Today, around half of the households in the US possess at least one live streaming services media device such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, or Apple TV, and the number is predicted to increase significantly parallel to the already growing trend of cord-cutting.
Being able to binge-watch your favorite content on the TV screens without having to wait for the commercials to pass, slowdowns, or unnecessary pauses aka buffering. The cord-cutters also need to assure that their TV streaming set-up is functioning at top performance.
In this article, we are going to discuss how to learn and ensure that the quality of the Wi-Fi signal coming to the streaming devices is fine. But before that you need to check that your internet service provider has not any issues at their end. Make sure to call Spectrum customer service phone number (if you have subscribed it) to ensure that everything is okay on their end.
Habitually, cord-cutters give most of their attention to the external factors like the speed of the internet mentioned on the package and comparing it with the one they are getting, however, the real game is when you check the hardware installed at your place i.e. streaming device(s) and router – they are equally important.
Once you hit the “play” button on your Fire TV, Roku or Apple TV device, it will wait unless it gets the initial few batches of segments or (also called packets) of the video so it can start playing the content on the TV screens.
If the network is speedy enough, the video chunks of that file are going to get to the devices in a timely manner for the playback to work smoothly. However, if the network is extremely slow, the other batches of the packets might not arrive in a timely manner. In such scenarios, the video will take it time by causing unwanted pauses and wait till it gets there – which is also called buffering in other words.
In case the Wi-Fi network is weak, some of the packets or may the entire segments could be lost between the routers and the streaming devices. This could cause the video content to either move forward immediately or might stop playing totally.
How the strength of the Wi-Fi signals could be checked on media TV Streaming devices
If your experience with cutting the cords is occasionally interrupted through the stammering video or buffering, here is the list on how to easily check the signal quality of your Wi-Fi on your preferred media streaming stick or box.
On Roku:
Tap the HOME button and go to the SETTINGS – NETWORKS – ABOUT. The strength of a wireless signal would be reported as Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.
On Amazon Fire TV:
Go to the HOME button and press it and select SETTINGS – NETWORK – PLAY to learn the status network. The strength of the wireless signal’s status would be reported as Very Good, Good, Fair, or Marginal.
On Apple TV:
Go to the MENU button and navigate the SETTINGS – NETWORK. The status of the wireless signal’s strength with five dots filled.
How To Fix The Poor Quality Wi-Fi Signals.
- Relocate the router to improve the signal quality.
If the router is placed in an opposite direction of your house or workplace or is not on the same floor where it has been utilized the mots, the signals coming from the Wi-Fi might not be as strong due to the reach it gets on your TV, streaming and other devices that use the internet to function.
- Upgrade the router to improve the speed.
If the Wi-Fi router is older than 5 years or more, it sure needs to be replaced with an updated router to perform better. Also, it may without you even realizing it is keeping you away from getting the maximum amount of delivered internet speed. Wi-Fi routers designed with technically advanced features and better range coverage.
- Switch Wi-Fi frequencies to optimize the set-up
Almost all the latest Wi-Fi routers can function on two frequencies. If you switch the network of the streaming device to the 5GHz band, it can deliver a faster and steady streaming service. Though it comes with a restricted range, then if the distance is causing the issue, it can function without a 2.4 GHz band.
- Upgrade the Streaming Device to improve Wi-Fi reception
Looking for an excuse to upgrade your Fire TV or Roku? Then this is the right time to get a better, latest and high-end model of your streaming device to deliver a fast and better version of chips in the Wi-Fi. For areas where the Wi-Fi coverage is weak, you should consider getting an HDMI extended to fix that situation. The extender can support the device from the back-end, through the streaming stick or maybe the device in “box-style” which can have a relatively powerful receptor for the Wi-Fi signals.
