The spinning circle in the middle of a match or a film is the most common complaint with internet TV. In most cases the cause sits somewhere between your router and your TV, which means you can fix it yourself. Work through these nine steps in order; most people are sorted by step four.
1. Restart everything, in the right order
Switch off the TV device, then the router. Wait 30 seconds. Switch the router on and wait until its lights settle, usually two or three minutes, then switch the TV device back on. This clears memory problems on both and fixes more issues than any other single step.
2. Test your speed where you watch
Run a speed test on the device you watch on, in that room, at the time you usually watch. You want at least 10 Mbps per HD screen. If the result is far lower than next to the router, the problem is Wi-Fi coverage, not your broadband. See our broadband speed guide.
3. Get the device closer to the signal
Thick brick walls, ceilings, fish tanks and microwaves all weaken Wi-Fi. Move the router out of a cupboard and up off the floor, or move the TV device nearer to it. If the Fire TV Stick sits behind the TV, an HDMI extender cable lifts it out from behind the metal.
4. Use a cable
Nothing beats a wired connection. An Ethernet cable from the router, or a pair of powerline adapters if the router is in another room, removes Wi-Fi from the equation entirely. Fire TV Sticks need a small Ethernet adapter for this.
5. Switch to the 5 GHz band
Most UK routers broadcast two networks, often with "5G" or "5GHz" in the name of one. The 5 GHz network is faster and less crowded, which matters in flats and terraces where every neighbour's router competes for the same space. Its range is shorter, so it works best within a room or two of the router.
6. Check what else is using the connection
A console downloading a large game, a laptop syncing to the cloud or several people streaming in other rooms can starve the TV. Pause the big downloads and see whether the picture recovers.
7. Clear the app's cache and update it
Over time, player apps build up cached data. On a Fire TV Stick go to Settings → Applications → Manage installed applications, choose the player and select Clear cache (not Clear data, which logs you out). Check for app updates while you are there.
8. Lower the picture quality at peak times
If buffering only happens between about 8 and 11pm, your broadband provider's network may be busy. Choosing HD instead of 4K, or SD instead of HD, in the app's settings keeps the picture moving when the network is under pressure.
9. Try a different DNS server
Your router uses your broadband provider's DNS servers by default, and some are slow. Many player apps and devices let you set a different DNS manually. This mainly speeds up how quickly channels start, but it can help with general reliability too.
Still buffering?
Message us on WhatsApp with three things: the device you use, a speed test result from that device, and the time it happens. We will look at it with you. If we cannot get the service working on your device within 7 days of activation, our refund policy applies.