IPTV Tutorials How TOs... Tutorial Videos... ALL for FREE By ExYU Team Freedom over censorship truth over narrative.

IPTV Tutorials How TOs... Tutorial Videos... ALL for FREE By ExYU Team Freedom over censorship truth over narrative.

• The server that is providing the streaming content
• Your home’s internet connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• The WiFi connection from your router to your devices

• 480p – 5 Mbps
• 720p –  8 Mbps
• 1080p – 15 Mbps
• 4k – 45 Mbps

• 802.11b – 8 Mbps
• 802.11a/g – 54 Mbps
• 802.11n – 300 Mbps
• 802.11ac – 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps)

The good news is, there are a lot more things you can do to improve your WiFi connection as opposed to issues with the streaming server or your ISP connection. Follow the steps below to speed up your WiFi for streaming and say goodbye to buffering videos.

• Our top picks for best WiFi routers for streaming

More recent wireless routers allow you to activate a second band on top of the 2.4 GHz band that has been used for many years. This has two advantages:

• The 5Ghz band experiences a lot less noise than the crowded 2.4Ghz spectrum. Bluetooth, microwaves and many wireless devices such as keyboards and mice all broadcast over 2.4 Ghz. Your WiFi signal, therefore, competes with all of these devices resulting in bad signal reception and reduced speed. By using the 5Ghz band you are sharing the over-the-air data highway with fewer other devices. Additionally, 2.4Ghz wireless networks are more common, adding to wireless congestion.

•  Devices transmit data much faster on the 5Ghz frequencies. It has 23 non-overlapping channels vs. only 3 in the 2.4 GHz band. Also, many transmission technologies aimed at increasing data throughput are only available on the 5Ghz band.

However, there is one major downside to using the higher frequency band. Its range is shorter than 2.4Ghz signals and is unable to penetrate solid objects nearly as well. More recent routers, however, are able to mitigate this to some degree using advanced features such as beamforming.

Assuming signal strength is not going to be an issue, using the higher frequency results in a significant boost to your connection speed. To enable the 5Ghz band on your router, you need to connect to its control panel, in many cases reachable via your browser at http://192.168.1.1. Visit your router manufacturer’s website for detailed instructions for your specific model.

As mentioned before, only newer models provide 5 Ghz support. In case your wireless router does not allow you to make use of the higher band, consider upgrading your router to one of the latest models that guarantee better signal coverage and higher speeds.

Your WiFi channel is closely related to the band your router uses. Each band consists of multiple channels within its frequency. A wireless router does not use all of these channels. It actually uses a specific channel, which may overlap with other nearby channels in the spectrum.

The problem is, when many wireless networks use the same channel or channels that are close to each other, the signal degrades due to interference. Take a look at the screenshot above of all the networks broadcasting on the 2.4 Ghz band. Channels 6 and 11 are full of competing wireless networks, ultimately slowing each other down. Wireless network Telus1087, on the other hand, is using channel 1 exclusively and therefore has to cope with much less interference than all the other WiFi signals around it.

So you’ve tried switching to 5Ghz and switching to a less crowded channel but still facing stuttering videos? Try these 3 tips to improve signal strength:

• Router placement: No one likes the sight of a blinking wireless router. However, tucking it away in a cabinet may have a big impact on signal strength. When finding the perfect spot for your router, keep in mind that walls and other obstructions weaken coverage significantly. Also, other devices such as microwaves and other electric appliances create interference that slows down your WiFi network. Ideally, place your router in an elevated open space to maximize coverage.

• Antenna positioning: Ensure your router’s external antennas are unobstructed and orient them vertically.

• Replace antennas: Adding an external antenna to a wireless router that only uses internal ones is another great and cost-effective way to bump up WiFi coverage. Look for “high-gain” external antennas and consider getting a directional one This allows you to aim the signal at your actual weak spots.

All devices that connect to the internet through your router are continuously battling for bandwidth. One device might be browsing the web, the other streaming videos on YouTube and a third downloading software. All of these are allowed the same bandwidth (a third of the network’s total bandwidth) despite having very differing requirements. A slower download will have less of an impact than a slower stream resulting in buffering.

Many wireless routers allow you to use features that prioritize the transmission of certain content types over others. The more basic QoS (Quality of Service) is usually configured manually. We won’t cover how you go about configuring QoS to optimize video streaming due to different implementations in most routers.

Luckily, routers have implemented a standard called WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia). It is designed to improve audio, video and voice data over wireless networks. Many users experience buffer-free video streaming on previously problematic wireless networks using WMM. You should definitely give this a try. Check your router’s documentation for instructions for your specific model.

Even the best router’s signal range is limited. You might live in a palace or your router’s signal has to overcome many walls. Whatever the reason, your signal is too weak and your WiFi speed is adversely impacted. In this case, you have the option to place a wireless range extender between your network’s weak spot and the WiFi router. Sometimes these are also known as wireless repeaters or WiFi expanders. These devices act as intermediaries, passing on the data transmission by rebroadcasting the WiFi signal and boosting wireless coverage.

You can pick up any range extender brand, regardless of what make your router is. However, do ensure that you get one that is capable of broadcasting the same signal, i.e. do not add a 802.11n extender to a network using 802.11ac. A popular choice is the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi Range Extender (EX7000), which looks very similar to a normal wireless router. A hugely popular alternative that plugs directly into your power outlet is the TP-Link AC1750 WiFi Range Extender (RE450).

As a rule of thumb, you should upgrade your router every couple of years. Manufacturers invest a lot of time and money to increase the performance and add new features to WiFi routers due to their popularity. The whole industry continuously works on and implements new standards for all WiFi devices to address common issues and downfalls of wireless data transmission. Your new phone might already support these new technologies but is unable to benefit from them as your router is outdated.

Finally, another thing that you should always consider, regardless of bad WiFi reception or choppy video playback, is security. Unknown to you, there might be more devices or applications using your WiFi connection than you thought.

Always protect your wireless network with a strong password using WPA-PSK. Networks using WEP password encryption are easily broken into. Not only can others use up a good chunk of your bandwidth when your network is not secure. They can also eavesdrop on your communication and sniff out passwords to websites. Don’t take any risk here and choose a password that is long and difficult to guess.

Also, install premium anti-virus software to keep others off your devices. You don’t want your home internet connection to end up being part of a botnet that is used to carry out attacks against remote targets. If your network is experiencing inexplicably slow speed and you tried all other steps outlined in this post, do a deep scan of all your devices to ensure no viruses or other types of malware are using your bandwidth for illegal purposes.

This is the point where you concede defeat. You tried everything and there might simply be factors outside of your power that slow your streams down. You have two final options before giving up on that sweet HD video content:

• Reconsider running a wired connection from your device to your router
• Buy a pair of powerline network adapters

Powerline adapters are small devices that plug into your power outlet and use your power wiring as a means to transport data. They are not without their flaws but certainly beat wireless networks with respect to connection stability and reliability.

Last but not least, if all else fails, you will have no choice but to lower the required bandwidth of your stream. Change from Full HD to 720p or switch to an alternate streaming service with higher compression to reduce the strain that streaming puts on your home network.

• Update your router’s firmware: Manufacturers constantly release software improvements to their existing router models to get rid of bugs and improve overall performance. Don’t expect huge gains, but you might just get lucky.

• Reboot your modem and router: Sometimes troubleshooting is as easy as rebooting your device to free up cache and clear up issues with its performance.