If you’re already using a streaming media device, you probably have noticed that sometimes it doesn’t seem as reliable as you need it to be. Netflix movies stall and take a long time to buffer. Pandora stations my stop for no reason and need to be restarted. Chances are the problem is not with either the device or the service, but with your network, and by association, your router.

Streaming media can hog up a significant amount of bandwidth, especially if there are several people in the house using the network at the same time. Replacing the economy router your internet provider gave you with a media-optimized router can greatly improve the performance of your networked devices. Netgear’s GS605AV Home Theater and Gaming Switch lets you share an internet signal with four other devices over a Gigabit wired connection. It’s perfect for a gear rack that includes several internet-dependent components. D-Link’s Wireless N HD Router (pictured) is optimized for viewing multiple video streams at once.