Cable and satellite companies are losing millions of subscribers a year to streaming services that let users watch what they want to watch when they want to watch it. Users of streaming services such at Netflix and Hulu often like to binge on old favorites or new releases by watching several episodes in a row. These aren’t some small group of people. No, we all do it. Who doesn’t love a good streaming service binge, especially when there’s nothing else of real excitement to do. On a long stretch of days at the house, with nowhere else to go, putting on your new favorite show for hours on end couldn’t be a better choice.
Unfortunately, streaming large amounts of data like television shows can put a strain on your network and interfere with your ability to smoothly stream your favorite shows. You might lose connection and miss out on the continuation of the binge right at the most crucial moment. When you’re in the midst of a streaming all-nighter, this is obviously the last thing that you would want.
That’s why we’re here to help you avoid this fate. Here are some ways you can avoid interferences to your streaming binges.
Check Your Connection
If you regularly experience problems when streaming, the first step is to check out your internet connection. It may be as simple as giving your home internet just that little boost needed to get you through the viewing hours.
You could start by doing a speed test to determine your internet’s capabilities. If you find you’re getting the speed advertised for your plan, then it might be time to upgrade to a higher speed internet. This is especially true if you have multiple people and devices using the same network at the same time, and your household does a lot of things online that use bandwidth, like streaming tv shows and movies or playing online games. Many companies offer upgrade specials, so you might even be able to get faster internet for a similar rate to what you’re currently paying, at least for a while.
Check Your Equipment
Have you been using the same modem and router for the last 10 years? If so, the problem may actually be with your equipment, rather than with your internet itself. Older equipment isn’t able to take advantage of all the advances in technology that newer models come equipped to handle. Therefore, older equipment may not be the best option for getting you through those all-important streaming binges.
New routers can have a variety of features that allow you to better manage your network, including the ability to assign priority to different devices for bandwidth usage, and new devices can better manage requests from multiple devices simultaneously, which results in faster speeds for everyone connected. Although it can seem wasteful to retire equipment that is still working, updating your equipment can have a profound impact on your network speed and immediately improve your streaming experience. So, if you just have to know what happens in the next episode, it is worth making the upgrade.
Reduce Unnecessary Usage
Even when they’re not in use, wireless devices are constantly pinging the router for a signal. Turning off unused devices can have a noticeable effect on bandwidth availability and allow you to stream your shows with no interruptions.
Many of us would probably be surprised by the number of devices we have connected to our wireless network these days, since we connect many things to our networks without even thinking about it. Most US households have at least 10 different devices connected to the internet, so it’s easy to see how eliminating some of that traffic from your network could boost internet speed on other devices. If it’s not essential to continuing the streaming of your show, just turn it off.
Purchase a WiFi Signal Booster
Streaming from a wired signal, instead of using your home’s wireless network can also help to eliminate streaming problems, but a wired connection isn’t always practical, depending on the location of the router and your home’s layout. If that’s the case, then a WiFi signal booster might be the answer to your streaming problems.
WiFi signal boosters capture the signal wireless signal in your home, amplify it, and rebroadcast it. A WiFi signal booster can be an excellent solution to your streaming woes, especially if your house is large or the device you’re streaming to is located a long distance from the wireless router. WiFi signal boosters can boost the signal in a large space, so you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits with all of your devices throughout your home.
WiFi signal boosters aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, so you’ll need to do your research and determine the right set-up for your needs. You’ll need to decide how much area you want to be covered, understand how strong your existing signal is, and determine how much you want to spend on the equipment. If you’re not sure what system will work best, consider consulting a professional to help you design the perfect system for your needs. You can then choose to have it professionally installed, or complete the installation yourself. Either way, next time you sit down to watch your favorite show and stream it in uninterrupted bliss, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without your WiFi signal booster system.
Watch on the Phone
If all else fails and you find your favorite show dropping out on you at the absolute worst moment, a streaming binge on your smartphone may be the perfect solution. Without access to the internet, many phones can still make Netflix last through the night by using the cellular service to power your streaming habit. And with a cellular signal booster, such as the ones you can get from Wilson Amplifiers, you also won’t have to worry about any interruptions coming from a weak signal in your home. Just this simple bit of boosting technology can make streaming night go on without a single hitch.
