Spinning pinwheels and slow status bars got you down? Keeping current with the latest technology is usually the fix, but if you’re the kind of person who’d rather change a set of brake pads than open the settings menu on your computer, take heart. We’ve put together nine lowtech fixes to help speed up your Wi-Fi, as well as some advanced options for those who enjoy getting software dirt under their fingernails.
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A range extender has the advantage of being able to connect to your current system. The downside is that the rebroadcast signal is only about half the bandwidth of your router. Range extenders cost anywhere from $20 to $125.
To find out if your house has weak signal areas, turn on your phone’s Wi-Fi and walk around the house, watching the Wi-Fi signal. There are also mobile apps, such as Netgear’s WiFi Analytics, to help you find where your coverage is weak or strong. HeatMapper and inSSIDer Office are two other tools used to map your signal.
#1 Move your router
- Place your router in a central location. As you consider a central location, think top to bottom as well as side to side. Q Put your router up high in the room. That way, it’s above obstructions.
- Keep your router away from other appliances. For example, an inexpensive, poorly shielded microwave can cause a lot of Wi-Fi interference.
- Don’t enclose your router. A Wi-Fi router isn’t a thing of beauty, but tucking it in an enclosed space will degrade the signal and possibly cause it to overheat.
- Imagine the physical barriers that can block the signal. Hidden chimneys, brick walls and utility rooms with lots of metal between you and the router can greatly affect signal strength.
#2 Restart your router regularly
Some router firmware is a little buggy, and over time it gets slow. A simple restart often brings it right back up to speed. Unplug your router, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Some routers can be configured to restart at regular intervals. Look in your owner’s manual to see if your router has this feature and how to access it. Alternatively, you can just make a note to restart your router once a week.#3 Get a new router
Check your router’s WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) standard. It will consist of the number 802.11 followed by a letter or letters. You’ll find this information in the owner’s manual. If you don’t have the owner’s manual, download it by searching your router’s make and model online.- 802.11b and 802.11g. These are the oldest and slowest versions, with a maximum speed of 54 Mbps (megabits per second).
- 802.11n. This is a newer version with a maximum speed of 300 Mbps.
- 802.11ac. This is the latest version, offering speeds of up to 1 Gbps (gigabits per second).
- 802.11ac MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) router. MU-MIMO routers send and receive multiple data streams simultaneously to multiple devices without speed drop-off.
If you have an older version, consider an upgrade. If you’re renting your router and modem, it makes sense financially to purchase a router. You can get a good one for about $100. Plus, the firmware on rental units is often inferior.
#4 Give your computer a boost
If you upgrade your router but your computer is more than two or three years old, its wireless adapter may not be compatible with your speedy new router. To reap the benefits of an 802.11ac router on an old computer, look into a USB 802.11ac wireless adapter. Just slip the adapter into a USB port on your computer and enter your router’s password when prompted. These adapters are available at big box stores and online for $20 to $100.#5 Buy a wireless range extender
Routers broadcast pretty well up to about 150 ft., beyond which the signal gets weak. But this depends on your walls and other obstructions. For a large area, or if you have thick walls, you can buy a wireless range extender to boost your signal. Range extenders pick up the signal from your router and rebroadcast it. Like your router, a range extender should be elevated and in the open. Be sure the extender you purchase is compatible with your router’s WLAN standard.A range extender has the advantage of being able to connect to your current system. The downside is that the rebroadcast signal is only about half the bandwidth of your router. Range extenders cost anywhere from $20 to $125.
#6 Plug in when you can
A router can only handle so many devices and their competing Wi-Fi signals. If you treat your Wi-Fi as a resource and connect to it sparingly, you’ll have plenty of bandwidth available for when you do use it. Whenever you’re working near your router, plug into it using an ethernet cable. This frees up more bandwidth for other Wi-Fi devices.#7 Buy a “mesh” Wi-Fi system
A “mesh” or “whole-home” Wi-Fi system is designed to provide coverage to your entire house. These systems come with a main router that connects to your modem, and several hubs that you place throughout your house. A Wi-Fi system is similar to a range extender in giving coverage to hard to reach areas. Unlike a range extender, however, a Wi-Fi system gives full Wi-Fi signal at each hub. Also, you can’t add the system to your current router. Expect to pay $130 to $500 for a system.#8 Switch to 5GHz, maybe
If you have a dual-band router, try switching from the more common 2.4GHz band to the 5GHz band. 5GHz is faster and less congested, but it doesn’t have the same range and wall penetration as 2.4GHz. To make this switch, you’ll need to find your router’s IP address. It’ll be a long number starting with 192, 172 or 10, located either on your router or in your owner’s manual. Enter this IP address into your browser’s address bar and hit return. That’ll take you to your router admin page. Click on the wireless settings tab, and you’ll see where to switch from one band to the other.#9 Add a stronger antenna
The antennae that come with your router might not be strong enough to cover your house, leaving some rooms with a weak signal. Add a “highgain” external antenna to boost your signal and better cover your whole house. You can purchase one online for less than $20.To find out if your house has weak signal areas, turn on your phone’s Wi-Fi and walk around the house, watching the Wi-Fi signal. There are also mobile apps, such as Netgear’s WiFi Analytics, to help you find where your coverage is weak or strong. HeatMapper and inSSIDer Office are two other tools used to map your signal.
Faster Wi-Fi: Advanced Options
Here are a few tips that’ll likely require you to do a bit of research online and in your owner’s manual to figure out how to make them work for your setup.UPDATE ROUTER FIRMWARE
Router manufacturers regularly update their software to improve performance and speed. Update your firmware even if your Wi-Fi speed is fine, as you’ll get updated security and features.UPDATE COMPUTER SOFTWARE
A computer has a Wi-Fi network adapter, which runs on driver software. Be sure your computer is up to date and has all the latest drivers from the manufacturer installed.DUAL FREQUENCY ROUTERS
Some routers can operate in 2.4GHz and 5GHz at the same time. Some of these routers automatically choose which frequency is best for a given situation. For example, when you’re far away from your router, it’ll choose 2.4GHz, but when you’re closer, it’ll opt for the faster 5GHz.FIND A CLEAR CHANNEL
Most people use their router’s default channel, but if nearby wireless networks are on the same channel, you’ll get signal congestion. Go into your wireless settings and switch your router to broadcast on a less congested channel. Some routers do this automatically.SET PRIORITIES
Most modern routers have Quality of Service (QoS) tools to limit the amount of bandwidth that apps use. Enter your router’s IP address into your browser address bar to access your wireless settings. You can prioritize which apps and devices get the highest speed.USE A VPN (VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK)
If some websites are faster than others, try a VPN. VPN is an online service offered by several providers for a small monthly fee, allowing you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. With a VPN, all your traffic is encrypted and appears as if it’s originating from another location.DUAL WAN (WIDE AREA NETWORK)
Many midrange to high-end routers offer a “Dual WAN” option, which allows you to connect multiple ISPs and configure them for use in different scenarios. You can set up your router to operate in one of two modes:- Failover mode. Your router automatically switches to the second ISP only when the primary connection goes down. It’s typically used when the second connection charges for data usage (like cell adapters).
- Load Balance mode. This uses both ISPs at once, sharing the load. Single large file downloads won’t be faster, but overall performance improves when many people are using the internet at once.
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