1. Poor Router Placement
Wi-Fi signals are radio waves that can be blocked by walls, furniture, and even home appliances. If your router is tucked away in a closet or at the far end of your house, your signal will be weak. The Fix: Move your router to a central, elevated location in your home, away from thick walls and electronic devices like microwaves.
2. Outdated Router
Technology moves fast. A router that's more than 5 years old may not support the latest Wi-Fi standards (like Wi-Fi 6) and can't deliver the full speed you're paying for. The Fix: Consider upgrading to a modern router, especially if you have many smart devices connected.
3. Channel Congestion
Your Wi-Fi network operates on specific channels. If you live in an apartment building, your neighbors' Wi-Fi networks might be using the same channel as yours, causing interference. The Fix: Log in to your router's settings and try changing the Wi-Fi channel. Use a Wi-Fi analyzer app on your phone to find the least congested channel in your area.
4. Bandwidth Hogs
Someone in your household might be unknowingly using up all the bandwidth. This could be a large file download, a 4K stream, or a device performing a large cloud backup. The Fix: Check the connected devices list in your router's settings to see which ones are using the most data. Many routers also have Quality of Service (QoS) settings that let you prioritize traffic for important activities like video calls.
5. Your Internet Plan
Sometimes, the issue isn't your equipment—it's your plan. If you have a plan with a low download speed (e.g., 25 Mbps) and a family trying to stream and game, you're going to experience slowdowns. The Fix: Run a speed test. If your results are close to the speed you're paying for but still feel slow, it's time to call your ISP and discuss upgrading to a faster plan.