What is buffer bloat? 

And how to banish it this Christmas 

It’s hard to avoid. Just one more spoonful of prawn cocktail, another dollop of bread sauce, an extra roast potato, and is anyone having that last mince pie? Cue that bloated feeling that sets in over the festive period. We’ve all been there. But did you know that your internet connection can also find itself too full? 

The kids are test-driving their new toys, there’s a steady stream of video calls and Netflix is never off. Your streaming starts to stutter, the online gaming grinds to a halt and you’re only getting every eighth word from your aunty in Australia. The chances are you have a bad case of buffer bloat. With so many of us using high-bandwidth apps, it’s an increasingly common problem. But fear not, we’ve got the lowdown on what’s causing buffer bloat and how you can fix it to keep everyone happy over the festive season. 

What does buffer bloat mean? 

So, what exactly is buffer bloat and why does it happen? Well, when there’s lots of activity on your network you can encounter the dreaded jittery video or graphics, or an annoying lag between clicking something and your device responding. If you’re a gamer – immersed in a world where every second counts – it can be especially frustrating. 

What causes buffer bloat? 

Buffer bloat occurs when your internet becomes congested when everyone in your household is streaming, gaming or downloading at the same time – just like cars merging onto a motorway at rush hour. Imagine that each car is data trying to get through your modem: when things get crowded, you get a slowdown effect. Most modems try to manage this to avoid data loss, but this leads to speed and responsiveness issues. 

How to test for buffer bloat 

If your home has buffer bloat, the chances are you’ll already be aware of it; from game characters moving at a glacial pace after you press the button, to Zoom calls freezing with no audio. When it hits, your connection in general won’t be as snappy as usual. But if you’re still unsure, you can run a speed test. 

How to fix buffer bloat 

How Whole Home WiFi can help buffer bloat 

One of the most effective ways to fix buffer bloat is to add more Wi-Fi access points. This helps to spread out the load, giving everyone a fair slice of the internet pie. Mesh networks, such as our Whole Home WiFi Guarantee units are also great for amplifying the signal in every room. 

Manage your network traffic 

You can also do more to manage your network’s traffic. Got a bunch of apps or devices hogging your bandwidth? Then why not put them to sleep, particularly when you’re gaming or on a video call.  And talking of sleep, save those big downloads for when your house is getting some well earned shut-eye. 

Upgrade to a faster internet plan 

If your current plan feels like it’s barely keeping up, it might be time to upgrade to a faster plan for more flexibility during busy periods. A faster plan won’t magically fix buffer bloat, but it gives you more wiggle room when everyone’s online at once. 

How does full-fibre help prevent buffer bloat? 

Our full-fibre network delivers minimum speeds of 150Mbps up to an outstanding 5,000Mbps – meaning more devices can be connected at the same time, even if they’re all streaming and downloading content simultaneously. So if you’re not already with us, check out our availability checker to see if we’re in your area, and we’ll help to banish the buffer bloat together.