Although chopping the cable TV wire can prevent cash, it additionally includes extra potential factors of failure.
With cable or satellite tv for pc TV, a technician hooks up certainly one of their firm’s set-top bins, which in flip connects to your TV, and it typically simply works. With streaming video, it’s essential to account for web velocity, Wi-Fi connectivity, the capabilities of your streaming gadget, and your particular person streaming providers, which have their very own distinctive set of reliability points.
All of this makes troubleshooting extra sophisticated should you run into issues corresponding to buffering or poor video high quality. Instead of making an attempt options willy-nilly, it’s finest to stroll by way of a sequence of particular steps to isolate the supply of the issue. Consider this your final step-by-step information to coping with buffering and different streaming-video points:
Before you begin new routers, run one other velocity take a look at inside just a few toes of your present router. If speeds are significantly improved, which means wi-fi vary or interference may very well be the difficulty, and you must try TechHive’s suggestions for extending the vary of your present Wi-Fi community earlier than splurging on a brand new router. Speeds that stay a lot decrease than what you’re paying for, even in shut proximity to your router, recommend that your router’s know-how is outdated and wishes alternative. A mesh system, corresponding to these advisable in TechHive’s router overview roundup, will do a high-quality job of blanketing your house with Wi-Fi.
Step 6: Consider a brand new streaming gadget
We’ve now dominated out issues together with your particular person streaming providers, your web speeds, and connection energy. At this level, you may wish to strive upgrading to a brand new Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV gadget, or Chromecast, particularly if the one you’re utilizing is quite a lot of years outdated. Perhaps you’ve gotten unfortunate with some defective {hardware}, or possibly your new streaming service simply received’t play good together with your older gadget. Check out our information to one of the best streaming gadgets, after which deal with your self to an improve after a tough day’s price of troubleshooting.
Still having issues? Shoot me an e-mail or say hello on Twitter, and I’ll do my finest to assist.
Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly publication to get this column and different cord-cutting information, insights, and offers delivered to your inbox.