Your smart TV's Wi-Fi is probably faster than its Ethernet, but speed isn't everything

Ethernet is slow on TVs, but it doesn't have to compete with everything else for Wi-Fi bandwidth.

By Roger Fingas Oct. 24, 2026 12:00 pm EST Toa55/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

Bandwidth matters a lot when streaming movies and TV shows. Services like Netflix and Disney+ typically recommend at least 5 Mbps for 1080p streaming. For 4K HDR content, that steps up to 25Mbps or better, since 4K resolution is four times that of 1080p. Plus, subscriptions that include 4K HDR typically throw in Dolby Atmos, even if it's just the compressed version.