This upgrade will bring you closer to accessing the speeds you're paying for. Explore our recommended routers, modems, and gateways to optimize your internet connection.

Additional Suggestions for Enhancing Your Streaming Experience

1.  Try restarting the streaming service. Log out and fully close the program. Also, consider rebooting the devices you're using to run it
2.  Try rebooting your home network.
3.  Place your Wi-Fi hub and router in an ideal location—somewhere central, open, and free from obstructions.
4.  Prioritize your streaming by removing some devices from the network. Politely ask others to temporarily disconnect, allowing you to dedicate the bandwidth solely to your streaming needs
5.  Turn off your VPN. Using a virtual private network reroutes your connection, potentially causing lag in the process
6.  Consider changing your DNS server. Occasionally, third-party DNS servers offer faster performance than the default ones. Here's a list of free DNS servers you can experiment with
7.  Consider upgrading your hardware, which could involve your router, Wi-Fi hub, smart TV, streaming device, or any equipment you use for Netflix and Hulu.
8.  Consider upgrading your internet connection if you have a lot of connected devices. Fiber internet generally provides the fastest speeds
9.  Upgrade your internet plan, especially if you regularly hit your data cap. Ask for more bandwidth.