Most IPTV problems are blamed on the service when the cause is the network. Here is what the numbers actually need to be, and why the headline speed on your broadband bill is the least useful of them.
The speeds you need
- SD — around 5 Mbps
- HD 720p — around 10 Mbps
- Full HD 1080p — around 15 Mbps
- 4K UHD — around 25 Mbps
Those are per simultaneous stream. Two people watching different channels in 1080p need roughly 30 Mbps between them, plus whatever else the household is doing.
Almost every UK broadband package now exceeds these figures comfortably. If your connection is 60 Mbps or better and the picture still stutters, speed is not your problem.
Why stability beats speed
A stream needs a steady trickle, not a big burst. A 500 Mbps connection that drops packets for half a second every minute will stutter, while a rock-solid 30 Mbps connection will not. The measurements that matter are jitter and packet loss, and neither appears on your broadband advert.
This is why the same service can look perfect on a laptop next to the router and stutter on a television at the other end of the house. The connection did not change; the wifi path did.
How to test it properly
- Run a speed test on the device you actually watch on, not on your phone standing next to the router.
- Test at the time you actually watch, usually between 7pm and 10pm, when your street is busiest.
- Run it twice, a few minutes apart, and compare. A large gap between the two suggests instability rather than a slow line.
Fixes that make the biggest difference
- Use an ethernet cable. The single biggest improvement available. If the television is anywhere near the router, wire it.
- Use the 5 GHz band. Most routers broadcast two networks. 2.4 GHz travels further but is slower and far more congested.
- Move a streaming stick off the back of the television. Use the HDMI extender in the box. Heat and interference both hurt it.
- Try powerline adapters. If wiring is impossible, they carry the network over your mains and beat weak wifi.
- Close other apps on the device before a live match. Streaming sticks have very little memory.
When it is not your network
If a wired device on a fast, stable connection still stutters on one specific channel while everything else is fine, that points at the feed rather than your house. Message us during the match rather than after it and we will usually move you to an alternative feed for the same event.
More detail on the whole subject is in our guide to fixing IPTV buffering in five minutes.