Forum Discussion

latimer220817's avatar
latimer220817
Reel Rookie
2 years ago

Is 100Mbps now considered too slow for The ROKU Channel?

I have used The ROKU Channel with my Internet connexion (PTD/Service Electric in Pennsylvania) since Rich Eisen moved there. Up until about the middle of last month, things have been manageable. But since, I can't get more than a few minutes in, before the feed stops for re-buffering that never seems to end. The ISP raised my connexion from 50 to 100 Mbps just after the beginning of 2023. The definition of "broadband" accepted by U.S. industry and government, was changed at some point between 2022 and this year to a minimum of 100Mbps. But I am now wondering if Roku is going, or has gone, to a higher minimum. Have they?

4 Replies

  • Strega2's avatar
    Strega2
    Roku Guru
    2 years ago

    HD video generally needs around 5-8Mbps, for 4K you want around 25Mbps.  I don’t use the Roku channel but I doubt it has unusual bandwidth requirements. 

    • makaiguy's avatar
      makaiguy
      Community Streaming Expert
      2 years ago

      latimer220817-

      Your 100 mbps service from your ISP is typically a maximimun rate under ideal circumstances.  Real world may, or may not, be a bit higher or somewhat lower. This may vary with time of day as other users on your leg of the ISP's distribution system come and go.

      Then this data rate must be shared with all devices on your home network that are doing anything at the time.

      The rate actually transmitted to your Roku over wifi will be further lowered, maybe a lot lower, by wifi overhead, signal strength at your Roku's location relative to the router, other activity on your home network, and competion from nearby routers that may be using the same wifi channel as your router.

      Settings > Network > Check connection will tell you your Roku's actual download rate, once it has completed and you press OK to return it to the Network screen.  Since the factors going into this vary over time, this value will too.  But it gives you a snaphot of what the actual download rate your particular Roku is experiencing at the moment.

      • latimer220817's avatar
        latimer220817
        Reel Rookie
        2 years ago

        You are correct about the 100Mbps being a "maximimun" (m a x i m u m, I can not presume English to be your primary language as Roku serves a few nations where it is not)
        I do not use wifi, but a cable connexion that primarily, for many, many years, transmitted only analogue television signals sometimes remodulated to frequencies other than at which they transmitted over-the-air.
        Still, it appears I have to keep up the pressure upon the cable service to maintain this m a x i m u m as much and as often as possible.

  • Pixieqtee's avatar
    Pixieqtee
    Newbie
    2 years ago

    Yes it is too slow - i had the old dsl internet at 100 mbps & like you it was constantly buffering , freezing 

    And then there was the disconnecting from the internet - i would have to set up connection  constantly , restart roku & even tried resetting to factory settings 

    I now have 300 mbps & i have no issues with buffering , freezing or disconnecting from network