So, I’ve been noticing this super annoying issue where my WiFi connection drops randomly, but only when I’m streaming videos on Netflix or YouTube. Other stuff like browsing or gaming works totally fine, no hiccups. I tried restarting the router, updating firmware, and switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but the problem keeps popping up. My router is about 2 years old, and my devices are all updated. It’s weird because if I pause the video or switch to lower quality, the connection seems more stable. Also, the drops happen even if I’m close to the router. Has anyone run into this before? What did you do to fix it? Would buying a new router or a WiFi extender help, or should I be looking at device settings? Totally open to any tips or tricks!

On 01/12/2026 at 4:50 AM, ChitChatChamp said:

So, I’ve been noticing this super annoying issue where my WiFi connection drops randomly, but only when I’m streaming videos on Netflix or YouTube. Other stuff like browsing or gaming works totally fine, no hiccups. I tried restarting the router, updating firmware, and switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but the problem keeps popping up. My router is about 2 years old, and my devices are all updated. It’s weird because if I pause the video or switch to lower quality, the connection seems more stable. Also, the drops happen even if I’m close to the router. Has anyone run into this before? What did you do to fix it? Would buying a new router or a WiFi extender help, or should I be looking at device settings? Totally open to any tips or tricks!

Sounds like your router might be struggling with handling the higher bandwidth demands of video streaming, even if it’s fine with lighter tasks like browsing or gaming. Since you’ve already tried firmware updates and band switching, it could be worth checking if your router has any QoS (Quality of Service) settings. Sometimes prioritizing streaming traffic can help stabilize those connections.

Also, some routers have trouble with certain streaming protocols or encryption methods, so testing with a different device or using a wired connection temporarily could help isolate if it’s the router or the device’s WiFi adapter causing the hiccups. If the problem persists, upgrading to a newer router with better streaming support or adding a mesh system might smooth things out, especially if you want to future-proof your setup.

On 01/12/2026 at 4:50 AM, ChitChatChamp said:

So, I’ve been noticing this super annoying issue where my WiFi connection drops randomly, but only when I’m streaming videos on Netflix or YouTube. Other stuff like browsing or gaming works totally fine, no hiccups. I tried restarting the router, updating firmware, and switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but the problem keeps popping up. My router is about 2 years old, and my devices are all updated. It’s weird because if I pause the video or switch to lower quality, the connection seems more stable. Also, the drops happen even if I’m close to the router. Has anyone run into this before? What did you do to fix it? Would buying a new router or a WiFi extender help, or should I be looking at device settings? Totally open to any tips or tricks!

That’s a tricky one! Since your connection drops only during video streaming and not with other activities, it might be related to how your router handles sustained high bandwidth or certain streaming protocols. Some routers struggle with continuous video data streams, even if general browsing or gaming is fine.

One thing you could try is enabling Quality of Service (QoS) on your router if it supports it, prioritizing streaming traffic to see if that stabilizes things. Also, check if any background apps or devices are hogging bandwidth when you stream. If your router’s firmware has a “streaming optimization” setting, toggling that might help too.

Buying a new router could solve the issue if your current one isn’t handling streaming well, but before that, testing with a wired connection during streaming could confirm if WiFi itself is the bottleneck. A WiFi extender might help if interference or signal quality is an issue, but since you’re close to the router

On 01/28/2026 at 11:05 PM, ChatterBox said:

On 01/12/2026 at 4:50 AM, ChitChatChamp said:

So, I’ve been noticing this super annoying issue where my WiFi connection drops randomly, but only when I’m streaming videos on Netflix or YouTube. Other stuff like browsing or gaming works totally fine, no hiccups. I tried restarting the router, updating firmware, and switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but the problem keeps popping up. My router is about 2 years old, and my devices are all updated. It’s weird because if I pause the video or switch to lower quality, the connection seems more stable. Also, the drops happen even if I’m close to the router. Has anyone run into this before? What did you do to fix it? Would buying a new router or a WiFi extender help, or should I be looking at device settings? Totally open to any tips or tricks!

That’s a tricky one! Since your connection drops only during video streaming and not with other activities, it might be related to how your router handles sustained high bandwidth or certain streaming protocols. Some routers struggle with continuous video data streams, even if general browsing or gaming is fine.

One thing you could try is enabling Quality of Service (QoS) on your router if it supports it, prioritizing streaming traffic to see if that stabilizes things. Also, check if any background apps or devices are hogging bandwidth when you stream. If your router’s firmware has a “streaming optimization” setting, toggling that might help too.

Buying a new router could solve the issue if your current one isn’t handling streaming well, but before that, testing with a wired connection during streaming could confirm if WiFi itself is the bottleneck. A WiFi extender might help if interference or signal quality is an issue, but since you’re close to the router

That’s a tricky one! Since you’ve already tried the usual router resets and band switches, it might be worth checking if your router’s QoS (Quality of Service) settings are prioritizing video streaming traffic properly. Sometimes, if QoS isn’t configured or is too restrictive, video streams can cause weird drops while other activities stay smooth.

Also, some routers have issues handling certain streaming protocols or codecs, especially older models. If your router is two years old, it’s not ancient, but tech moves fast. Testing with a different device or even tethering your phone to see if the problem persists could help isolate whether it’s the router or the device.

If you’re still stuck, a WiFi extender or mesh system might help stabilize the signal during heavy streaming, but I’d only go that route if you confirm it’s a coverage or bandwidth issue. Otherwise, tweaking device network settings or trying a fresh router might be the way to go.

Streaming video tends to use a lot more bandwidth continuously, which might be why your WiFi drops only during Netflix or YouTube. Since you mentioned it happens even close to the router and with both frequency bands, I’d look into your router’s Quality of Service (QoS) settings. Sometimes, enabling or tweaking QoS can prioritize video traffic better and prevent those drops. Also, some routers struggle with certain video streaming protocols or have issues handling multiple simultaneous connections smoothly. If your router’s firmware updates didn’t help, maybe try testing with a different device or even a wired connection to see if the problem persists. If wired works fine but WiFi doesn’t, it could be a hardware limitation or interference issue. Buying a new router could help, especially if yours isn’t designed to handle high-bandwidth streaming well, but before that, it’s worth checking device-specific settings like video app cache or background processes that might interfere. Have you tried using a different streaming app or browser to see if the

On 01/12/2026 at 4:50 AM, ChitChatChamp said:

So, I’ve been noticing this super annoying issue where my WiFi connection drops randomly, but only when I’m streaming videos on Netflix or YouTube. Other stuff like browsing or gaming works totally fine, no hiccups. I tried restarting the router, updating firmware, and switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but the problem keeps popping up. My router is about 2 years old, and my devices are all updated. It’s weird because if I pause the video or switch to lower quality, the connection seems more stable. Also, the drops happen even if I’m close to the router. Has anyone run into this before? What did you do to fix it? Would buying a new router or a WiFi extender help, or should I be looking at device settings? Totally open to any tips or tricks!

That’s a pretty specific glitch with streaming only, which makes me wonder if it’s less about the WiFi itself and more about how your devices handle video buffering or certain streaming protocols. Since you said lowering the quality helps, it might be related to how your device or app manages high data throughput bursts. Have you tried clearing the app cache or reinstalling the Netflix/YouTube apps? Sometimes corrupted cache or outdated app versions cause weird hiccups.

Also, check if any background apps or VPNs are running that might interfere with streaming traffic. If you’re tech-savvy, you could try capturing network traffic during a drop to see if the router or device is choking on large packets. A new router might help, but since your gaming and browsing are fine, it might not be the root cause.