How to Optimize Your Home Network for Multimedia Streaming

This is a guest post by Jena Branch of Buycox.com

Wireless networks have become extremely common today, and are now available in offices and homes alike. Though setting up an Internet connection is really simple, the connection struts and re-buffers when you try Multimedia streaming. You may not be able to carry out your work smoothly or might be unable to complete it due to a poor Internet connection. When you face such problems, you can try the following things:

Use an unshared connection:

When you are using Wi-Fi, make sure you are not sharing your connection with others who are close by you. The wireless 2.4 GHz access-points tend to channelize through the same source when they are powered. This in turn worsens your congestion, which could bring down your throughput. Download free Wi-Fi analyzers with which you can access the visual pictures of your network. These analyzers can also guide in choosing the best channels for your network. Majority of the routers will allow you to set a channel through your web browser. Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector is a good analyzer and can be downloaded for free from http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector

Try not using overlapping channels:

A few channels are pre-configured to run on a particular line. If your neighbor is sharing the same line, it might slow down both your Internet connections. When this happens, your multimedia streaming will face hiccups. The directions to change channels depend on the router you use. Check the brochure or document you get when you buy the router.

Enhance your speed:

When you have an old router, try upgrading it to a better one. For example, the Wireless N-routers are capable of faster Internet speeds and can support/are compatible with a 5 GHz band.

Try upgrading your band:

A 5 GHz band will be ideal to go for as it is better and does not pick up the radiations from other devices like microwave ovens, monitors, Bluetooth equipment, cell phones, etc. It is also a band that is not overcrowded. You can use it anytime without any issues and it also includes streaming of multi-media as well.

Test your Internet connection regularly:

When you stream media online, you have to know the download speed at which the streaming happens and if your connection is consistent or fluctuating. This helps in determining the consistency of your connection. You will be able to test your Internet connection through various websites available online.

Some of the popular sites to test you connection are:

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/

http://www.pingtest.net/ and

http://www.speedtest.net/

Think about wireless options:

When you are streaming videos that are in high-definition and facing problems with the streaming, it is better to think of wireless options like AV adapters and home plug power lines. These adapters will offers better data rates and reliable connections and you can also consider replacing your router with MoCA wireless alternative.

To know what MoCA is, you can go here http://www.mocaisinyourhouse.com/what-is-moca or watch this video to see how it works http://youtu.be/piIE0VIroBg

These are some ways to optimize your home network to multi-media streaming. If you want to stream videos and do the other media tasks smoothly, you have to install a reliable Internet connection offering consistent speeds. For this, you should have an Internet package that offers a consistent speed and is compatible with heavy streaming. When you have these two features covered, some of the above tasks are unnecessary or the tweaks you might have to make will be minimal.

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This is a guest post by Jena Branch of Buycox.com, a site that offers savings and current information on cox communications.