Using a virtual private network VPN invariably means a performance hit. Every data packet has to be encrypted and then decrypted at a remote server. You may notice this with video buffering problems, but it affects anything related to PC performance. If you use a VPN, be sure to test and update your settings. Older VPNs or those that are out-of-date may use a single-socket connection, which can easily get jammed up and cause significant performance loss.
Get it for Android , iOS , Mac. Get it for Mac , PC , Android. In the context of streaming video or audio , buffering is when the software downloads a certain amount of data before it begins playing the video or music. You can watch the data stored in the buffer while the next portion of the file downloads in the background. This preloading process ensures a smooth playback process without interruption — at least in theory, and most of the time in practice.
Buffering messages often display progress as a percentage. There are many reasons why you might encounter excessive buffering while streaming video. This can be due to:. The last reason does happen. Even the top streaming platforms may get overwhelmed during prime time or when a popular new show is released.
In that case, there is nothing you can do except wait for the provider to catch up with requests. But this situation is rare.
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Other Threats. Internet of Things. See all Security articles. IP Address. See all Privacy articles. See all Performance articles. Select language. How to Stop Video Buffering. Link Copied. This article contains:. How to stop buffering The best way to stop buffering when streaming is to reduce anything that impedes the stream.
Close other applications and programs If your computer is performing a bunch of other tasks or running many programs at the same time, it might not have the capacity to stream video flawlessly. Stop Buffering with Faster Internet Avast Cleanup for Windows speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs.
Stop Buffering with Faster Internet Avast Cleanup Pro for Mac speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs. Stop Buffering with Faster Internet Avast Cleanup for Android speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs.
What Is a Web Browser? Much like excess browser tabs and background programs, other devices connected to your Internet network can have a draining effect on your bandwidth. In years past this was not a major issue, since most people only had a few devices connected at once.
Just like background applications, all these devices are constantly sending and receiving information, and if your overall bandwidth capacity is on the lower side, it could leave little resources available when it comes time to stream your favorite series. When people encounter problems loading or using certain webpages, one of the most common pieces of advice given by IT professionals is to clear their cache. While most people are likely to be familiar with the term, not everyone knows exactly what it means.
Cache files were created based on the assumption that your computer is faster than your Internet connection. Because of this, certain HTML files, such as images and web content, are stored in your web browser and loaded when you revisit the corresponding website.
Sometimes, however, a browser can get overloaded with temporary cache data, which results in the use of more bandwidth. Although WiFi is significantly more convenient, a wired ethernet connection is measurably faster. This is why serious gamers opt for wired connection instead of a wireless router signal. To illustrate this point, one of the fastest wireless network standards, called While this is impressive, it pales in comparison to the top-rated Ethernet cable, which can deliver speeds of up to 10 gigs per second!
Of course, the average person does not have an Internet package that allows them to reach anything even close to these speeds, but it is still a good example of how much faster a wired connection is. On top of this, connection speed is not solely about raw bandwidth, and latency has a large factor to play in Internet speed as well. Latency, in the simplest of terms, refers to how long it takes data to get from one device to its destination.
In the arena of networking and online gaming, latency is also called ping, and the best way to lower your ping is by running a wired ethernet connection. Some of the above strategies above may not be applicable if you are experiencing buffering while watching on a Smart TV closing tabs, closing other applications, etc.
In most cases, buffering issues can be greatly reduced simply by following the different steps we have covered in this article. No data caps, no complicated contracts - just fast, reliable Internet. How can I just make videos buffer faster?
Well sometimes, to move ahead, we have to kill our darlings. In the battle to improve your internet speeds, those dozen different tabs are unfortunately your enemies. Every website and application you have open on your device is taking up bandwidth, so all of those background programs and downloads are consuming resources that could be funneled back into your stream, making it load faster.
We understand it might not be practical to have ethernet cables trailing all over the house, but if your device is close enough to the router, you might as well take advantage of those high speed ethernet ports.
Alternatively, experiment with moving your devices closer to the router. Remember, the signal loses strength the further it travels and as it has to move through obstacles like doors, walls and ceilings. There are also other electrical devices that could be causing interference too. Physical Wi-Fi boosters are also an option but that can be an expensive rabbit hole to disappear down. You remember literally two steps ago when we said that all sites and applications on your device were taking up bandwidth?
Well, the same goes for your other connected devices too. From your phones and computers to your games consoles, smart TVs, Sky boxes and fridge-freezers yes, smart fridges are a thing , there are potentially dozens of devices connected to your network right now eating into your precious bandwidth. By disconnecting those devices that are not currently being used, you should be able to free up enough bandwidth to stream at lightning speed.
Because, at the end of the day, your router is a computer too. The better the video quality in terms of size and definition , the more bits are required to display it properly. So, if your setup is only able to stream a certain bitrate, you might have to lower the quality of the video to get a more watchable stream.
On most platforms, this is as simple as selecting the video player settings usually in the bottom of the display window and downgrading the definition from HD to non-HD or from to or You might also be able to select frame rate options, with higher frame rates such as 60 frames per second requiring significantly more bandwidth than standard frame rates the standard is either 24 or 30 frames per second.
If you want to speed up buffering time instantly, reducing video quality is always the most immediate option.
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