[WWW.TECHLIFE.NET] [ 071 ]ONCEYOU’VEIMPROVEDyournetwork’s
stability,it’stimetofocusonperformance.
Steponeis tolookat yourcurrentinternet
connection.Is it fastenoughforyourneeds?
Theexplosioninstreamingandonlinegaming
meansthatregularbroadbandconnections
can’tcopewiththegrowingdemandsofthe
modernhome.
If you’relookingtoaddHDorevenUltra
4Kstreamingintothismix,theninvestigateIf
theNBNis availableinyourarea,andwhatkindofspeedsyoucanexpectfromlocal
provioders.ManyISPsofferservicesupto
100Mbps,butyou’reunlikelytogetnearthose
theoreticalmaximumsbasedonseveral
factors:distancefromtheexchange,number
ofuserssharingtheline,andthewiring
qualitytoyourhome.Somebroadband
providerscanprovidea moreaccuratespeed
estimatebasedonyourphonenumber
andpostcode.Thesespeedsaremorethan
enoughforthosewishingtostreammultiple4Kstreamsat once (never mind the rest).
Stuckina rural area? Satellite broadband
appearstempting: prices are falling
anddownload speeds have increased
toaround36Mbps, but satellite connections
havehighlatency rates, which rule out online
gamingandvideo conferencing. Also look
outforusage caps, which place serious limits
onmediastreaming, particularly at 4K.EXTENDYOUR WIRED NETWORK
If youdomaximise your internet connection
thisway,you’ll need to make sure your home
networkis capable of handling uploading
anddownloading of so much data. That
meansconnecting your Apple TV 4K to your
wirednetwork rather than via Wi-Fi. If it’s in
a differentroom to the router, invest in two
ormorepowerline adapters to carry the
wirednetwork signal.
LikeWi-Fi, powerline’s real-world speeds
arenowherenear the quoted maximums, but
AV1200units should be able to deliver 150 to
400Mbps,more than enough for multiple 4K
streamsandother traffic. You’ll need at least
twoadapters: one for your router, and one for
eachroomyou’re extending to.Apple Netflix Amazon0510152025 30
3
4
5
25
3.5
3.5
15
1
2.5
6
8
25
Recommended internet connection speeds by service and video resolution.
Figures are in Mbps (megabits per second).Videostreamingbandwidthguide
Improve your internet
performance
DISCOVER THE BEST WAYS TO MAXIMISE YOUR CONNECTION TO THE WORLD.
SD
4K
1080p
720pIf Wi-Fi speeds are
holding back your
internet activity,
try adding a powerline
system such as
Devolo’s Magic 2 Wifi.BACKUP
CONNECTION
If your router has a USB port,
check to see if it supports 3G or 4G
USB modems. Purchase one from
your mobile provider and plug it in
to serve as a fallback should the
main connection go down.