Has anyone compared their internet speed at the modem vs an app on a Fire Stick?
I have 120MB at the modem, but the Fire Stick app only shows less than 50MB. I contacted support at Amazon.com, but all I could get from them was “… oh well, it is what it is and cannot be changed …”
Thanks!
Questions: Are you on 2.5g or 5g. Typically the 5g will give you better speed, however it will always be less than your modem speed. Additionally do you have a router or an all in one modem?
Hello @kmahoney This can be many reasons you see a lower speed. Location of device in relation to your wireless router. Is it hidden somewhere it can’t get good signal or overheating? Keep in mind that 50 is overkill and all you need is 25 to stream 4K. You won’t see any improvement on anything getting higher speeds. Lots of people get hung up on the download speeds but don’t realize that the buffering problem many times comes from the server you are streaming or downloading from. The Firestick in my garage gets 20 due to distance from the wireless router, walls, etc. No problems whatsoever streaming with Sportz IPTV at that speed in the garage.
Mistakenly I stated FireStick. I have a FireTV hardwired into to the modem. I do have 5G WiFi but that would be moot in this case. Apologies for not stating correctly.
I’ve heard quotes of only needing 12MB Download to effectively stream but I have my doubts. Also understood just because I have 120MB download doesn’t mean every streaming source can be reached at 120MB as well. I’ve done considerable fussing with YouTube and trying different buffering settings. Sometimes it think it helps but that’s short lived. Is there a hardware solution for buffering? When testing it seems streaming on my computer is better that the FireTV, but counting on the computer for full time streaming is not something I want.
when was the last time you performed a power cycle? what is a power cycle, a power cycle is disconnecting all streaming devices and then going to you modem and router or if all in one then disconnecting all wires and coaxial cables connections and any phone lines, then unplug power and allow to sit for 5 minutes then start re connecting all connection then when all lights on modem are solid re connect streaming devices and then run your speed test. all modem and routers need to have a routine power cycle to clear out all the junk collected on those units. you may wish to try this. this may or may not resolve your issue but never the less it is recommended to do this once a week or every two weeks.
I usually end up unplugging and plugging in the Fire TV weekly. It gets befuddled and locked up once in a awhile. It’s been a long time since I powered everything down and back up.
The issue is not so much between my router and the outside world. That comes in at 120MB Down/20MB Up. It’s the Fire TV itself that seems to throttle it to 50MB Down/5 Up. Understood 50MB should be enough. I’m just curious if anyone else is experiencing the same.
I can never watch a 1080p movie that’s over 1GB in size. To stand a chance of watching uninterrupted I have to scroll down to around a 720p @ 750MB source. If I use my laptop through WiFi it’s much better. Understood the Fire TV is not going to compete with a $1300 laptop, but I expect more than what I have.
Thanks!