Wondering why your Peloton keeps buffering? Well, this guide is made specifically for you!
Your Peloton fitness appliance, whether a Bike, Bike+, or Tread, uses a touchscreen tablet suitable for everything from tracking your workout to streaming anything entertaining.
Hence, whenever the videos on the tablet are lagging/buffering, you face weak WiFi or broadband.
To resolve the buffering issue on your Peloton touchscreen tablet, you must first power cycle the fitness appliance and reconnect to the WiFi. If the issue continues, shorten the WiFi proximity, switch to the other WiFi frequency, and factory reset your Peloton device!
Let’s continue to unwrap!
Why is Peloton Constantly Buffering?
The buffering problems when streaming on a Peloton Bike, Bike+, or Tread typically appear due to a wireless or wired network fault.
If you’re connected to the internet via WiFi, there are many possibilities for buffering, and if you’re hardwired, your broadband connection may be down.
Here’s everything that may cause buffering on your Peloton touchscreen:
Those were the possible causes for buffering streams on your Peloton touchscreen tablet, and to resolve the issue, you must address each of them.
Luckily, we’ve created a step-by-step guide that tackles all possibilities in one go, so without further ado, let’s start troubleshooting!
How to Fix When Peloton Keeps Buffering?
Tip: Follow the solutions chronologically!
1. Power Cycle Peloton Setup!
The first step is the easiest one and will help you identify whether a system bug is causing the buffering on your Peloton touchscreen tablet.
The power circulation will not erase anything from your Peloton or router but will actively reboot the operating systems and resolve your problems!
How to Power Cycle Router?
- First, verify that your WiFi router is working.
- Then press the power button on the back.
- When the router is OFF, unplug the adapter.
- Wait for 60 seconds for a power circulation.
- Reconnect your router’s power equipment.
How to Power Cycle Peloton?
- First, verify that your Peloton unit is working.
- Disconnect the power adapter from the wall.
- Also, unplug the cable from the unit’s base.
- Wait for 60 seconds with Peloton unplugged.
- Re-establish your Peloton power equipment.
When you connect your Peloton device to the outlet, the adapter must show a green light, indicating that the charging is working.
When ready, verify that the device is connected to the WiFi and test whether you can stream content without lag, buffering, or interruptions.
Tip: Use a secondary device to test whether the WiFi connection from your router is intact!
2. Reconnect Peloton to WiFi
If your Peloton tablet’s content started to lag and buffer suddenly, perhaps your appliance has been disconnected from the wireless network.
So, the next step is to connect your Peloton Bike or Tread to your router’s WiFi and check whether the buffering problem will continue to appear…
Here’s how to connect Peloton Bike or Tread to the WiFi in easy steps:
- First, verify that your Peloton is turned ON.
- Then, tap on the WiFi icon at the top right.
- When the prompt appears, select the WiFi.
- Insert the correct password and continue.
- Wait for your Peloton unit to get connected.
If you see an error or your Peloton appliance won’t connect to the WiFi, your network may be down, so you need to justify this.
The quickest way to check whether you can connect to the WiFi is by using your smartphone and trying to connect from the spot where your Peloton is.
Tip: If you cannot connect to the WiFi, reboot the touchscreen and try again!
3. Shorten the WiFi Proximity
One of the most common causes of Peloton buffering issues is the distance between the WiFi router and your Peloton appliance.
Whenever there are physical or wireless obstructions, the router’s WiFi signal may not be able to reach your Peloton device’s location, causing buffering.
- So, shorten the proximity between your Peloton and WiFi router!
If your router is in another room or an enclosed environment, the WiFi signal at the spot of your Peloton may be insufficient.
Hence, you can boost and optimize the connection by relocating the Peloton product or your wireless router closer to one another.
Tip: Share a hotspot from your SIM-enabled smartphone to test whether your Peloton device can connect and whether the buffering will continue.
4. Switch Your WiFi Frequency
Peloton Bike, Bike+, and Tread can connect to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi, so users with a dual-band router can switch between the network frequencies.
- If your Peloton appliance is connected to the 5 GHz WiFi, perhaps that’s the reason why your content keeps buffering.
We recommend switching from the 5 GHz WiFi, which is faster but less reliable and consistent than the 2.4 GHz WiFi, especially when the distance is considerable.
So, to switch between one WiFi frequency to another, you must be aware of the correct SSID of your wireless networks and connect your Peloton appliance.
Feel free to use the steps from the guide earlier to switch between the WiFi frequencies and test whether the buffering continues.
Note: You can adjust the WiFi frequency and SSIDs of your network through the web admin portal of your WiFi router.
5. Adjust Peloton Time & Date
The Time and Date on your Peloton device’s touchscreen tablet are very important for the WiFi and internet connection.
Whenever the time and date are incorrect, you may not be able to use the internet on your Peloton tablet, hence your content will be buffering.
Here’s how to adjust the time and date settings on your Peloton:
- Verify that the touchscreen tablet is working.
- Go to the “Settings” then “Device Settings.”
- From there, press on the “System” section.
- Then, head to the “Date & Time” menu tab.
- Configure your Time Zone, Time, and Date.
When you’re ready, we recommend rebooting your Peloton device to apply the newest changes and resolve your networking issue.
Then, test whether the streaming on the Peloton tablet is still buffering, and if yes, continue reading further…
6. Factory Reset Your Peloton!
If nothing helps, it’s time for a factory reset on your Peloton device to reinstall the operating system and revert all settings to default.
This is a highly beneficial method but comes with a downside, and it’s only recommended as a last resort.
Warning: Your saved content and configuration will be permanently deleted from your Peloton touchscreen tablet.
Here’s how to factory reset your Peloton fitness appliance:
- First, verify that your Peloton is currently turned on.
- Then, go to “Settings” and enter the “System” tab.
- Finally, select “Factory Reset” and then confirm it.
When the factory restoration process begins, there is no going back, and you must wait until the OS of your Peloton appliance is restored.
When ready, you’ll be prompted to set up the initial options, one of which is connecting your Peloton fitness appliance to the WiFi or via Ethernet.
Reminder: Double-check whether your broadband and WiFi are accessible and connected to the supplier’s internet.
7. Switch to a Wired Connection!
If all else fails, it’s good to know that Peloton Bike, Bike+, and Tread touchscreen tablets have an Ethernet port.
This allows the user to connect their fitness appliance to the internet via an Ethernet cable directly to their wireless router, bypassing all the wireless network limitations.
- However, to establish a connection, you must have a long enough Ethernet cable to hardwire the router with the Peloton tablet.
When this is done, you will start receiving an internet supply from the router directly, and your content should no longer be lagging, buffering, or interrupting.
Tip: You can find and purchase Ethernet cable online!
Need More Help?
If you’ve tried all of the solutions in this guide, but your Peloton unit’s touchscreen tablet is still buffering online content, you may need to contact Peloton Customer Service.
So, report the issue you are experiencing, and hopefully, the technical team will develop an effective solution.
Quick Recap:
Thus, whenever Peloton keeps buffering, you must power cycle the fitness appliance and reconnect to the WiFi or via Ethernet cable.
If your online content is still buffering, adjust the Peloton’s time and date, switch to another WiFi frequency, and factory reset the unit.
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Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.