Our dependence on the Internet, both for work and for entertainment, means that slow Wi-Fi speeds can be very annoying. This article mentions some of the common causes of Wi-Fi problems and what you should do about them.
Before we get into the common reasons why your Wi-Fi is performing poorly, let’s take a look at a few tips to help you better troubleshoot your Wi-Fi speed issues.
First, don’t rely on your smartphone (or laptop using Wi-Fi) to test your speed. Speed test with a smartphone is not an accurate way to test the speed of your internet connection.
So before you point the finger at Wi-Fi as the source of your problems, make sure to run a proper speed test on your internet connection first to rule out any bigger issues with your ISP or modem.
Second, the Wi-Fi speed is deceptive. What your Wi-Fi hardware can do is different from what it advertises. Even with a connection like fiber optic, you won’t see the advertised speeds on your phone or laptop. So don’t expect too much and don’t go for troubleshooting if you just want more speed. Only start troubleshooting Wi-Fi if your Wi-Fi speed is already slow or below the overall average.
Replace your old routers!
Everyone hates spending money. But the reality is that Wi-Fi hardware has continuously improved over the years, and everyone needs hardware upgrades for faster speeds.
If you’re still using an old router you bought ten years ago or connecting to the Internet with your grandfather’s weak cable modem, you’re definitely not going to have a pleasant Internet experience. So if you have an old Wi-Fi router, there’s really no better way to speed up your internet than buying a new one. Especially for people using newer smartphones, smart TVs, etc. Because pairing newer devices with older hardware degrades their performance.
The location of the router affects the Wi-Fi speed
The only thing worse than having an old Wi-Fi router is placing it in the wrong place. For example, if you need a lot of light in your living room, you wouldn’t put your LED light in the corner of the basement. And by the same token, if you need high-speed Wi-Fi. Do not place the Wi-Fi router in the basement or next to the washing machine.
Moving the Wi-Fi router is an easy but effective solution. Just make sure you place it in a place where you can get a good signal and connect to it with all your devices. Avoid placing it near Wi-Fi blocking objects such as satellite dishes.
The number of devices connected to Wi-Fi
One of the biggest advantages of newer Wi-Fi hardware isn’t just faster speed, but the overall increase in power and number of devices a Wi-Fi router can connect to.
However, you should be aware that increasingly devices, even when they are not in use, are taking up quite a bit of bandwidth, causing problems on your network that you might not expect.
Cloud-based security cameras use as much bandwidth as the smart devices in your home. People always worry about high bandwidth usage, but you should know that all devices that use bandwidth usually also use Wi-Fi.
Gather all the computers, tablets, smartphones, consoles, streaming devices, smart TVs, smart home accessories and more found in a modern home into one list, including all the devices that officially use your bandwidth. Eat.
We recommend that you consider removing devices from your Wi-Fi network. Of course, not in order to live a life without an Xbox or a smart TV. Rather, as much as possible, either disconnect the unused device or change its connection to the network cable.
Old hardware and cables slow down
If you’re using old Cat5 cables or an old 10/100 network switch on your network, you’re inadvertently slowing down your network.
If you’re one of those folks with bandwidth slower than 100Mbps, you may never realize how much that old network switch is slowing down your performance, but if you’ve got fast bandwidth, those old cables and hardware are probably just a fraction of the max. They reduce your potential speed.
To avoid this, check your network cables to make sure they are at least Cat5E or Cat6. And if you are using network switches, upgrade them from 10/100 switches to Gigabit switches.
Wi-Fi channel congestion reduces its performance
Wi-Fi channel congestion occurs when multiple Wi-Fi devices use the same frequency or channel in the same airspace.
If your neighbor has their Wi-Fi router configured the same way as yours and you live close enough that your router is accessible in their living space and vice versa, it can negatively affect your network.
This is more of an issue for devices on the 2.4GHz band than the 5GHz band, but it’s something to be aware of regardless of whether you live in an apartment or a crowded neighborhood. You need to identify which channels are more crowded and then adjust it to less crowded channels according to your router settings.
Wi-Fi developers increase access, but decrease speed!
If you’ve been struggling with issues like slow Wi-Fi speeds or poor coverage, chances are you’ve considered using a Wi-Fi extender, or maybe you already have one in your home.
Despite their popularity, from a sales point of view, Wi-Fi extenders have a poor reputation for increasing network performance.
While they can certainly increase your network reach if deployed properly, they can also cause network congestion and huge slowdowns.
To make sure your developer is the problem, unplug it temporarily. With the extender disabled, check the overall performance of your network with devices connected directly to the main Wi-Fi router. If the performance improves significantly, it means that there is a problem with the developer workplace, and in this case, there are two strong possibilities.
First, your Wi-Fi extender may be poorly configured and installed. If this is the reason for your slow Wi-Fi speed, just do the configuration and installation again and more correctly.
Second, the additional coverage provided by the developer added to your Wi-Fi may be too much for your main router.
In that case, it’s probably a good idea to just abandon the deployment router configuration and replace it with a more robust mesh network. Upgrading to a mesh network like upgrading your router and pairing it with Wi-Fi extenders at the same time can have a big impact on your slow Wi-Fi speeds.
