Improving Kodi Streaming – Buffering Issues Resolved
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There you are sitting on your lazy boy with popcorn and all, then suddenly you see this annoying message “Buffering”. We bet you will jump and scream your lungs out. You will get frantic and wonder why this is happening. You would probably think out loud “I have the best internet subscription, so why?”. We assure you, that you are not alone when it comes to this dilemma. Do not worry though because we figured it out for you. In this write-up, we will be showing you ways and options for how to solve buffering issues on your Kodi device.
What is Buffering?
Buffering is the result of your system being unable to download data fast enough. We usually see this as the sudden stopping or pausing of videos. It can be quite frustrating to see most especially when you are in the middle of a movie or TV show you really like.
What are the probable causes of buffering? Upon close investigation and testing, we found out that there are two major reasons why this happens:
- Having a poor internet connection
– A lot of ISPs claim that they provide at least 10mpbs but the truth is, you only get 5mpbs or even lower. You can check the speed of your connection by running an app called Speed Test by Speedtest.net (insert our main article here for speed test here). You will at least need to get 3mpbs of download to get decent quality. 10mbps download for high definition (720p and 1080p) videos and 20mbps and above download for 4k content. Now, if you are using No Limits Build or Titanium Build, these are popular builds that usually offer high-definition videos, buffering will most likely occur when you access videos of high-quality.
- The video source is overcrowded
– This happens to add-ons that are frequently used by many due to its popularity. Think of it like 20 people riding a boat which is meant for only five people. The boat will slow down or worse, it will sink. The same is true for add-ons. The more users accessing a certain add-on, the more chances of it malfunctioning thus resulting in video buffering.
Reset Kodi Device and Router
Before diving into the major solutions for Kodi buffering, we would like you to do a quick factory reset first. This will return your Kodi device back to its default settings. After the reset, install and run a popular add-on like Exodus Redux. If there are no signs of buffering, then the reset already solved the issue. But if the buffering still exists, you can try restarting your router as well. Turn it off for at least ten seconds and then reboot. Hopefully, these quick fixes will help out in decreasing buffering.
Note: If you are unfamiliar on how to reset your device, just read our Reset Kodi Firestick Version and Reset Kodi on Windows.
Ultimate Fixes for Kodi Buffering
As we have stated earlier, when a factory reset and router restart does not work, the following fixes are the most optimal way in dealing with Kodi Buffering.
Fix no.1: Utilizing A Premium VPN Service
We have mentioned earlier that ISPs are the main culprits in slowing down your internet speed. How does this happen? When you pay for a 10mbps subscription plan, you will not really consume that amount of data per month most especially if you are just browsing. But if you are using the internet for heavy data consumption like streaming downloading, and gaming, this will result in maximizing the data cap allowed by your ISP. As such, an ISP will monitor these kinds of activities and limit your connection which then results in buffering.
What a VPN does is cloak your online activity. The ISP will never know what you are doing online. It will only see the amount of data being consumed but not what it was used for. If it does not see what the data is being used for, it will not throttle your connection.
Important Note: You will need to pay for a premium VPN service like Surfshark. Do not worry because you can get it for a discounted price by clicking on this link.
Fix no. 2: Real-Debrid Premium Link Generator Subscription
We would think that having the best internet subscription will lead to a buffer-free streaming experience. This kind of mentality is wrong on so many levels. Buffering is still bound to exist because Kodi will not be able to utilize your connection to its full capacity. This is where a premium link generator like Real-Debrid comes into the scenario.
Real-Debrid is a premium link generator that scours the webs for links that have the highest quality. Remember that when you use Kodi for streaming without Real-Debrid, you are competing with a lot of users for a spot on a link. With Real-Debrid, you are assured of high-quality links that only a few users have access to. If there are only a few users accessing the premium link, then buffering issues will be removed.
Here are the steps on how to use Real-Debrid on your Kodi Device
- Create a Real Debrid account and pay the necessary amount for a subscription
- Pre-install a Kodi add-on like Exodus Redux before attempting to integrate Real-Debrid.
- Open Kodi
- Select Settings
- Choose System
- You will see a gear icon below that says “Standard” click on it until it becomes “Advanced”
- Select Add-ons and click on Dependencies
- Select Resolve URL
- Choose Configure
- Choose Universal Resolvers and under Real Debrid select Priority
- Set priority from 100 to 90 (Real Debrid links will be the priority and will appear at the top of the list when playing a video)
- Select OK
- Choose the configure button again
- Select Universal Resolvers and set Real Debrid Enabled toggle to on
- Choose “Re-Authorize my Account”
- Input the code that appears in a new pop-up
- Head to “www.real-debrid.com/device and input the authorization code sent to you
- An authorized message will be sent on Kodi
- Real-Debrid integration will be successful after this
Note: Learn more about Real-Debrid by reading our Real-Debrid Review. Also, to know more about premium link generators, click here.
ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi. Currently, your IP 44.220.247.152 is visible to everyone and your Browser is being tracked by Advertisers & ISP Provider. Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN: A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.
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Install Surfshark on Firestick
Fix no.3 Kodi Build Buffer Solution
Aside from streaming, did you know that you can use a Kodi build to fix buffering problems? Yes, there are certain Kodi builds like Xanax and Supreme that you can employ to solve buffering issues. In this section, we will be featuring Xanax build to perform the advancedsetting.xml method.
- Launch Kodi on your device.
