Few things can ruin a Stranger Things binge quicker than buffering. It happens from time to time on a Fire TV Stick. It’s often a temporary glitch, but if it keeps happening, you’ll want to try out these steps to fix it.
Why your Fire TV Stick is buffering
Many things can cause buffering on your Fire TV Stick, and it can be difficult to narrow down. Often, it’s a Wi-Fi issue. Maybe your internet isn’t fast enough to handle 4K streaming, or you’ve got too many people on your network streaming or downloading at the same time. Or it could be that your Fire Stick’s Wi-Fi connection isn’t strong enough.
It could be hardware. Fire TV Sticks don’t exactly have the most advanced specs. They start to show their age after a while, and if you’re a heavy user, a shortage of memory won’t help.
It might be related to what you’re watching. Big streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video are highly optimized, but content in apps like Plex or Kodi might not be. Large, high-bitrate videos need a lot more bandwidth, and the problem could be with the server rather than on your Fire Stick.
And if you use your streaming stick for, let’s say, unofficial purposes, with lots of sideloaded apps, there’s always the possibility that malware is causing the problem.
Quick fixes to try first
Before you try some more advanced fixes, it’s worth running through the basics as they can often solve the majority of problems.
First, restart your Fire TV Stick. You can do this at Settings > My Fire TV > Restart, but I just pull the power cord out for a few seconds. As long as the device isn’t being updated at the time, that’s fine. You should also restart your router while you’re at it. Most of them will have a physical reset button on the back or bottom.
Next, run a speed test to check the Wi-Fi performance. Fire Sticks have a built-in tool for this. Go to Settings > Network, then hold down the Home and Play buttons on the remote together. On the next screen, select “Run Speed Test.”
For reference, Netflix recommends at least 15Mbps for 4K streaming and 5Mbps for HD. If your speeds are too slow, try disconnecting other devices to see if that helps. You can also reposition the Fire Stick so that it doesn’t have obstacles blocking the signal.
Next, try a few different streaming apps to see if the buffering issues are restricted to one service or affect the device as a whole. If you’ve only got one subscription, you can download some free streaming apps to test.
Finally, check that the Fire Stick is fully updated. Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About and select “Check for Updates.” Also, keep your apps updated. You can do this automatically at Settings > Applications > Appstore. Set Automatic Updates to “On.”
Temporarily disable your VPN as well, if you use one, to see if that was slowing down your connection.
5 ways to fix Fire Stick buffering
Hopefully, one of those steps will have helped. But if you still can’t get through an episode of Squid Game: The Challenge without continued interruptions, these fixes should see you right.
Switch to Ethernet or 5GHz Wi-Fi
When your Wi-Fi is causing buffering, by far the best solution is to switch to an Ethernet connection instead. Amazon sells an Ethernet adapter for the Fire TV Stick that lets you swap your wireless connection for a wired one. This will give you faster and more stable speeds, with the trade-off that you need to have a long cable running from the Stick to your router.
If you want to stay on Wi-Fi, you can try to force the Fire Stick to connect to the 5GHz band. A lot of routers combine their 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks under the same SSID, so it isn’t possible. But if your router lets you create separate SSIDs for the two bands, you can then connect to the 5GHz option.
Clear your app caches
The streaming apps you use will save temporary files to speed up loading, but over time, they can pile up and slow things down. Go to Settings > Applications > Clear all Application Caches to delete them. Alternatively, select “Manage Installed Applications,” then select each app in turn and click “Clear data,” which completely resets the app.
Reduce the load on your Fire TV Stick
If your Stick is running low on storage or struggling to keep up with 4K playback, it’s going to buffer more often. Clearing up the storage, especially by removing apps you don’t need anymore, will ensure that there’s enough space for streaming to run smoothly. Also, apps like YouTube or Plex make it easy to stream at a lower quality. This needs less bandwidth and can take the strain off the hardware, especially on older models.
Prevent overheating
Fire Sticks aren’t all that powerful, and if you push them hard, they can overheat. If that happens, the device will throttle its performance to stay cool, and that can cause buffering and lag. Try to keep the Stick somewhere where it has ventilation and is not wedged in behind other electrical devices that might increase the temperature.
Perform a factory reset
Finally, if you’re still getting problems, a factory reset is the way to go. This completely resets your Fire Stick and lets you start from scratch as if it were new. Go to Settings > My Fire TV > Reset to Factory Defaults. You’ll need to reinstall apps and re-add your accounts when it restarts.
Should you still be seeing buffering after testing all these solutions, and you’re running an older Fire TV Stick, it might be time to upgrade. Our guide to which Fire Stick to buy will help you pick the best model and get you streaming smoothly once again.
Integrations
Alexa
Storage
16GB
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max brings you all of the quality improvements of the 4K but with the addition of upgraded hardware and faster and more reliable Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
