Set it to Auto and you’ll get high quality if your connection can handle it, anyway.The default method for Amazon Fire Stick to connect to your network is WiFi. If you set it to High, Netflix may need to buffer videos before you play them if your connection is slow. Auto is the best option-you’ll get the best possible video quality. You’ll then be able to choose Low, Medium, High, or Auto. On Netflix, you can visit the Your Account page and click “Playback Settings” under My Profile. If you immediately choose a high setting when videos start playing and your connection isn’t fast enough, the video will have to buffer first. On YouTube, the automatic setting in the lower right-hand corner of a video helps ensure that it doesn’t buffer. If you do see buffering messages, you may have configured the service to always choose high video quality levels that your connection isn’t fast enough to handle. That’s why video quality sometimes decreases when your internet is slow or saturated-the service is choosing to provide you with lower video quality rather than freeze the video and wait to buffer. However, these services are all set to automatically provide you with the optimal quality setting depending on your connection. It’s possible to dig into the settings on many different services, including YouTube and Netflix, and choose your desired quality setting. Configure Streaming Settings on YouTube, Netflix, and Other Services QoS would allow you to prioritize streaming video traffic and deprioritize other tips of traffic, making your router automatically slow traffic you deem less important. You could even try setting up Quality of Service on your router, if your router offers it.
RELATED: How to Use Quality of Service (QoS) to Get Faster Internet When You Really Need It Ensure none of your devices are doing heavy downloading or streaming, which can saturate your connection.
But in some cases, even a fast internet plan and a wired connection won’t solve buffering problems–and that’s usually a result of you overloading the connection.įor example, someone else in your house may also be trying to stream on another TV, or you may be maxing out your connection with BitTorrent downloads, large PC game downloads, or other heavy activity on another PC.
Ensure You Aren’t Maxing Out Your Connectionįor most people, the above tips should do wonders.
There shouldn’t even be any software setup involved–the device should notice and use the Ethernet connection automatically, and you’ll hopefully see a noticeable increase in quality and speed. If a device does have an Ethernet port, you can connect it to one of the ports on the back of your router with an Ethernet cable. It’s easy to go straight for Wi-Fi when setting these devices up, but Wi-Fi is rarely the best option when it comes to speed and reliability. If you can, consider connecting your streaming device directly to your router with an Ethernet cable. Improving your Wi-Fi is useful, but is a big hassle–and just isn’t easy in some houses.
If your streaming devices support new Wi-Fi standards but your router doesn’t, you won’t get the benefits of them until you upgrade that router. If you have an older router, consider upgrading your router to a new one that supports the latest, fastest Wi-Fi standards.
Check out our full guide to improving your Wi-Fi for more tips in this arena. If it’s on the other side of the house, consider moving your modem and router closer to the living room, where your streaming devices are. Position your router in a place where walls, metal objects, and equipment won’t block or interfere with its signal. If, after running the above tests, you find that your Wi-Fi network is to blame, it’s time to go to work. There are many different ways to improve your Wi-Fi connection and reduce interference. RELATED: How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference If you get poor speeds even when wired up, though, you’ll want to contact your internet provider’s customer service and find out why you aren’t getting the speeds you pay for. If it shows better speeds, your Wi-Fi network may be to blame (see below). Maybe your Wi-Fi network isn’t very strong in that room–try connecting your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable and running the test again. If you know you pay for a faster connection than what you’re getting, there could be a few issues at play. You may be able to contact your Internet service provider and pay more for a faster Internet connection-or switch to another Internet service provider that provides one. If the tools say your connection is slower than that, your connection speed may just be too slow for streaming video.