- Go to System Settings and click on Unknown Sources
- Select Yes
- Head back to the Home Screen and select File Manager
- Click on Add Source
- After the Add Source Dialog Box appears, select <None>
- Type in http://xanaxrepo.com/repo/
- Click on the blank space below and rename it to Xanax
- Choose Ok
- Go back to the System page and select Add-ons
- Select Install from zip file
- Look for Xanax
- Select Xanax-repo.zip and wait for a while
- Choose Install from repository
- Select Xanax Repository
- Click on Program Addons
- Select Xanax Wizard
- Choose Install and wait until the download and installation finishes.
- Head back to the systems page
- Select Add-ons
- Choose Xanax Wizard
- Select Maintenance
- Choose System Tweaks/Fixes
- Select Quick Configure AdvancedSettings.xml
- Set Video Cache size to Maximum MB and select Write File
Note: If you like to explore Xanax Build, click on this link.
Fix no. 4 Advanced Settings File with Ares Wizard
The Ares Wizard is popularly known to the Kodiverse as the go utility wizard. You can use it to perform maintenance and, in this case, solve buffering issues. Follow these steps to perform the tweaking method using Ares Wizard.
- Boot Kodi on your system
- Click on the Settings button. It will be beside the power button
- After that, click on System
- Select Add-ons
- Choose Unknown Sources
- A warning box will appear, click on Yes. This will give Kodi access to third party add-ons
- Head back to the main menu (If you are using a laptop/pc just press backspace.)
- Select File manager
- Click add source
- The Add Source dialog box will appear, click on <None>
- Type in http://areswizard.co.uk/ and select ok
- Select Enter a name for this media source and then input Ares Wizard and select Ok
- Click Ok
- Go back to the system page and select Add-ons
- Click on Install from zip file
- Select Ares Wizard
- Choose script.areswizard-0.0.69.zip and Wait for the installation to finish
- Head back to the systems page and select Add-ons
- Choose Program Add-ons
- Select Ares Wizard
- Click on Open
- Select Tweaks
- Choose Advanced Settings Wizard
- Select Next
- Choose Generate Settings
- Adjust the Video Cache Size, CURL Timeout, Read Buffer Factor, and Buffer Mode to the recommended settings and press Apply These Settings.
- After this, a notification will appear saying that you need to restart Kodi.
- Select OK
- Head back to the main menu and click on the Power Button
- Select Reboot. This will restart your whole system
Now that we have done that let us proceed in using Ares Wizard to purge unnecessary files.
- Relaunch Kodi
- Select Add-ons
- Select Program Add-ons
- Choose Ares Wizard
- Click on Maintenance. In this part, you will see Thumbnails, Packages, and cache. For each part, you will notice that there is a traffic light icon. This indicates the health of your system. Green for very good, yellow for warning, and red for an immediate need to delete items.
- Select Delete for items that are on the red light. (Delete thumbnails, Delete Packages, and delete cache/Temp Files.)
- Close the wizard and start streaming.
Supplemental Help
This extra method we are featuring does not FIX buffering issues, but it HELPS in configuring your device to an optimal state to help reduce buffering. We tested this method and we can proudly assure you that it works. This is applicable to Digzz Xenon Build and No Limits Magic Build. So, you might want to check them out and see for yourself if this helps with buffering issues. It did on our end.
Player Optimization Steps
- Boot Kodi on your system
- Click on the Settings button.
- After that, click on System
- Select Add-ons
- Choose Unknown Sources
- A warning box will appear, click on Yes. This will give Kodi access to third party add-ons
- Select Player
- Scroll down and click on the settings icon. Click on it until it turns Expert
- Click on Videos
- Set it to Play Videos Automatically
- Choose Episodes
Note: This process will help you find the next episode link so you won’t have to go back and forth finding one that works. It will not automatically play though.
- Select Sync Back Player To Display and turn it on.
- Scroll down even further and choose Enable HQScaler for Scaling and bring it down to 0%
- Scroll down again and look for Play Mode of Stereoscopic 3D Videos and make sure that it is set to Ask Me
- Go back to Player Settings and select Languages
- Choose Preferred Audio Language and set it to Original Language
- Exit Player Settings
Live TV Buffering Reduction and Connection Improvement Steps
- Boot Kodi on your system
- Click on the Settings button.
- After that, click on System
- Select Add-ons
- Choose My Add-ons
- Look for Video Player Input
- If Video Player Input is unavailable, go back to Add-ons
- Select Download
- Choose Video Player Input Stream
- Click on Input Stream Adaptive to install the add-on
- Click on RTMP Input to install the add-on
Tips on How to Improve Your Internet Connection
Now that we have covered the major fixes and supplemental ones. We would like to address a very basic topic that plays a part in all of this and that is how to improve your Internet connection.
- Make sure that your device is close to your router.
- Use a wired connection.
- Only use one device when streaming. Multiple heavy connections will result in buffering.
- Do not use other apps or kill all the other apps in the background.
- Use a VPN service to protect you from throttling.
Note: If you are using an Amazon Firestick and are experiencing the same issues, you might want to check out this article – DBTV Assistant
Note: For more information about Surfshark, please read our Surfshark Review.
How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick
If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.
Follow our screenshots below to install the SurfShark VPN app on your Fire TV stick.
1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.
2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.
3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.
4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.
5. Press the Download (You own it) button.
6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.
7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.
8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.
9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.
10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.
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Conclusion
The four fixes that we featured are all working. Two of them will require a certain amount and the other two comes for free. Weigh your options properly and know what suits your preference and needs. We will keep this article updated so if there are new fixes, we will let you guys know.
We hope that this article helps you in fixing buffering problems on your Kodi device. Thank you for reading and stay safe!
Note: ReviewVPN.com does not own or operate any app nor does it endorse any. The main purpose of this article is strictly for educational purposes only.
