I finally used my Roku Ultra’s Ethernet port, and it changed nothing

It might be shocking to hear, but I don’t use my TV’s Ethernet port. It seems like I might be an outlier in that, but I feel like it’s not needed to accomplish anything I do with my TV. Nothing I watch buffers or lags, and I never drop my connection, so I don’t see why I need to use an Ethernet cable. After seeing some comments on a story I wrote, I decided to give it a try.

I have a Roku Ultra in my bedroom that I decided to plug an Ethernet cable into since I use that instead of my TV for streaming. My Roku Ultra is right around the corner from my modem, and there wasn’t much trouble running an Ethernet cable from my office to my bedroom. I even had some walls I could hug and rugs to hide the cable under, so it’s not like I had to create a tripping hazard just to see if I noticed a difference.

You can’t say I haven’t tried it

I don’t see the vision

The thing with a streaming box or TV is that you don’t necessarily need the blazing-fast speeds like you would with a PS5 or PC. I think Ethernet cables make a lot of sense for those, since you don’t want your connection to drop suddenly, but it makes less sense for TV. Netflix recommends having a speed of 15 Mbps or higher to stream in 4K, and that’s something you can easily hit with Wi-Fi. A quick speed test on my phone showed I’m hitting about 400 Mbps up and down over Wi-Fi, so I’m well beyond the threshold of what Netflix requires.

While it wasn’t an issue plugging in my Roku Ultra, I don’t think I’ll be doing it to any of my other devices any time soon. It’s not a problem if you already have an Ethernet cable lying around, like I did, but I don’t think you’ll notice any changes if you weren’t running into problems before. There are a variety of reasons why I might not feel any changes, however. I’m very close to my modem, and I have fiber internet. Theoretically, my Wi-Fi in my bedroom should be one of the strongest places in my house since it’s just a room over from my setup.

Perhaps it’s because of those factors that I don’t see a difference in performance. I don’t use my Roku Ultra for anything other than streaming shows on Netflix or watching YouTube videos, so it’s not like I need anything to take me to another level. Ethernet cables come in handy when downloading large files like video games, but that’s not something my Roku Ultra ever has to do.

The good news is that plugging in an Ethernet cable doesn’t harm anything. In fact, I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t plug one in if you can. The reason I don’t use them for most of my devices is that running a cable through my house doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’m also not looking to drill holes into my walls or anything of the sort, just to get a cable plugged in. If I’m near my modem, then sure, why not?

Stability isn’t bad if you can manage it

It works for some people

Although I didn’t personally notice a difference in speed or performance, plugging in a cable yourself doesn’t mean you won’t. A lot of the reason people recommend using an Ethernet cable is because of stability. You won’t have a drop in connection if you’re plugged in, unless your router or modem becomes unplugged, so it’s worth it for that. As I mentioned earlier, though, it’s not really an issue for streaming shows. I haven’t noticed anything buffering for several years, so adding an Ethernet cable to the mix hasn’t changed much for me. If you’re somebody dealing with these problems, a cable could be the answer you’re looking for.

Ultimately, I’m going to leave my Roku Ultra plugged into the Ethernet cable since it’s not causing any harm by being plugged in. In a roundabout way, I’m a convert even though I don’t see any change. I’m not going to go out and recommend everybody plugs in their devices or TVs, but if you have the means to do it, then go for it.