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One of the most popular streaming devices in the world is the Stop Buffering on Firestick. It is very easy to put together and use. It works with a lot of great apps from the Amazon Store as well as a few from other places. All things considered, FireStick is a great way to stream.
However, many FireStick users also have trouble with buffering. A small number of users are like this. But since FireStick is used by millions of people, that small percentage adds up to a big number.
How to Stop Buffering on Firestick
Reboot Firestick
- From the home screen, go to Settings
- Scroll right and select My Fire TV
- Choose Restart
Improve wi-fi signal
- From the home screen, go to Settings
- Select Network
- Highlight the wi-fi network to which you’re currently connected
- Signal strength is displayed on the right. Ideally, this should be Very Good
Use an ethernet cable
If improving the wi-fi signal isn’t an option, you can always hardwire the Fire TV to ensure nothing gets lost in transmission. An ethernet adapter should do the trick.
Use a VPN
A VPN encrypts all the data traveling to and from a device and routes it through an intermediary server in a location of the user’s choosing. If your internet service provider is throttling video streams, a VPN can mask the stream so that it’s indistinguishable from any other type of download. This prevents your ISP from discriminating against certain types of internet traffic, such as videos or data from specific sources.
Turn off background apps and processes
- From the home screen, go to Settings > Applications
- Select Manage installed applications
- Select the application you wish to turn off
- Either Force stop or Uninstall the app
Update Fire OS and apps
Any apps that you install through the default Amazon app store that comes with your Fire TV should update automatically. If you installed an app from another source, then you might have to update it manually using the same process you used to install it in the first place.
- From the home screen, go to Settings > My Fire TV
- Select About
- Scroll down and select Install update
Ensure the Firestick stays cool
If your Firestick is running hot, then it could be under heavy load from apps and processes running on it. This can impact performance and cause buffering in some cases. Make sure the Firestick can breathe. Bear in mind that your TV generates heat, and it might be transferring some of that heat to the Firestick. You might consider using a different HDMI port or an HDMI extender.
Try a lower video quality
Higher video qualities require more bandwidth and system resources to stream and playback. Most video players will automatically select a video quality on your behalf, but many also give you the option to manually set video quality. This is usually determined by video resolution, such as 4K, 1080p, 720p, or 480p. A lower resolution typically requires less bandwidth and will buffer less.
Why Does My Firestick Keep Buffering?
- ISP throttling. Your internet service provider (ISP) might be slowing (throttling) your internet on purpose. ISPs (such as Comcast or Time Warner) regularly scan for particular traffic categories, and they might reduce your download speed if you’re streaming too much content.
- Hardware limitations. Buffering could be caused by problems with your router, modem, Ethernet cable, or even the Firestick hardware.
- Remote server malfunctions. The server hosting your video content could be operating at a slower pace or could malfunction.
- Slow internet connection. Your home internet connection might be too slow to handle video streams.
What Is Buffering?
By buffering, the stream data is loaded ahead of time and stored in the Firestick’s memory, so it’s ready to watch when the time comes. If everything works right, you won’t notice the buffering because it happens in the background.
Your Firestick might not stream properly for a number of reasons. These can be your internet connection, the streaming service, or even the Firestick itself. In this article, I’ll tell you what you can do to fix buffering problems when streaming video on your Amazon Firestick.