Top 19 hidden Reasons Why Your WiFi is Slow
Are you frustrated with slow WiFi at home? Is your Internet running slower than usual? If so, you’re in the right place.
We explain the top 19 most prominent factors that can cause slow WiFi. This article will share our research and offer tips to help fix the problem and improve your WiFi speed.
Here are four common reasons why your WiFi might be running slower.
Here we explain these 19 hidden Reasons Why Your WiFi is Slow
Weak WiFi signals
Walls, distance, and microwaves can hinder your WiFi signal, leading to sluggish speeds and frequent disconnects.
Identify weak signals: Weak WiFi signals can be identified if your connection works well near the router but becomes extremely slow when you move to another room.
To fix weak WiFi, begin by checking your router’s placement.
Ensure it is centrally located and elevated, and avoid placing it near objects that can interfere with your WiFi signals (such as walls and Bluetooth speakers).
Significant Distance From the Router
As the distance between you and the router increases, the strength of the WiFi signal decreases, and the internet connection speed slows down due to the router’s limited range for transmitting the signal.
Place the router in the center of your home where you use the Internet the most, such as in the living room, office, and bedroom. If you have a large home, you may need a WiFi extender to boost the signal to the second floor or an area needing coverage, such as a WiFi doorbell or outdoor security camera.
Old Router
Routers over five years old may not support the latest WiFi standards or be able to use both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously.
If your internet service provider gave you your router, consider getting a new up-to-date one.
For example, you have the newest iPhone and Galaxy but are still connected to an old router. It’s like having an excellent race car with cheap tires. You have the latest technology, but it needs to be supported by the necessary equipment to utilize it fully.
Weak Router Antenna
Routers often have antennas that can be removed or replaced for better performance. A more powerful antenna can improve the range, efficiency, and speed of your WiFi. Make sure you get a suitable antenna for your needs, such as an omnidirectional antenna for general coverage or a directional one for longer-range specific coverage.
Check the Physical Cable Connection
Many routers use a coaxial cable called RG-6 to connect to the Internet. If this cable is loose, it can slow down your router’s performance.
To fix this, ensure the cable connectors are tight and secure and check that the cable is not bent or damaged. Inspect the cable from the wall to the cable box outside to see any physical damage. This can affect your internet speeds.
Reboot Your Router
Most electronic devices are not designed to run continuously. Restarting the device can help it recalibrate and perform better.
Rebooting a device resets its software and allows it to start fresh, which can fix minor issues and improve performance. This is especially true for routers, which often need restarted to fix connection issues or improve performance.
Old Phone, Tablet, or Laptop
Sometimes, your WiFi speed is not limited by your router or modem but by the device you are using. Different devices have different capabilities, and if your device is older than 4-5 years, it may not be able to take advantage of a faster router or modem.
In this case, upgrading your device may be necessary to improve your WiFi speed. This is like riding a horse to work but eventually realizing that a car might be a better option.
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Using Too Many Resources
If you have many tabs open on your browser and are using multiple apps simultaneously, it can strain your device’s CPU and RAM, slowing down its overall performance.
For example, if you have 20 tabs open on your browser, are running Spotify and Tidal, and are editing photos simultaneously, your device may need help to keep up.
To improve its performance, try closing some tabs and apps. This will reduce the strain on your device’s CPU and RAM, which can help it run more smoothly.
Clear Browser History and Cookies
Clearing old data, cookies, and unused extensions from your web browser can help improve wifi speed and performance.
Note: Doing this can also cause you to lose some saved information, such as login details and preferences.
For example, if you have saved login information for your favorite websites, clearing your browser data will delete this information, and you will need to enter it again.
Similarly, if you have customized your browser with specific preferences, such as the default homepage or search engine, clearing out your browser data will reset these preferences, and you will need to set them again.
Apps that use a lot of data on your phone
Certain apps on your mobile device could cause a problem with your WiFi. These apps may use a lot of data, slowing down the WiFi for everyone.
Apps like email, file-syncing, and shopping apps can use a lot of data, even when you’re not using them. You can fix this by going into your app settings and turning off the option that allows apps to use data in the background.
Here’s an example of how this can happen: let’s say you have a shopping app on your phone that is constantly checking for new deals and notifications. Even when you’re not using the app, it’s still running in the background and using data.
This can slow down your WiFi because the app takes up a lot of bandwidth. Turning off the option in your app settings can prevent the app from using data in the background and improve your WiFi speed.
Worms and Other Malware
You can get a computer virus on your phone or computer if you visit a suspicious website, download an unknown attachment, or install a questionable app or software. This can be a big problem because it can affect your device’s performance and security. To avoid getting a virus, keep your operating system up-to-date, install an antivirus program, and use common sense.
