5 Ways to Prevent Online Videos from Lagging

The Internet has provided us with a convenient means of finding and consuming video content.

00:15 24 September 2021

This content can be entertaining, informative, or both.

 

Of course, watching an online video becomes a far less convenient experience when the video begins to lag. You may thus be interested in learning about ways in which you can guard against this happening. Options to consider include the following:

 

Download a Video

 

You don’t always need an Internet connection to watch an online video. You can download videos from such platforms as YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and others.

 

You also don’t necessarily have to be very tech-savvy to do so. Apps that allow users to download online videos simplify what could otherwise be a challenging process. Naturally, when a video is downloaded to your computer or mobile device, you’ll never have to worry about it lagging, even when your Internet connection is shoddy.

 

Disconnect Other Devices from the Internet

 

Internet of Things technology has yielded impressive benefits that shouldn’t be ignored. However, it’s also resulted in people forgetting just how many devices in their homes may be connected to the Internet.

 

Make a list of devices and appliances that may rely on an Internet connection to function as intended. There are likely instances when you can justify turning off these devices or at least disconnecting them from the Internet because you’re not actively using them. When watching videos, strongly consider doing so to minimize the amount of bandwidth you may be using.

 

Turn Off Other Applications

 

This tip relies on the same principle as the one described above. If you’re trying to watch an online video but you can’t seem to prevent lag, check to see if any other applications are running in the background. They may be draining the bandwidth of your Internet connection to a greater degree than you’ve realized. As such, shutting down these applications can theoretically improve a video’s performance on your device.

 

Reboot

 

It’s a simple solution, but one that many forget to consider because they don’t realize why it’s effective. Essentially, various coding and memory issues can negatively impact a device’s performance if it’s been left on for a long period of time. Simply rebooting your computer or mobile device may be all you have to do to prevent online videos from lagging.

 

Download Updates

 

If you’re like many people, you may postpone downloading software updates until a program or your operating system forces you to. Don’t make this mistake! Sometimes, video lag occurs because video cards or other components of a device or operating system are in need of updates. Like rebooting your device, downloading an update is a simple but often effective way to address problems such as video lag.

 

Just remember that there are many reasons videos lag when you attempt to watch them online. The proper fix in one instance won’t always be the best way to correct the issue in other circumstances. 

 

You may therefore need to experiment with multiple solutions before determining which one is effective. These are merely a few ideas that many have found to be useful.