If you during the Corona virus Pandemic, you were probably Streaming more TV shows and movies like everyone else. Services like Youtube, Netflix and Disney Plus have throttled their video quality to relieve national networks, but your Wi-Fi connection on your home network may also have problems with all of the streaming, especially if they’re children Distance learning and adults are Video conferencing all at the same time.
If you have problems on your home network, you can try disconnecting your streaming device from Wi-Fi. If you use Ethernet over a Cat 5 network cable instead, your wireless network will be shared with other devices such as laptops and tablets. Ethernet is also more stable and faster than Wi-Fi, and has no wall, interference, or distance problems (well, not in a house anyway).
Continue reading: The best Wi-Fi extender for almost everyone
The Roku Ultra has an integrated Ethernet connection.
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The bad news is that you need to route the streaming cable from your router to your TV, but now that you’re stuck at home, this is a good project Ethernet cable is cheap. I laid a cable from the router in my basement to my TV entertainment center upstairs, and it was easy, and now all of my main streaming devices are wired instead of using Wi-Fi. In times of high usage, it may even be okay to lay a temporary cable that you want to remove later.
Continue reading: How to improve TV streaming quality on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and more
The other problem? While many game consoles and Smart TVs have built-in ethernet ports, most of them best media streamer are only Wi-Fi, although some work with a cheap adapter. Here’s a list of the best wired streaming devices that either have built-in Ethernet ports or work with Ethernet adapters. Note that all of the products listed below also work over WiFi.
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The most expensive Roku with integrated Ethernet is our first choice. Roku is our preferred streaming system with the most streaming apps, the simplest user interface, the best search and a content-independent platform that no media streaming provider like Amazon Prime Video or iTunes transmits via another. In addition to an Ethernet connection, the Ultra offers all the extras, including 4K HDR streaming, a remote finder and two additional customizable key combinations for your favorite services.
Unfortunately, Roku does not make an Ethernet adapter like Fire TV and Chromecast (see below), so there is no easy way to connect a Wi-Fi-only Roku like the Streaming Stick Plus or Express via Ethernet. Read our Roku Ultra (2019) review.
The Apple TV is the perfect film for the Roku Ultra and costs almost twice as much. However, it is the better choice for people who appreciate its benefits. This includes compatibility with Dolby Vision HDR, flexible up-conversion, excellent voice control functions, better remote control and a smoother, slimmer user interface. The Apple TV 4K is so well suited for media streaming that it makes sense even if you are not an “Apple person”. Read our Apple TV 4K review.
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For a total of $ 55 to $ 40 for the Fire TV Stick itself and $ 15 for Amazon’s official Ethernet adapter, you get a complete wired streaming solution at half the price of a Roku Ultra. The adapter is a simple little box that connects at one end to the USB / power port on the stick and at the other to Ethernet (and power). We don’t like the Fire TV system as much as Roku’s, but it has its charms, starting with Alexa, which is built into the voice remote. Read our Amazon Fire TV Stick with the brand new Alexa Voice Remote (2019).
Sarah Tew / CNET
For $ 65 – $ 50 for the Fire TV Stick 4K and $ 15 for this Amazon Ethernet adapter – you can get the 4K HDR-enabled version of the Amazon stick. We’d rather pay a little more for the Roku Ultra, but you might want to save the money. Read our Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K review.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Just like Amazon, Google makes a cheap adapter that lets you connect a wired ethernet cable to the Chromecast streamer. The combination will cost a total of $ 50 to $ 35 for Chromecast and $ 15 for the Google adapter. We like Fire TV better because it has a real remote control, but Android users who don’t mind messing around with their phones to stream them may prefer Chromecast. Read our Google Chromecast 2018 review.
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As mentioned earlier, Roku makes our favorite media streamer for live TV streaming apps like Netflix, and it’s even better than a platform built into a TV. This TCL 4 series is one of the cheapest Roku televisions on the market. It is available in different sizes and with an image quality that is perfectly fine for most people, especially at this price. And like all 4K-capable Roku televisions in North America, it has an Ethernet connection.
Sizes: 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-inch. (The price below is for the 43-inch size.) More CNET favorite TVs can be found here.
This device, which is only available from Walmart, is technically the cheapest at the moment with a Rocus streaming system and an Ethernet port. However, the savings compared to the actual non-LT Ultra are not much, and it lacks the device’s nifty extras such as programmable buttons, quick app start and the remote finder.