There has been a huge shift in the way we watch content, conventional TV is dying out and more and more people are using streaming platforms to watch their desired content. This gives them the ease of watching the shows on their own convenience and skipping on Movies and shows that they don’t like.
Streaming platforms are popping up like wild weeds in a garden, there is so much to choose from. But what do you do when you want to enhance your streaming experience? If you find yourself glued to the screen all the time, here are 5 signs you’re a Movie Junkie
7 Tips that will Dramatically Enhance your Streaming Experience!
According to ScreenBinge a streaming magazine these tip and hacks so you can stream better! You can thank us later!
1. Choose the right Internet Service Provider
Source: The Forbiz
A major chunk of speed related issues are tied up to the fact that you’re probably using a service that sucks. ISP is like fuel to a car, if you put in bad fuel, what do you expect? Pay a little extra but get good service so you won’t have to deal with the daily slow speed and buffering suffering!
Having said that, it’s not always the ISP’s fault if your internet speed is slow and your streaming experience is being compromised. Sometimes it just might be a problem with your device or maybe your router is faulty. However, these are rarely the reasons.
Netflix recommends the following speeds:
0.5 Mbps per second – Required broadband connection speed
1 Mbps per second – Recommended broadband connection speed
3 Mbps per second – Recommended for SD quality
5 Mbps per second – Recommended for HD quality
25 Mbps per second – Recommended for Ultra HD quality
Hulu recommends the following speeds:
3 Mbps for the Hulu streaming library
8 Mbps for live streams
16 Mbps for 4K content
2. Clear Your Browser Cache
Source: The Web For Business.com
If you stream on your browser and are experiencing glitches during streaming, one small tip is to clear your browser’s cache. Sometimes a lot of junk gathers up causing the browser to not work at its optimal level. Clearing up the cache drastically increases the performance of your browser.
To clear cache on Chrome:
Go to Settings > Privacy and security> Clear browsing data> Clear data
You can uncheck history and site date if you wish to, however it is advisable to delete them as well.
If you want to clear the cache on your Android device:
Go to setting> apps> storage> clear cache
3. Cut Down on the Number of Devices Connected to the Wi-Fi
Source: Kim Komando
On average we all at least have two devices that are constantly connected to our Wi-Fi device. One is our phone, second is our tablet or laptop now multiply it by the number of people in your home, count the television and other appliances as well.
Isn’t that too much of a load? Turn off Wi-Fi when the device is not in use or get an extra connection if there are too many people to use the internet at your place.
4. When to and When Not to Use a VPN
Source: valuewalk.com
If you notice that you’re getting good speeds while surfing the net but when you go to Netflix, YouTube or some particular sites the speed decreases dramatically? This could be you ISP throttling your speed. When ISPs identify that you’re using high bandwidth they tend to throttle your speed.
A great way to get rid of this is to use a VPN service, this way your ISP won’t know of your online activities and won’t be able to slow down your internet speed.
However, assuming your ISP does not throttle your internet speed and you keep the VPN connected all the time, this could also result in a significant loss of speed so in that case it is advisable to turn your VPN service off during the streaming session!
5. Netflix Lover? Try the Shuffle option
Source: Cnet
Netflix has recently introduced the play something button on the side menu. It lands you on a random title, in case it’s been a long time and you can’t decide what to watch. Similarly if there’s a series that you’ve watched again and again and still can’t get enough of, you can use the play random episode button.
The random episode button also comes in use when the series are not interconnected and every episode is different. For example your watch “Worlds Most Wanted” or “Unsolved”.
6. Is Your Router Too Small or Too Far Away?
Source: NBC News
As a rule of thumb, your router must always be placed in a central location and it is even better if the area is open since it will not disturb the frequencies. Try to remove as many objects and electronic items between the router and your device. Your Wi-Fi should be in an ideal location where it’s almost equally near to all the places where you use the internet or stream.
If you live in a big house where signals tend to fall no matter where you keep the router or where you direct the antennas, it indicates you should get a bigger router with a greater range. If the problem persists only in a specific location of the house you can use a Wi-Fi booster as well!
7. Use an Ethernet Instead of Wi-Fi
Source: consumerreports.org
Yes, wireless internet is very convenient, so much so that you’ve probably forgotten Ethernet also exists. Probably the last time you saw it was when you connected it to your router. When it comes to streaming and internet speeds, directly using an Ethernet cable can show you immensely high jump in internet speed. This is due to the fact that all the data is directly coming to your device without being misdirected in different areas and to different devices.
Wrapping Up!
These streaming hacks will make your streaming experience seamless and you can finally say good bye to buffering. Obviously when platforms are offering up to UHD experience, you will too need to game up your internet speed!
Hope these tips help you out, if you have any further tips, please comment in the section below!
