How Slow Internet Affects Your Streaming

Do you enjoy watching movies and shows online? A slow internet connection can affect your streaming experience.

A slow internet connection upsets online activities in your household. According to a study, such internet speeds affect the quality of online meetings, classes, and streaming. Slower productivity stresses you significantly. Luckily, there are several ways to fix this problem and enjoy your online shows. 

Is Your Internet Connection Fast Enough To Stream?

A fast download speed is vital for streaming your shows. The correct streaming bandwidth for movies for one user at a time is at least 5mbps. Most streaming services require a minimum speed of 18mbps to stream 4K videos. For instance, Netflix needs 25mbps. This means that an average household needs 30 to 50mbps speeds for its multiple streamers.

In the U.S., the internet averages upload speeds of 32mbps and download speeds of 95mbps. Find out if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers the speed you pay for on your subscription. Use sites like Speedtest to determine the speed of your internet connection. 

What’s Slowing Down Your Internet?

Throttling and Bandwith Caps

A low-cost internet subscription is inadequate for daily internet activities like streaming shows through VPNs, smart home devices, virtual lessons, etc. Research shows that most ISPs have data caps and once you’ve used up your assigned data, they throttle or slow down your internet speeds. If your bandwidth doesn’t support your internet needs, upgrade your WIFI connection. 

Your router’s location

A traditional router manages internet traffic through one access point. It has higher chances of slow speeds, drops, and connection problems, especially as you move further away from it. It’s ideal for people who need high-speed connectivity for gaming, streaming, and work-intensive applications.  You can buy a WIFI extender to improve its signal strength. Remove objects like microwaves, placed around routers because they obstruct connections. Disconnect unnecessary devices. 

You can also opt for a mesh network. This alternative includes a hub that transmits connections to nodes placed in different rooms in a house. Instead of connecting to a single router, your device connects to the closest node. However, mesh networks trade internet speeds for connectivity, so choose a router that suits your needs.

Read Also : How to Build an Audience for Your Live Streaming channel

Your old and outdated devices

An old device may not process today’s internet speeds accordingly. Try to update your old device’s software, clear storage, install an antivirus, and close apps/sites to improve data speeds. Before an upgrade, you can reset your router. Unplug it, leave it off for 10 to 30 seconds, and restart to reset it. Also, you can update your router’s software. 

Your ISP network is crowded

Internet speeds may slow down at peak times like evenings when everyone in your area is online at the same time. The ISP may also throttle speeds to decrease traffic. Stream and download your shows during off-peak hours. You can also opt for an ISP that uses a fiber connection because it carries supports high data connectivity despite high traffic.

Your VPN is slow

VPNs disguise IP addresses and enhance your online security. They encrypt your data and bounce it off several servers. This technique slows down your internet performance.  A speed test can show you a VPNs ping time and the lag in connections across different regions. Connect to a different VPN server to compare internet speeds. Lastly, you can upgrade to a premium VPN to circumvent your ISP’s throttling tactics.

How To Stream Movies Despite A Slow Connection

Sometimes your streaming speeds are slow despite a high-speed internet connection. On the other hand, you may not afford to upgrade your internet subscription to a faster service. Nonetheless, the following tips help you to watch your shows;

• Manually reduce your shows’ resolution in the settings of your streaming platform to stop playback problems.
• Look for devices that hog data and log them out. Pause lengthy software updates and downloads to increase WIFI speeds.
• Hit pause and play videos quickly and wait for your show to buffer or reload it.
• Download your favorite shows and movies on free sites like The Pirate Bay. At least you can skip the endless buffers of streaming sites.

Conclusion

A slow internet connection affects the quality of your streaming. Several factors like bandwidth caps reduce internet speeds. You can fix these problems or use certain hacks to stream your shows regardless of your internet speeds.