IPTV Barrie

Barrie sits at the head of Kempenfelt Bay, on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, and had 147,829 people in the 2021 census. It’s inside Simcoe County on the map, but it runs its own affairs, and since 2010 it has stretched further south than it used to. For streaming live TV, what matters is the line into your home and the Wi-Fi inside it. Here’s who owns Barrie’s wired networks, what speed streaming needs, and how to test Boom TV on your own connection before you pay.

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A separated city in Simcoe County

Barrie was incorporated as a city in 1959. It borders Oro-Medonte, Springwater, Essa and Innisfil, and Highway 400 runs through it roughly north to south.

The County of Simcoe is made up of 16 member municipalities. Barrie isn’t one of them. The county calls Barrie and Orillia “separated cities” and provides them with paramedic and social services. Barrie governs itself as a single-tier city.

The city has grown by adding land before. Barrie took in the hamlet of Allandale, on the lower part of Kempenfelt Bay, in 1896.

The south end: land that used to be Innisfil

In 2010, the Barrie-Innisfil Boundary Adjustment Act moved Barrie’s southern boundary and brought 2,293 hectares of land into the city. One of the planned communities on that land, the Hewitt’s Secondary Plan area, was approved in 2016 with a plan for about 12,000 homes.

That’s a plan, not a finished neighbourhood. If you’re moving into a new build in the south end, ask which networks already reach your address before you choose an internet plan.

Who owns the wires in Barrie

An independent coverage map built from CRTC network-owner filings (the CRTC is Canada’s telecom regulator) splits Barrie into 13 zones. Here’s what it shows:

• Rogers cable is mapped in 12 of the 13 zones, and Rogers fibre-to-the-home in 11.
• Bell fibre-to-the-home is mapped in 12 of the 13 zones, with Bell’s older DSL listed in all of them.
• Vianet, an independent provider with its head office in Sudbury, is mapped as a fibre owner in 3 zones. It started in Timmins in 1988 and runs its own fibre and wireless networks.
• Fixed wireless networks from several companies, and satellite from Xplore, are mapped across every zone.

These are shares of mapped zones, not homes, and the map counts network owners only. A reseller may sell you service over one of these lines under its own name. Check your own address.

Boom TV works on any home connection that meets the speeds below. Test it on your own line with the free trial. It’s an app you install and sign into, so nothing is installed on the line and nothing changes on your Rogers, Bell or Vianet account.

How much speed you actually need

Boom TV’s recommended speeds, per stream:

That coverage map lists Barrie’s cable at up to 1.5 Gbps and fibre at up to 8 Gbps, far more than a few streams need. Bell DSL is listed at 5 to 100 Mbps, so if you’re on DSL, test your speed before relying on 4K.

Add up your screens. A 4K TV in the living room and an HD stream on a tablet upstairs need about 35 Mbps between them.

When a fast connection still buffers

The cause can be inside the house:

• Use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, not 2.4 GHz.
• Run Ethernet to the main TV if you can. A wired connection takes Wi-Fi out of the picture.
• Move the router out of the basement or utility room, or add a mesh point for upstairs TVs.
• Count everyone on the network. Video calls, game downloads and cloud backups share the same connection as your TV.
• Test in the evening, in the room with the TV, when everyone at home is online.

Getting set up in Barrie

1. Start the free 24-hour trial. Test it in the evening, on the TV you actually use.
2. Install the app on your streaming stick, TV box, smart TV, phone, tablet or computer, and sign in with the details sent by email.
3. Connect over 5 GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet and watch a full evening. If it plays cleanly, choose a plan on the plans page.

No technician, no new wiring and nothing to return.

Frequently asked questions

Does Boom TV work on Rogers internet in Barrie?

Yes. Rogers cable is mapped in 12 of Barrie’s 13 zones, and Boom TV works over Rogers cable or fibre the same way it works over Bell. Boom TV doesn’t change anything on your internet account.

Is there fibre in Barrie?

On the network-owner map, yes. Bell fibre is mapped in 12 of 13 zones, Rogers fibre in 11 and Vianet fibre in 3. Check your own address, because zone shares aren’t homes.

I live in the south end, in the area that used to be Innisfil. Does that change anything?

Not for Boom TV. That land has been part of Barrie since 2010. What matters is which networks reach your street, so check your address and run the free trial on your line.

Will it work on DSL or fixed wireless?

It can, if your connection keeps up. Aim for about 10 Mbps per HD stream, test in the evening, and use the free trial before you pay.

What do I need for 4K?

About 25 Mbps per 4K stream, plus a device that supports 4K.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. It lasts 24 hours and is free. Start the trial or see the plans.