Throughput is not the problem
A 4K stream needs far less bandwidth than most people assume. Jitter, not throughput, is what empties your buffer.
Where jitter comes from
Shared airtime. Every other device on the band takes a turn, and a busy 2.4GHz neighbour can add tens of milliseconds of variance.
When Wi-Fi 6E is enough
If the box sits within line of sight of the access point and the 6GHz band is uncongested, a wired run buys you very little.
When to run a cable
Anything through a wall, or any household with more than a dozen active devices, benefits from a cable more than from a new router.
Written by
Dana Reyes
Dana has spent six years untangling streaming hardware, from set-top boxes to the router behind them. She writes the setup guides she wishes she had.
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