The main reason for the content freezing or buffering issue on Roku TV is when there is a discrepancy between the speed at which the content is being sent from their server and the speed at which your device can process and play the content. It’s very frustrating to get stuck when we are watching our favorite shows on TV.
Today, we will explore some of the common factors that cause your Roku to keep buffering and provide solutions to allow you to enjoy our content smoothly without any distractions.
Your Roku keeps buffering, which may be due to an issue with the internet speed. Roku requires a minimum download speed of 3.0 MBPS for standard definition and goes up to 9.0 Mbps for high definition. The issue will happen if your internet connection can’t provide the recommended bandwidth.
This is the primary reason, however, we also look at some other factors to fix the issue.
How to fix the Roku TV buffering issue?
Check your WiFi signal
Your WiFi signal should be strong enough for seamless streaming on your device. Check if the signal indicator on your modem is stable. If it appears unstable, contact your internet service provider to address and resolve the issue.
Once I experienced a buffering issue with my Roku box, and it was connected to my Spectrum router. The issue was with the unstable WiFi from the modem.
If it’s working fine, then check the signal strength on your Roku settings.
Fortunately, Roku can assess the IP address, signal strength, and connection status, and inform us whether it is sufficient for smooth functioning or not.
For this, press the Home button on the remote. Then go to the settings tab, select the Network option, and then About.
Restart both the device and router
This is what we call power recycling. rather than just restarting, remove all the connections from the power outlet. wait 2 minutes. Reconnect and give a fresh start to the router and your streaming device.
If any reset button on your network device, try to reset it.
Keep Roku and WiFi modem closer
If your Roku is still buffering despite having an EXCELLENT connection, try moving your Roku or WiFi modem closer to each other to minimize the distance between them.
Disable Bluetooth on your Bluetooth devices, because its interference may also cause signal interruption.
If your WiFi is 2.4GHz bandwidth, It’s recommended to switch to 5GHz. Because it’s officially recommended by the Roku LLC for the optimum performance.
Check for any service outage
There is an online tool that will help you to check any server outage issues currently undergoing. It’s called DownDetector, and you may probably know about this service.
Check the Live Roku server status. at https://downdetector.com/status/roku/
This will clearly show the issue with the server.
Another possibility
The issue may lie with the server of any particular streaming platform.
You may not get the buffering problem on Amazon Prime, but you may get an issue with Netflix. In such cases, the issue will be with that particular platform.
In such case, you can try Uninstalling the channel app, and then turning OFF the Roku device. After reconnecting the Roku, then re-install the specific channel app.
You can check the server outage in the same way I described above with the downdetector tool.
Just search the streaming platform name on the website’s search bar.
If you found a service outage, please wait until it gets resolved by their engineers. Or you can notify the issue by contacting their customer support team.
Change to lower video quality (HD to SD)
Your WiFi may not be strong enough to play the content in 4K or HD video quality. If you can’t connect to your ISP (internet service provider) and still want to watch your favorite movie without buffering, just change the video quality to SD from HD.
Go to the Display Type settings under the settings tab on your Roku settings, and change to 720p TV.
Once the issue is fixed with your WiFi, you can switch the video quality to HD format.
Clear the cache
Just delete the Roku or app cache so that we can hope the buffering issue will be fixed then.
As a quick step, follow this.
Press the Home button on the remote 5 times.
Disable VPN
If you are experiencing frequent buffering or lagging video when streaming content on your Roku device, one potential culprit may be your VPN connection. VPNs route your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel, which can reduce your available bandwidth and slow your network connectivity.
Disable the VPN connect the device directly to your ISP and see the issue fixed. If you need a VPN as a must, buy from good providers.
Manually install the update
Your Roku may be set to automatic system update. You may experience the buffering issue during the automatic system update. Wait until it is completed, or manually update it.
Go to Home>>Settings>>System>>System Update
Cache clearing and system updates help in reducing different anomalies such as Roku’s white light blinking, fast performance, etc.
Contact support team
Hasn’t fixed by the above-mentioned troubleshooting methods? Then you can either find the solution at the Roku community forum or directly contact their customer support team by denoting the buffering issue with your Roku streaming.
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