Streaming

Streaming Music, Streaming Videos & Your Home Network

Is your home network robust enough for streaming? For anyone who plans on streaming more movies and music, it’s important to make sure your home network can handle it. That’s because streaming music and streaming videos for home entertainment puts a much bigger strain on the home network than ever before. This is especially true with concurrent multiple users. In fact, in today’s world everything begins and ends with your home network.

Whether it’s for sending or receiving emails or printing documents, or more bandwidth intensive activities such as streaming 4K movies and music, the network is the central component to any reliable home system. So, if your internet seems slow, it’s time to make sure you’re getting the speed you need, from your home network. But the first step is to have a realistic idea of how much bandwidth you need.

While it often has to do with the quality of service and available speed you are receiving from your Internet Service Provider, how well your home network processes and connects to these service has a lot to do the router you are using. For example, where you may have only needed 20 Mbps and the all in one router provided by your ISP in the past, today not only do you need faster service, but you also need networking equipment that can handle it.

You need a minimum download speed of 3 Mbps to watch a single video stream in clear, standard definition. The best Internet speed for HD streaming is 5 Mbps, and for those who go all the way up to 4K streaming, or ultra HD, your bandwidth should start at 25 Mbps (and this is for ONLY ONE USER). And for music, if your streaming service offers tracks encoded at 380Kbps, you’ll want around 3 Mbps; and to access files with little to no compression, you’ll want as many as 5 Mbps.

Is Your Internet Fast Enough for Streaming?

Until recently one could argue that gigabit was overkill. But today, that kind of speed is needed. Especially when you take into account, multiple users in the household that are either streaming music, streaming movies, or playing games simultaneously. And, add to that the applications and devices we use today which are overwhelming audio and video centric. Things like Smart TVs, video doorbells, smart locks, surveillance cameras, Amazon Echo, all need bandwidth to work. That means homes with multiple users will need internet service that can provide at least 90 Mbps speed. Keep in mind, this is an assessment is based on 4 active users in a home, it does not take into account the size of the home, building materials used to build the home (or other interference caused by everyday items), or any of the equipment being used to maximize the speed you are paying for. Check how much internet speed you need by using BroadbadNow’s speed calculator.

Internet providers frequently use the terms “bandwidth” and “speed” interchangeably. But, there is a subtle difference between them.

• Bandwidth: the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over an Internet connection (Mbps)
• Speed: the rate at which data can be downloaded (or uploaded) to a given device using that Internet connection (Mbps)

Home Networking Equipment

Is Your Equipment Fast Enough for Streaming?

The amount of bandwidth or speed you will need is going to vary greatly depending on the size of your home, household size, number of users, intended use/activities, etc. Getting the most out of your home network requires investing in not only better speeds, but also better hardware. Remember, just like your computer and other devices need to be updated regularly to work optimally, so does the home networking equipment.

With all of the different types of devices, applications, and Internet connected devices we use these days, the most important items you must now consider are:

• When was the last time you upgraded your home network?
• When was the last time you upgraded your service plan?
• Does your router provide you with the speeds you pay for (run a speed test here)?
  • NOTE: your router should meet of exceed the speed you are paying or because if they don’t, you are throwing away money
• Does your router sufficiently cover your entire home with WiFi?
• If not have you added wireless access points?

What makes some parts of the house great for web surfing and others totally frustrating? And why do the dead zones sometimes change? WiFi waves, like light or sound, decrease in strength with distance and interference from doors and windows . So,  as you move farther away from your router, you are left with dead zones in different parts of your home.

Araknis Networks

For Those Who Care About Their Home Network

Araknis Networks® understands the importance of modern, seamless connectivity. Picture a system where each piece of your network delivers top speed and incredible performance, wherever you need it. Why settle for anything else? Araknis is your network ecosystem (Access Points, Routers, Switches). All of their products are crafted to work together with ease, making for a fast, reliable network.

Networks require a fast and reliable connection at all times. Which is why Araknis Networks® wireless access points are designed to keep your signal strong. And with Fast Roaming, your devices will seamlessly transition between access points, ensuring the best possible performance. Based on location and coverage, a wireless device will release from a weak access point connection and attach to a different access point with a stronger connection in a matter of milliseconds.

With the rapid rise of IoT, AV over IT, and streaming services, the throughput performance for a high bandwidth network is critical. For this reason, they designed a new line of Araknis routers to support Gigabit WAN-LAN and LAN-LAN speeds across all models, so YOU always get the performance you expect and the speeds you pay for.

Support all your network needs with a professional-grade switch. The entire Araknis switch family offers full Gigabit throughput, PoE/PoE+, and cloud management through OvrC.

Developing a product is one thing. Making sure it performs to expectations is another. Every access point, switch, and router has been put to the test in the Araknis Lab, ensuring strength, quality, and reliability. From temperature testing in the thermal chamber to full bandwidth and surge testing, they push our products to the limit so you can enjoy seamless connectivity, top speed and incredible performance, wherever you need it.

San Diego Home Networking Specialists

As a provider of home networking and Wi-Fi solutions in San Diego, Shultz Audio Video, brings high value to each of our clients. At Shultz Audio Video, our values drive who we are and what we do. We pride ourselves on building one-to-one relationships with each of our clients. We are passionate about providing the very best home networking solutions on the market. Our promise to you, to provide you with solutions that fit your needs and your budget, deliver the solutions that bring your high-speed Internet dreams come to life, and provide you with a level of service that makes you feel important because the truth is, you are! Our team of San Diego Home Networking, Experts will help you bring your home into the modern connected world. We offer home network and Wi-Fi solutions designed for homes of any size. Not sure what you need? We want to make certain you are getting the exact solution that you need for your home. Call us today to schedule your free home network evaluation (760) 505-7461.