Roku buffering all the time

Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Dave Farquhar

Is your Roku buffering all the time when you try to watch streaming media? While it can be frustrating, usually these buffering problems are solvable. Here are six things to try to fix Roku buffering before you switch to another streaming device like an Apple TV or Fire TV stick in frustration.

Some streaming apps are more demanding than others, so if you experience buffering in some apps but not others, that’s not unusual. Watching TV on Netflix always works great for me, for example. And while some people find Hulu occasionally problematic, I don’t think I’ve ever had more than a minor hiccup in Hulu. But I have friends who have issues with HBO Go and I have issues with MLB.tv.

Reboot

Roku buffering all the time
If you experience Roku buffering all the time, you can often solve the issue by tweaking your video or network settings.

Roku issues, including buffering, sometimes go away after you reboot. So even though it sounds like a cop-out, try turning your Roku off and back on. This is the easiest, cheapest fix and it works often enough to be worth trying.

Make sure your Internet connection is fast enough

If you want to stream at 720p minimum, make sure your Internet connection is at least 3.5 megabits downstream. For 1080p, you need at least 5 megabits, and for 4K, you need 25 megabits. Given that the average Internet speed is nearly 19 megabits in 2018, this is less and less of a problem today, but if you have four people streaming at 1080p, that’s enough to saturate the average Internet connection.

Roku recently introduced a speed check. Run the Roku speed check and troubleshoot your speed as a starting point. I also have some more thorough recommendations on how to size your Internet connection if you need them.

Heat

A comment from a reader made me investigate the possibility of heat being an issue, because I had buffering problems in spite of having gigabit Internet. But I was only constantly buffering after I’d been watching for a couple of hours. If you have a fast Internet connection and your Roku buffering starts after a couple of hours like me, it may very well be a heat issue. Here’s how I fixed my heat issue cheaply.

After slapping a couple of heatsinks on my Roku, it buffered much less frequently and recovered faster when it did.

Switch to a wired connection

If your Roku has a wired connection, using an Ethernet cable gives better, more reliable connections than wireless. Not all Rokus have one, but if yours does, consider using it. Frequently, buffering issues are due to local network issues, not upstream issues. Powerline networking is a convenient alternative to running wires to hard-to-reach parts of the house.

A wired connection also helps with a heat issue. Wired network connections are more efficient than wireless, so they generate less heat inside the unit. If your Roku doesn’t have a wired connection and you want one, here are some Roku models, new and used, that have them.

Switch to 5 GHz wireless

If you can’t switch to a wired connection, moving to the less crowded 5 GHz space can help, by giving better bandwidth and less interference. Wired connections are better, but if your Roku doesn’t have one, moving to 5 GHz is the next best thing. I notice a big difference with video streaming at 5 GHz.

5 GHz connections are faster too, but it’s generally being on the less crowded band with less interference that makes the difference. On older routers, or newer routers with dedicated band control, all it takes is giving your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands different SSIDs, then put the Roku on the 5 GHz band.

Switch to a lower resolution

In a pinch, switching to a lower resolution can help, especially if you just barely meet the bandwidth requirements for streaming. If you only have issues in the evening when the whole family is home and probably using the Internet, switching to 720p will probably help. Consider running smaller screens (32 inches or less) at 720p to alleviate your Roku buffering all the time.

Upgrade your router

If you have a really old router, it may be slowing you down and you may need a new router. Switching to a new, AC-capable router can really speed up your Internet connection and improve your wireless range and reliability. Older routers have a 100-megabit upstream connection but they really didn’t have enough CPU speed to support them.

If your Internet connection has an upstream speed faster than 50 megabits, it’s entirely possible your old router is contributing to your Roku buffering all the time. I recommend the Asus RT-AC66U, for what it’s worth.

Upgrade your Roku

Last and least, apps like MLB.tv and HBO go can be more demanding on your device than other streaming services, and streaming services in general have gotten more demanding over the years so a Roku that worked fine in 2014 may not work as well today. If you have an older Roku unit, upgrading to a newer dual-core or quad-core standalone unit or dual-core or quad-core streaming stick can help with dealing with those demands. You should be able to find a refurbished unit for around $40-$45.

I prefer the standalone units over streaming sticks because you can do more to cool off a standalone unit than a streaming stick. Here’s some more advice on what Roku to buy, depending on your needs.

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One thought on “Roku buffering all the time

  • October 6, 2018 at 2:00 pm
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    In mid-January this year I did a firmware update on my Asus AC-66U router. Everything seemed to take fine with the update and we didn’t have any issues with any of our wireless devices, or so it seemed. We weren’t using the Roku (a first gen streaming stick) hardly at all in mid-January, and aside from booting up the Roku to make sure it saw the router and could connect to Netlfix and Amazon, I powered the Roku off and left it alone.

    At the end of January we had company stay with us and they would watch Netflix in the evenings. They kept having an issue where the Roku would just start buffering. The only way to fix it was to reboot the Roku. The issue wasn’t isolated to Netflix either. I even reset the Roku and that didn’t help. I also swapped back in the old Roku (Roku 2 XD Model 3050X). The Roku 2 had the same issue.

    Long story short, it was the router firmware update. On a whim, I decided to re-flash the firmware, following the same steps I did initially. Once I did that, I haven’t had any kind of buffering issues on either Roku.

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