The quality of the picture on a Smart TV depends on many factors, not the least on the Internet connection. What to consider when connecting your TV to the Internet and which router to choose? Find out more together with KIVI, a European Smart TV brand.
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How exactly does the Internet affect the work of your Smart TV?
The quality of the picture depends on the technical features of both the TV and the router connected to it, as well as — spoiler! — your Internet provider. In addition to watching television, the modern way of using a TV includes streaming content and cloud gaming, which require a high bandwidth of the Internet channel.
For instance, KIVI Smart TVs offer access to the Boosteroid cloud gaming platform out of the box. Since games do not need to be downloaded and stored on your device, they’re available in the cloud as long as you have a subscription. The higher the bandwidth of the router, the more demanding games you can play without any delay in the gameplay.
Internet connection is also important for the operating system of your Smart TV. Over 10,000 applications are available for Smart TVs of the latest KIVI lineup on the Android TV 11 OS. A more modern device requires a more stable Internet connection and, therefore, a more powerful router.
Does your Internet speed’s Internet affect the work of your Smart TV?
For a TV with Android TV, such as KIVI 65U750NB, a stable 100 Mbps speed is enough to display the image in 4K without delays in perfect quality. However, the main thing is the stability of the channel. The Internet signal dropping leads to an unfortunate experience from watching a movie or playing an online game.
The minimum speed required by the TV is 30 Mbit/s, this will ensure a clear, high-quality signal. The declared speed from the provider is very often not what you really get. To check your actual Internet speed, use the online speed test.
Do keep in mind which devices are already online. Imagine a TV, two laptops, a tablet, two smartphones, two smart watches, and maybe a couple of other gadgets all working in the apartment. They are all connected to one router. Working together, these ten devices share the maximum speed of your provider, for example, 100 Mbps. This means that the TV gets 10 Mbps instead of the required 30 Mbps. What should you do? Increase the speed of your Internet (which means changing the service plan of your provider or looking for another).
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What is the best way to connect your TV to the Internet?
You can connect your Smart TV to the Internet both using Wi-Fi and via a cable. All KIVI Smart TVs have a built-in Wi-Fi receiver (that supports 5G) and an Ethernet (LAN) connector.
If you connect your TV to the router directly via a cable, you can get a higher speed and a more stable signal without interruptions. But the type of connection primarily depends on the layout of your home. For example, when the router and TV are in the same room and near the same wall, it is very easy to connect them via a cable. However, if the router is in another room or hidden, the wireless option is obvious and the only one possible in this case
If I go wireless, do I need a new router?
The connected TV and router must work as a single mechanism, so if the power of the second one is insufficient, the TV and/or other gadgets connected to it might lag.
The specifications of the router generally specify how many devices it can accommodate. Still, it really depends, as the number of corners and walls in the house can reduce the quality of signal transmission. In addition, the number of router antennas, their direction, and even which cable from the provider is installed in the room are also important factors.
There is also the phenomenon of “ageing” of a router, when its resource is exhausted over the years, and the device cannot produce the same speed as at the beginning of its life. If your router was purchased a long time ago, we recommend updating it.
Which router to choose?
In general, modern routers distribute Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. If you have a 4K TV, we recommend choosing a router that operates on 5 GHz. High-quality video takes up quite a lot of data, so a high speed of reception and transmission is a must.
But even if you watch videos at a lower fps, connect a router that will provide a speed of at least 1 Gbit/s. This will ensure the perfect picture even when several more devices are connected. A router of a higher capacity is less likely to lose the signal, forcing you to constantly reboot it.
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