My Wi-Fi Is So Slow!
Why Is My Wi-Fi So Slow?
Have you ever been at home and notice that your Wi-Fi signal slows down all of a sudden? Or maybe your Wi-Fi signal is slow at certain times of the day, maybe even all the time.
One reason that you may be experiencing slowness is due to poor Wi-Fi signal which can be caused by other devices, including those belonging to your neighbors.
Most home network devices transmit their signals on the 2.4GHz radio frequency, which means that with more homes setting up wireless, it is more likely that devices in your vicinity will impact your wireless signal.
In addition to this, other household items such as cordless phones, microwaves, garage door openers, and even baby monitors have been known to use the 2.4GHz frequency range which can easily be detrimental to your wireless network. These items can slow down your wireless performance and even break your connection.
As I previously mentioned, another often overlooked item is that of your neighbor. Your neighbor's wireless network is likely using the same radio frequency which can be particularly troublesome for those who share walls with neighbors. When this type of interference is encountered, you do have options.
So how can you fix this? Most routers will give you the option to change your wireless channel to allow you to communicate on a completely different frequency. This ensures that you will not encounter the interference issues and can maintain consistent wireless signal strength.
Did You Change Your Wi-Fi Channel and the Internet Is Still Slow?
Wireless interference is only one of many possible causes of a slow wireless connection. If you've changed the wireless channel, but you still have a slow connection, you may want to consider the following:
- You should re-assess the position of your wireless router. The position of your access point is critical to your wireless signal. The signal will be impacted if the device is placed too high or too low, or in a place where the wireless signal has to travel through too many layers of material like wood, drywall, metal, etc. Ideally, you should place the router in a central location to try to distribute the wireless signal evenly, and away from outside walls to keep the signal in your home and away from neighbors.
- You should test your Internet speed to determine if your ISP is the issue and not your equipment. There are several sites that allow you to test the speed of your network such as Speedtest: www.speedtest.net/, Speakeasy: https://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/, etc.). Make sure that you are getting the speeds that you are paying for through your ISP. You may need to upgrade your router or your service, or both.
- You should check your computer itself and make sure that the source of your slowness is not your pc. The network may not be the issue at all. There are many things that you can do to speed up your computer such as removing viruses and malware, defragmenting, resolving Windows system errors, and removing unnecessary programs and files.
Check out these resources for more information: