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Netflix Stranger Things buffering fix with CyberGhost

Avatar photoByHarvey Hisona

One of the huge TV shows on Netflix today is Stranger Things. It’s an addictive blockbuster that came out of nowhere in 2016 and has hooked millions of viewers around the world for a few years now. Its popularity has grown so fast that some Internet Service Provider may knowingly throttle or slow down their subscribers’ connections. Some unlucky Netflix viewers may encounter buffering issue when watching Stranger Things but thanks to reliable and secure VPNs like CyberGhost, this problem can be addressed. If you think that your ISP is slowing down your connection when trying to access Netflix only, this post should help.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbkvTf31cE

What is buffering?

If you encounter slow loading or constant stoppage when watching a video or show in Netflix, the experience is called buffering or rebuffering. Normally, streaming devices like a Blu-ray player, computer, game console, mobile, tablet, set-top box, smart TV, or media streamer (like Chromecast) “buffer” videos so it will seem to appear to you that the show is uninterrupted. This means that the device downloads the video ahead of what you’re watching so it plays continuously. If the video you’re watching catches up to the downloaded portion of the video, you may see that the show stops, or there’s a delay. This experience is usually indicated by a spinning circle or a message that says the video is loading. Depending on your internet connection speed and the quality of the video being downloaded, this annoying experience commonly referred to as “buffering” may continue for seconds to minutes.

Does VPN fix buffering imposed by ISP?

Your internet connection speed may cause buffering when watching Netflix if:

  • your subscribed internet speed is way too slow
  • there are too many devices streaming at the same time, or
  • if your ISP or Internet Service Provider throttles the speed intentionally

The first two factors are within your power to fix. If you are paying for basic browsing internet speed only, watching Netflix in HD may not work properly. What you must do in this case is to upgrade your internet speed to a faster plan.

Having too many devices running at the same time and streaming videos can also affect your Netflix watching experience. If you are the wifi administrator at home, try to check if you can control the number of devices that can use the connection via your router settings. If you have no idea how to do this, you can ask your ISP to work you through it. Or, you can simply ask family members to stop using their devices while you’re streaming Netflix.

Our concern here is the third factor — ISP interference or forced slowdown of your connection. Some ISPs may throttle or filter some contents for their own reasons. With the rise in popularity in Netflix streaming and similar services, some ISPs may find their system taxed so much that they may intentionally slow down video streaming. If your connection keeps buffering when watching popular Netflix shows like Stranger Things, this can be the result of your ISP slowing down your connection, which fortunately can be addressed by using a VPN like CyberGhost.

In most cases, Netflix throttling by ISPs are fixable by using a VPN service. As long as your VPN uses the proper encryption, your internet traffic may go through your ISP’s filtering system. If your ISP does not do a very thorough filtering system, they won’t be able to figure out that you’re using a VPN when watching Netflix.

An important consideration that you must do in choosing a VPN is the protocol that it uses. If you use free or cheap VPNs, such services may use outdated standards like PPTP, which most ISPs detect. As far as our experience is concerned, the best VPN protocol is OpenVPN. It balances security and speed and it has a very low chance of being detected by ISPs, especially if it uses a 128- or 256-bit encryption.

How to fix buffering when watching Netflix Stranger Things using CyberGhost?

When it comes to offering a reliable, secure, and fast VPN service, CyberGhost is highly recommended. It is especially effective for Netflix usage as it uses a 256-bit encryption so no third parties can intercept your internet traffic and your ISP won’t be able to detect that you’re trying to stream Netflix shows. If your ISP doesn’t know that you’re using CyberGhost VPN to watch a Netflix show like Stranger Things, their automated system to filter or slow down your connection will not do anything, thus eliminating the buffering problem. CyberGhost uses thousands of servers helping serve millions of customers with fast connection. Together with a very good encryption, you can almost always guarantee that your ISP will never be able to detect your Netflix data.

How to install CyberGhost on your mobile

If your main intention is to fix buffering when watching Netflix shows like Stranger Things, setting up CyberGhost in your mobile is key. For demonstration purposes, we use a Galaxy Note10 to configure CyberGhost app. If you have a non-Samsung or iOS device, all you need to do is to subscribe to CyberGhost VPN service and download the official app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

  1. The first thing that you should do is to create a CyberGhost account. Open a web browser on your device and visit CyberGhost website to get your preferred subscription plan.
  2. Once you’ve subscribed to CyberGhost, scroll down to the part that says Check all our other products.
  3. Tap the arrow to the right and select the Android logo.
  4. Tap Get it on Google Play. Alternatively, you can open Google Play Store app and search for CyberGhost VPN – Fast & Secure WiFi protection app.
  5. Tap Install.
  6. Tap Open.
  7. Enter your email address and password.
  8. Tap Login.
  9. When prompted for Location permission, tap on the Cog icon and select Allow.
  10. Tap Best Location. This ensures that CyberGhost gives you the optimal settings for Netflix.
  11. If the default warning pops up for Connection request, just tap OK. This is generic warning in Android devices if there’s a detected attempt to connect to a VPN service.
  12. Wait for a few seconds for your device to connect to your selected server location.
  13. You should get VPN connected! screen if successful.
  14. That’s it! You can now use your internet the way you want it.

How to use CyberGhost dedicated servers for Netflix

Since you’re main goal is to watch Netflix, make sure that you’re using the servers set aside by CyberGhost for this purpose. It’s really easy to do and you can do it right after you set the app for the first time. However, if you missed this step before, learn how to do it properly below.

  1. Launch CyberGhost app.
  2. Tap on Best Location.
  3. Tap Streaming friendly icon that looks like a TV or monitor.
  4. Search for the Country that shows it is optimized for Netflix. For example, if you’re trying to access US Netflix, be sure to select the entry that says, United States optimized for Netflix US.
  5. If the default warning pops up for Connection request, just tap OK. This is generic warning in Android devices if there’s a detected attempt to connect to a VPN service.
  6. Wait for a few seconds for your device to connect to your selected server location.
  7. You should get VPN connected! screen if successful.

Related readings: How to use CyberGhost to watch US Netflix from abroad | steps to set up CyberGhost

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