Here’s an example of how this can happen: let’s say you receive an email from someone you don’t know with an interesting attachment. You download the attachment without thinking, which turns out to be a virus. The virus can then infect your device, making it run slower and putting your personal information at risk. I suggest installing a Security app to boost your mobile security.
To avoid this situation, you should be careful about which websites you visit, which attachments you download, and which apps and software you install on your device. Keeping your operating system up-to-date and using an antivirus program can also help protect your device from viruses.
Too Many Devices Connected to the WiFi
Suppose you have a lot of people in your household who own WiFi devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and video game systems. You also have a lot of innovative home products like thermostats, doorbells, security cameras, and LED lights. In that case, you may have trouble with your WiFi speed. This is because all these devices use WiFi to download and upload data, which can take up a lot of bandwidth.
To fix this problem, you can use your router’s quality of Service (quality of service) settings. Quality of service settings allows you to prioritize network traffic and give specific devices or activities more bandwidth.
For Example, You have an intelligent security camera constantly uploading video footage to the cloud. This can use a lot of bandwidth and slow down your WiFi. You can prioritize the security camera’s traffic and give it more bandwidth by using quality service settings, improving your WiFi performance.
Digital Interference
Digital interference can happen when there are too many wireless signals in the same area. These signals can come from WiFi, electronic devices, cell towers, satellites, and other sources. Even though WiFi uses a different type of signal, it can still be affected by radio noise and other types of interference.
One common cause of interference is using the 2.4 GHz frequency range by many different devices. Older routers only use this single band, which can be affected by interference from Bluetooth devices, microwave ovens, cordless phones, garage door openers, and baby monitors.
To avoid interference, try connecting to the 5 GHz band, which is less crowded, or selecting a different channel. This can help improve your WiFi performance and reduce interference.
For example: let’s say you have a baby monitor with a 2.4 GHz frequency range. This can cause interference with your WiFi because both the monitor and the WiFi use the same frequency range. Switching to the 5 GHz band or a different channel can reduce interference and improve WiFi performance.
Those Disturbing Neighbors
Channel interference can happen when multiple routers use the same channels in the same area. This can cause interference because the signals from the routers overlap.
For example, if you live in an apartment and everyone uses the same internet service provider (ISP), the routers may use the same channels. This can cause interference and slow down your WiFi.
To fix this problem, you can go into your router settings and change to a less crowded channel. This will reduce interference and improve your WiFi performance.
Throttling by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
The typical home uses a lot of data every month. This is because people use the Internet for emails, Netflix to watch movies and shows, gaming, and surfing the web.
As a result, many internet service providers (ISPs) reduce the speed for people who use a lot of data, even if they have unlimited Internet.
Upgrade Your Plan
Most ISPs offer different internet speed plans. If you’re using the cheapest and slowest plan, consider upgrading to a faster plan if you use the Internet a lot. This will help you get a faster download speed.
Someone is stealing your WiFi.
To protect your WiFi, you should always use a password. This will prevent other people within range of your WiFi network from using your internet connection without your permission.
This can slow down your internet speed and use up your data allowance. A strong and varied password is essential because it makes it difficult for unauthorized users to guess your password and gain access to your WiFi.
“87654321,” “My password,” and “I love you Mom” are not strong passwords because they are commonly used and easy to guess. A good password should include a minimum of eight characters and include words, numbers, and special characters. You can use a password generator like LastPass to create a strong password.
Change DNS Settings
If you’ve tried everything to improve your WiFi speed and it’s still slow, you should call your internet service provider (ISP) for help. Customer service will try to help you, but if you’ve already done the things on this list, you should have a good understanding of the problem and be able to talk to them about it.
This might lead to discounts or upgraded service from your ISP. If you’re having trouble with your WiFi, it’s worth calling your ISP to see if they can help.
Use the internet at the right time
If you have cable internet, you may experience slowdowns during peak times when many people in your area are using the Internet simultaneously. This is similar to traffic on your home network but on a larger scale. In this situation, you and your neighbors compete for the same bandwidth.
You can’t control when other people in your area use the Internet, so it’s only sometimes possible to avoid congestion. However, you can schedule heavy internet activities like game downloads and media streaming for off-peak hours, like the middle of the night.
You may also be able to switch to a different internet provider that has fewer subscribers in your area, but this cannot be easy to determine.
Don’t worry: Fiber internet is not affected by network congestion as much as other types of the Internet because it has a faster infrastructure that can handle more traffic.
Conclusion
There are many potential reasons why your WiFi may be slow. Common causes include interference, a weak or outdated router, a poor internet connection, and many users or devices connected to the network.
Understanding the causes of slow WiFi and fixing them can improve your internet speed and online experience.
If you have any other questions, you can ask them in the comment section without hesitation.
