Wi-Fi doesn’t always guarantee fast speeds, and there can be several causes. Here’s what to do if your Wi-Fi is slow
Those who work from home, or simply want to surf the Internet and watch a movie in streaming, may be faced with two annoying problems: the first is to have a Wi-Fi connection not very performing, the second is to lose the connection in some rooms of the house too far from the router.
It is possible to solve both problems, but you must first diagnose the causes to understand what to do to improve the quality of Wi-Fi. First of all, in fact, it is not absolutely said that if the connection is slow it is the fault of the Wi-Fi: the slowness could depend on the router, or on our Internet Service Provider. The first thing to do, therefore, is to connect to the router with a network cable and launch a speed test of the connection (on the Internet there are hundreds of them). Then we must repeat the test by disconnecting the cable and connecting from Wi-Fi. If when we are connected with the LAN cable the speed is much higher, then we really have a Wi-Fi problem. Here’s how to solve it.
How to increase the performance of Wi-Fi
To increase the performance of the Wi-Fi network we can first of all get closer to the router: if the situation improves then it is more a problem of range than a real speed problem. Then we can try to look for any equipment that could generate interference to the Wi-Fi signal, such as microwave ovens. Finally, we can try to change the radio channel used by the router to transmit with each connected device: too many devices on a few channels generate congestion and crush the performance of Wi-Fi.
In the same vein goes the choice to divide the devices between those that use the frequency of 2.4 GHz and those that use the frequency of 5 GHz: the first frequency has a greater range but lower performance than the second, so if we need a lot of bandwidth we can try to set the communication only in 5 GHz. But we’ll have to get closer to the router.
How to increase Wi-Fi range
The second big problem with home Wi-Fi networks is signal range: there are often home networks that just can’t get to that room down the hall, or can’t get over a big wall. The first attempt to do, if it is possible, is to move the router and put it a bit more in the center of the house to shorten the distance between the router and the most distant rooms. Then we need to watch out for furniture and walls that might block the signal. In general, the golden rule is always the same: no more than two rooms, no more than two walls. Otherwise, the signal will not come.
A good alternative is to buy a Wi-Fi extender. These are devices that connect to the power outlet and extend the power of the router, allowing you to cover even the most distant rooms. The price is all in all contained: you can find them also at a few tens of euro
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