How to Fix Your Slow WiFi

Slow WiFi speed can be really confusing, rather downright annoying, as there is no single answer to fix it. There are numerous reasons why your WiFi may be working on a speed slower than intended. It could be a problem with the WiFi router, or the Internet itself.

Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact issue and resolve it, however, fixing the speed of your WiFi isn't impossible. In this guide we will get you through each step to identify and solve slow WiFi speed issue.

Identifying the Problem

Before getting into the fixing business, the first step is to identify where the problem lies. As mentioned before, it can either be your Internet connection or a faulty WiFi device. 

In order to find the culprit you will need an ethernet cable. Ethernet cable is usually supplied with the router, so most probably you will already have one. If not, you can buy it (it's just under $5 and there is no specification of type or size), or you can always borrow one from a friend.

The ethernet cable will allow you to directly connect the router to the PC without depending on the WiFi signals. If your connection starts working fine as soon as you begin using an ethernet cable, then the problem is with the WiFi. If it is still slow, then it could be the Internet (or both).

Fixing the Problem with WiFi Signals

In case your Internet works fine with an ethernet cable, you need to solve the problem with the WiFi. Below we have listed different things you can do to fix WiFi problems.

Positioning and Environment is Important

There can be a number of interruptions that could stop signals from reaching your device properly, like walls, objects and even other electronic devices. You should reduce these interruptions between the router and your device. Additionally, the router must be placed at a certain height to ensure proper distribution of the signals.

Make sure there are no electrical appliances near the router. Devices such as microwave, refrigerator, wireless speakers, wireless console controllers and electronic heating system are some of the most common WiFi signal interrupters.

These appliances usually operate at 2.4GHz band, and they interfere with the signals coming from the router that operates on the same frequency. Do keep in mind that reflective material (mirrors) and metal based finishing in walls also reflect/weaken signals.

Positioning is especially important when you don't have a wired broadband connection and you depend on signals from your Internet provider. In such a case, you will have to adjust the router position to get the best signals from your ISP, usually represented by the number of lights.

Create Heatmap for WiFi Signals

While finding the perfect spot for your router, a heatmap of the WiFi signals will definitely be helpful. You can use a third party app that will create a heatmap of your house to let you know how the signals are being distributed in the house. It will also tell you about the points where there are interruptions as well the places where you can get the best signals.

Ekahua HeatMapper is a good tool for this purpose. It does require registration but it will create a heatmap of your WiFi signals for free. If you have a digital map of your house, then it will create an exact heatmap of WiFi signals on that map. Otherwise it can create heatmap over grids that are good enough to understand how signals are distributed.

Switch WiFi Chanels

WiFi signals are distributed over different channels in a specific area. All therouters in your neighbourhood are distributed over these channels. If a channel is crowded with connections, it could interrupt WiFi signal. You simply need to move to another channel that is less crowded to get better WiFi signals.

For this purpose, WifiInfoView by Nirsoft is a great little utility that will list down information about all the channels in your area, and how crowded they are. You can just choose a new channel that is least crowded.