Q. I now watch streaming video from Netflix with my Blu-ray player, picking up the Internet signal from my wireless home network (WiFi). But I notice that sometimes the signal is a little sketchy. It breaks up a bit. Any ideas on how to improve this? Would it make a difference if I connected my Internet cable directly into the Blu-ray player — Diane, Newark, New Jersey.
The wireless home network is a great way to use the Internet in more than one place in the house. But the strength of the original signal will decline if you use a wireless network. That’s a fact.
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That’s not to say that the wireless network won’t deliver a consistent and top-quality picture. If you are subscribing to a high-speed Internet service, the wireless signal should still be strong enough to produce an equally strong streaming picture.
But if you notice the streaming picture has frequent hiccups, you might want to try connecting your Internet cable directly into your Blu-ray player, or whatever device you’re using to stream.
How can you tell if the signal is stronger with a direct connection? Most Blu-ray players (and other streaming devices) have a feature that allows you to test the speed of your Internet connection. Go to the player’s Menu and look for a Internet Speed Test feature. Try it a few times with the wireless connection and then a few times with the direct connection. The higher the number, the faster the signal.
If there’s a dramatic difference in speed between the two, the direct connection may be the way to go, particularly if you notice that your Netflix picture seems more consistent.
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