How to Increase Wi-Fi Speed? – A Simple Guide
An important part of modern life lies in digital communication. We communicate on a daily basis, mostly using the internet. When using mobile devices, we turn to wireless communication, whether using GSM or more frequently and regularly, WiFi.
WiFi is a blessing for many smartphone users or people on the go in general, but it can also be a nuisance. Bad coverage, packet loss and intermittent internet access are but a few of the flaws of WiFi. In order to make WiFi better, at home and in the office, there are a couple of steps you could take to consistently get good WiFi speed.
Check the Cables – Especially at Home
Even though WiFi implies wireless communication, the cable which goes from the wall to the router can often be the culprit. Telephone cables which are used for DSL internet can go bad. If they are stepped on or if they have bad routing from the wall to the router, they can result in a connection loss and thus a loss of speed.
One of the answers to the question of how to improve WiFi speed is the cables. Fiber optic cables are also a potential culprit and should not be bent more than necessary. The connectors on the cables are very sensitive and if they are dirty, that can affect the signal.
Purchase a New Router – Newer Technology is Better
Much can be improved with a new router, from connection stability to speed. 5 GHz WiFi routers work well indoors, even more if it is a smaller apartment. A new router will also support technology like explicit beamforming. If one is using a newer device with WiFi, beamforming will improve, stabilize and speed up the connection, particularly for 5G devices.
If you wanted to know how to boost WiFi speed, the router is the second place to check, which leads to the next topic.
Updating Router Firmware – Security Patches and New Features
Some routers get more support through the years, which have to do with security patches. Some get new features like beamforming enabled, which helps the two wireless devices communicate with one another.
Performance updates can be a part of firmware updates, but if you do not get more performance, you should still check for router firmware updates regularly. Security matters as much as speed does, leading to the topic of security.
Check for Security Leaks – Rogue Connections
Someone might have connected to your router prior to you setting up your WPA2 password, but even then, routers are hackable, to an extent. A nearby device might be the cause of you losing speed. This can also happen if a computer or other device connected to the router has malware or other viruses and software which rely on internet access.
Running an antivirus scan or a network scan to see whether anything is leeching speed can definitely solve the how to boost WiFi speed problem because it could have been gimped from the start.
Placing the Router – Mesh and Range Extenders
Sometimes, the best answer to the question of how to boost WiFi speed is to place the router in a different spot. If one could place the router in a centralized location relative to the size of the room/apartment/office, that would solve most dead zones. Using a WiFi heatmap can help find where exactly the dead zones are if there are any.
However, if there are dead zones, a range extender will provide the users with a new access point, but it will increase latency, most notably when a device switches from the extender access point to the router.
Mesh WiFi is probably the best overall solution for solving the problem of dead zones, while also providing users with the fastest possible speed. It is also the most expensive solution, but it may be worth it if speed and stability is a priority.
Consider Upgrading Devices Which Use WiFi to Newer Ones
Let us face it, the first generation smart TVs, particularly on the cheaper end of things will not have a good WiFi module and be a good receiver. Most modern smart TVs will do better. The same goes for any other unit using WiFi, like laptops and mobile phones.
A mobile phone which is 10 years old is very likely to have worse hardware than a more modern one, even if the modern phone is considered mid-range. The same goes for any other devices that one would want to be faster and better at using WiFi. Newer devices support WiFi 6 and that in theory means better speed and even more importantly, more speed for multiple devices, using technology such as MU-MIMO and dual bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
Put Bandwidth Limits on Network-Hungry Software
All of us like to use multiple programs at the same time. Having multiple streams on at the same time is going to clog up bandwidth. Limiting software that eats bandwidth is a good solution to the question of how to increase WiFi speed.
Torrent handlers, game launchers on patch days and even chat programs all have their bandwidth requirements. You could manually set a limit for each of these programs, or use third-party software like TMeter (which is free for Windows) to manage your programs in an easier way. This way, any program which is using more bandwidth at a certain point of a day would be given limited access, freeing bandwidth for more important things.
Conclusion and Summary – Multiple Steps to Faster WiFi
WiFi is important for most people and their everyday lives, whether work, communication or hobbies and relaxation. What is a good WiFi speed, one might wonder. The best one you can get out of your equipment at a given time and if that is not enough, then following the steps above can get you better and faster WiFi.
Anything from a bad cable, routers and old WiFi modules to programs that are left unmonitored, including viruses can affect WiFi speed. Check everything and you should end up having faster WiFi.