Best Wired TV Streaming Devices of 2025: Roku, Google, Apple and More

If your streaming video gets choppy, it might be because your Wi-Fi isn’t strong enough. One way to fix this issue is to instead connect your smart TV or streaming device with Ethernet port access directly to your internet via a Cat 5 network cable. This will allow you to free up your wireless for other devices such as laptops and tablets. Ethernet is also more stable and usually faster than Wi-Fi, and it doesn’t have issues with walls, interference or distance (well, not in a house). This means you won’t encounter the same lag or signal interruptions using a streaming device or smart TV with Ethernet port availability, over a standard Wi-Fi streaming app or unwired device, alone.

The bad news is that you’ll need to run wires from your router to your TV for streaming, but if you’re stuck at home it makes a good weekend project, and Ethernet cable is cheap. During high-use times, you might be OK running a temporary wire that you can remove later. If you can manage the project, your streaming woes could disappear.