Slow Wi-Fi Speeds
WiFi signal can be affected by distance, physical barriers, and radio interference. Make sure that you’re not too far from your router/access point, that there aren’t too many physical barriers between your device and the broadcast point, and that there aren’t too many other Wi-Fi frequencies broadcasting nearby.
Check Your Signal
Most modern Wi-Fi uses “dual-band” radios meaning they broadcast a 5GHz signal and a 2.4GHz signal. While 2.4GHz is great at penetrating surfaces and traversing further distances, the 5GHz offers a much higher data throughput and much faster speeds for the user. Even if the 5G SSID has fewer signal levels, it may be your better option when speed is your concern. Newer Wi-Fi 6e and Wi-Fi 7 routers include the 6GHz band further increasing speeds and decrasing radio interference.
Radio Frequency 101
If one or more of your Wi-Fi enabled devices seem to be working fine but there’s one pesky device that just isn’t getting good speeds, the Wi-Fi may not be your problem. Certain devices are not made with as powerful Wi-Fi antennas as others. Many times older devices fall into this category, but not always. As a general rule, the cheaper the device, the lower quality the Wi-Fi antenna. You may consider a device upgrade, but save that receipt just in case that doesn’t resolve your issue.
Not All Devices Are Equal
Network Equipment can often need to power down to terminate any ongoing processes before it can return to 100 functionality again. This includes the client device that is attempting to connect to the network. A good reboot can be like giving your devices a digital Red Bull to help return them to the performance you’ve come to expect. When rebooting, a full power down and back on again is almost always the best bet. Some devices take longer to fully boot down than others so be sure to allow plenty of time before powering them back on again.
When in doubt, Reboot
If your device and your router both have an ethernet port, you may consider using a wired connection with an ethernet cable. Ethernet generally offers a more stable and reliable connection compared to Wi-Fi, particularly when it comes to speed and latency. Ethernet connections can provide faster data transfer rates, lower latency, and more consistent performance, especially in environments where there are multiple devices or where the network is heavily used.
Ethernet
Increase Bandwidth
Your Wi-Fi is only as good as the internet that is coming in from the source. In most cases, the source is the internet service provider or “ISP”. Some cases may involve network components between the ISP and your router that should be evaluated as well, but ultimately your Wi-Fi speed can’t be fast without fast internet supplying it. If you’re on a shared network or have numerous devices using the same network your performance may be diminished.
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