It’s hard to imagine the old days of watching football now. When was the last time you even turned on a TV to find a game? If you’re like millions of millennials and Gen Z, it’s probably been a long time.
Thankfully, the internet has made it so much more convenient to watch not just local games but all kinds of football matches.
But there is one dreaded problem with switching to online streaming—lag. And it somehow knows to only show up during the most important moments of the game (and never the commercials, of course!)
So, we’re here to give you a few quick tips on how you can minimize and enjoy a seamless and smooth streaming experience.
1) Get a VPN
If you’re an avid football fan, then you should already have a VPN in your toolbelt. If not, then what have you been waiting for?
VPNs or virtual private networks are well-known for their amazing cybersecurity benefits. But they have another trick up their sleeve.
You can then access football content from around the world. For example, you can use a UK VPN to watch the Premier League and a Spain VPN to watch La Liga.
What you might not know is that they can help you fight lag. One of the main causes of lag is distance.
But what you can do is connect to a UK VPN, for example, which reduced latency (a.k.a. lag), giving you a better streaming experience. The same is true even if you are watching a game from your own country but just hosted from another city.
2) Speed Up Your Internet Connection
This is an obvious one that you’ve probably thought of already, so we won’t spend too much time on it. If you’re already paying more than you can afford for an internet bill, then we hear you!
But what you can do is remove those things that may be subtracted from your bandwidth. Basically, the more bandwidth you have, the better. But if you have 4 smartphones, 4 tablets, and 4 computers all connected to your network simultaneously, there is only so much that can be shared.
And it’s easy to forget that all of these devices perform updates and do all sorts of things even when not in use. So, the simple answer is turning them onto airplane mode until the match is over.
If you’re streaming from your computer, be sure to likewise cut any background activity, we’re looking at your Chrome! While you’re at it, make sure your computer is in good shape.
Perform updates and antivirus scans that won’t just keep you safer but hopefully remove any hidden malware that may be secretly eating away at your bandwidth.
3) Recognize some lag may be unavoidable
With the most popular sports matches, millions or even tens of millions of people are trying to watch—often on the same stream.
This is inevitably going to cause some slowdown. But, depending on how popular the sport is, you may have a range of options.
For example, the American NFL games are also simulcast on UK Sky Sports. Of course, the NFL isn’t as popular as real football in the UK, so there’s likely to be many fewer people watching from these streams, meaning less lag for you.
When it comes to streaming live football, this is incredibly true. You might be able to find streams in all kinds of websites and platforms from around the world—and many are free and legal. That’s one more benefit of using a VPN.
Beat Lag When You Watch Live Football
It seems as if we are in a never-ending war against lag. Even though the internet is generally faster than ever, our HD and 4K streaming often mean we still have to encounter lag as our bandwidth needs likewise have scaled up over time.
The good news is there are plenty of ways to fight against it. Use VPNs, kill the background activity, and be resourceful for where you find your streams.
Through this approach, you’ll be able to watch the games with such minimal lag that you’ll almost believe you’re actually at the game!