What internet speed you need for IPTV

Recommended speed by quality

These figures are a guide and refer to the stable download speed that reaches the device, not the one stated on your contract:

Several screens at once

Every stream uses its own bandwidth. If two HD streams are playing at home at the same time, add both together: around 40 Mbps as a comfortable minimum. Also allow for everything else on the network, such as video calls, online gaming or downloads.

Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi

A fast fibre line can still fall short if the Wi-Fi signal is weak at the TV. Walls, distance from the router and neighbouring networks reduce the real speed and, above all, make it uneven. With IPTV, consistency matters more than peak speed.

If you have to use Wi-Fi

• Connect to the 5 GHz band: it is faster and suffers less interference than 2.4 GHz, although its range is shorter.
• Move the router closer to the TV or clear the path between them.
• In a large home, a mesh system or a powerline adapter with an Ethernet port makes a big difference.
• On a Fire TV Stick, an Ethernet adapter for the USB port lets you connect by cable.

How to measure your real speed

Run the speed test on the device you will watch on, or on a phone placed right next to it, and repeat it at different times of day. If the figure drops sharply in the evening, it is probably congestion on your network or your provider's.

Look at stability too: a steady 30 Mbps connection performs better than a 100 Mbps one that keeps rising and falling.

If the picture keeps cutting out

• Restart the router and the device.
• Pause downloads and updates on other devices.
• Try a lower quality to see whether bandwidth is the problem.
• Switch from Wi-Fi to cable if you can.