Best Wired TV Streaming Devices of 2024: Roku, Google, Apple, and More

If your streaming video is choppy, it might be because your Wi-Fi isn’t strong enough. One way to solve this problem is to connect your smart TV or streaming device with Ethernet port access directly to your internet using a Cat 5 network cable. This will free up your wireless connection for other devices, like laptops and tablets. Ethernet is also more stable and typically faster than Wi-Fi, and it doesn’t have any issues with walls, interference, or distance (well, not inside a house). This means you won’t experience the same lag or signal drops when using a streaming device or smart TV with Ethernet port access, through a standard Wi-Fi streaming app or a cable-free device, on its own.

The bad news is that you’ll have to run cables from your router to your TV in order to stream, but if you’re stuck at home this is a fun weekend project. Ethernet cable is cheap. During busy periods, it may be okay to use a temporary cable that you can remove later. If you can manage the project, your streaming problems may go away.