As human beings, our hunger for entertainment and media never ends. Online streaming platforms keep us on the TAB with recent events and entertain us. With the proliferation of streaming services, the variety in format of media has increased. Some services might need greater internet strain than others. As a viewer, we all have experienced low resolution, buffering and lagging. This can ruin all the fun of your favorite TV show and this is frustrating. Anyone who is a regular online user understands this.
To help you have the best video streaming experience, this post suggests some changes you can implement. But first let me tell you about the CPS Test where you can analyze your click speed. If you are gamer you can check your speed here.
Cut Off the Competition
How many devices are connected to your Home wifi Network? While watching Netflix or other streaming services, a shared wifi network can be a problem. Using more devices on the same network puts strain on bandwidth. If someone else in your house is torrenting or using VOD services that mean, your bandwidth is going haywire. The first step should be finding the device which is slowing your Internet Connection.
Are there Intruders?
Remember, the culprit outside your house can be the bigger issue. If your Wi-Fi connection is lacking on the security part, your neighbor can go piggybank on bandwidth. Depending upon the router you are using, you can find the Intruder device through wifi settings. Here's a quick guide:
- Note down the Mac Address of Your devices.
- Open Your router’s web interface. For this, you need to put your router’s default IP address in the address bar of your Web browser. You can find your default router IP on google.
- Now, Look for the Options “connected devices,” or “DHCP clients” or “attached devices.” You can find it under status TAB. For some routers, these options can be different. Here you can find all the connected devices.
- Block all the MAC addresses which don't match your device.
Here we are attaching the screenshots of D-link, Netgear, Linksys & Xfinity router's web interface.
Ethernet Cable, Try Going Old School
No doubt, a wireless connection is the need of the hour, but cables can get you the best performance. A direct-wired connection through Ethernet Cable between your router and device can make all the difference. Ethernet cables like Cat 7 can support a phenomenal speed of 10Gbps.
Due to technological wifi limitations, a Wifi connection isn't as fast as cables and can suffer interference. Using cables might not add aesthetic but surely it will enhance your VOD service streaming.
Wifi Channels! Changing it Can do Wonders
Every Wifi Connection works on a specific channel. The standard wifi frequency 2.4Ghz has default channel 6. This makes it the congested Wi-Fi channel and in high-density areas can cause interference. You can use alternate channels for 2.4GHz frequency.
Here's How you can do it:
- Login into your Router's Web Interface.
- Go to Wireless Settings (this option's name & location depends upon your Router brand and model)
- Now find the menu for Channels drop-down, from here you can change the channel. For your reference, we have attached the screenshot of the TP-LINK router channel setting:
Clean Temp Files
This might sound weird, but the digital clutter of those temporary files can slow down your video streaming experience.
Upgrade Your Router
You could have a fast Internet plan from your ISP but what if your Router doesn't have the capability to meet that speed? For many years Routers have used the DOCSIS 3.0 technology that bottleneck about 150Mbps. But routers with DOCSIS 3.1 technology can give a faster speed. DOCSIS 3.1 increase the available spectrum. These router can be your best choice.
Conclusion
The aim of this article is you don't have to make your blood run cold over buffered video streaming. The best part is, most of these options are free of cost or very affordable.
But yes, there is always one option left: Upgrading the Internet Connection.