Every time you stream a movie or a TV show online, the streaming service requires you to wait for a few seconds until the video loads completely. As soon as you hit the play button, a spinning circle appears in the middle of your screen. This means that your video is taking time to buffer, which may last from a few seconds to a few minutes. The time it takes to complete the buffering process is dependent on the quality of your internet connection. Besides, other factors, such as speed throttling and signal strength may determine whether your video will load instantly or not. To resolve such issues, let’s learn different ways to prevent buffering for a smooth streaming experience. 

How to Fix Buffering While Streaming Videos

Check out our tried and tested ways to reduce buffering issues while watching your favorite videos online:

Restart Your Router and Device

Firstly, you need to ensure that your router is functioning properly. From caches to upgrades, you may unknowingly encounter issues that can be resolved by simply rebooting your router. Start by pressing the power button on your router to switch it off. Then, unplug the router from the power supply and wait for 1-2 minutes. Afterward, plug it back into the power supply and switch your router on. This may take up a minute or two. Once your router has restarted completely, you can reconnect your device to see how well it performs. 

If your device’s performance does not improve, then we suggest you restart your device as well. Whether you are using a smartphone, smart TV, or laptop, all devices are likely to store cache over time. Turn it off for a few minutes and then turn it back on to see a visible difference in the streaming times.

Use an Ethernet Cable 

A cable internet connection offers a surefire way to minimize the time it takes to complete the buffering process for streaming a video. This will ensure that your internet connection remains uninterrupted with little to no latency. Besides, you can choose to go for a plan that provides a high data allowance so you could stream videos in higher video resolutions on streaming services.

Switch to a Lower Video Quality

The higher the video resolution you choose, the more time it takes to stream a video. For faster streaming times, know the type of video quality that goes with your device. Then, select a lower video resolution.  For example, if you are playing a video on your smartphone, then you can get away with lower video quality, such as Standard Definition (SD). On the other hand, for a smart TV, you may need to downgrade to High Definition (HD) instead of 4K Ultra High HD (UHD). This will help save your time while streaming a video on streaming platforms, such as Hulu and Netflix.

Sign Up for Internet Deals

If you prefer streaming regularly, then we recommend you subscribe to internet deals at your earliest. You can choose from a wide range of internet packages available at competitive prices. Whether you need higher speeds or more data allowance, your streaming experience will become much simpler by sticking to an internet deal.

Change Your Router’s Frequency Band

Nowadays, most routers come with the option to switch between two different frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. If your router is set at 2.4 GHz, then you should consider switching to the 5 GHz band for faster speeds. This will result in a faster streaming process. However, if your router is currently set at the 5 GHz band, then you need to switch its frequency band to 2.4 GHz for better coverage than the 5 GHz band.

Switch to Another Internet Service Provider (ISP)

If you have tried all the abovementioned ways to resolve your buffering issues while streaming, but nothing has worked out so far, then we recommend you switch to HughesNet. It works best for remote areas that do not offer a wide variety of options for internet connectivity. Moreover, satellite internet provides a safe and secure way to stream movies and TV shows at home without worrying about buffering issues. 

All in All

There are various reasons why you may encounter buffering while watching your favorite movies and TV shows. Sometimes, it may occur due to insufficient bandwidth allocation by your ISP. Other times, it may indicate an issue with your internet connection that results in unexpected speed slowdowns. So, before streaming a video online, you need to ensure that your internet connection is stable and delivers uninterrupted signals without any delay. In case you notice that your video takes too long to buffer, follow our abovementioned methods to reduce the buffering time. However, if your buffering issues persist, then you should reach out to your ISP for technical support.