How to improve your Wi‑Fi speed
Practical steps to reduce interference and optimize your home network.
Why Wi‑Fi can feel slow
The basics
Throughput over Wi‑Fi is limited by signal strength, interference, and protocol overhead. Even with a fast internet plan, poor placement or a noisy channel can cut speeds dramatically.
Two quick checks before you start: compare a wired speed test with Wi‑Fi in the same room, and try a different room or floor. If wired is fast but Wi‑Fi is not, the bottleneck is your wireless setup—not the ISP.
Quick wins
- Place it right: Put the router centrally, high up, clear of thick walls or metal cabinets.
- Use the right band: Prefer 5 GHz or 6 GHz for speed; keep 2.4 GHz for range and IoT.
- Pick a clean channel: Avoid crowded channels; disable “auto” if neighbors are dense.
- Update and secure: Install the latest firmware; use WPA2/WPA3 and a strong password.
- Wire heavy hitters: Use Ethernet for TVs, consoles, and desktops to free up air time.
Router placement that actually works
Wi‑Fi hates obstacles. Concrete, brick, mirrors, and floors all eat signal. The sweet spot is a central, elevated position with line‑of‑sight to the rooms you use most.
Do this:
Mount waist‑to‑head height; avoid the floor
Keep 1–2 meters away from microwaves, baby monitors, and cordless bases
Rotate antennas: one vertical, one horizontal for mixed device orientations
Avoid placing the router inside TV cabinets or behind large appliances
Bands and channels: pick your lanes
2.4 GHz goes farther but is slower and crowded. 5 GHz is faster with shorter range. 6 GHz (Wi‑Fi 6E/7) is the fastest and cleanest but only works with newer devices.
2.4 GHz
- • Best range, worst congestion
- • Use channels 1, 6, or 11 only
- • Good for IoT and long distance
5 GHz
- • Higher throughput, shorter range
- • Choose a DFS‑free channel if devices drop
- • Ideal for laptops, TVs, consoles nearby
6 GHz
- • Clean spectrum, very high speeds
- • Requires Wi‑Fi 6E/7 devices
- • Great for same‑room performance
Many routers support separate SSIDs for 2.4 and 5/6 GHz. Name them clearly (e.g., “Home‑2G” and “Home‑5G”) and connect each device to the best band.
Beat interference from neighbors and devices
Apartments and dense neighborhoods create overlapping networks. Microwaves, Bluetooth, baby monitors, and cordless phones also share spectrum.
- Scan with your router app or a Wi‑Fi analyzer to find the least used channel.
- Turn off “Smart Connect” if it keeps bouncing devices between bands.
- Disable legacy modes (802.11b/g) unless you truly need them.
- Keep Bluetooth audio away from the router during large downloads.
Firmware, security, and QoS settings
Recommended settings
- • Update firmware and reboot monthly to clear memory leaks.
- • Use WPA2/WPA3‑Personal; avoid WEP and open networks.
- • Enable QoS and prioritize work/gaming devices during peak hours.
- • Turn off WPS and UPnP unless you rely on them.
- • If supported, enable OFDMA and MU‑MIMO for Wi‑Fi 6/7 gear.
Mesh vs extenders: when to upgrade
Repeaters can help, but they often halve throughput. A mesh system with wired backhaul (Ethernet between nodes) keeps speeds high across floors and long hallways.
- Small apartment: One good Wi‑Fi 6/6E router, placed well.
- Two floors: Mesh with two nodes; wire the backhaul if you can.
- Large homes: Three nodes; avoid overlapping coverage bubbles.
Troubleshooting checklist
Want the theory behind speed limits and latency? Read what affects internet speed and ping & jitter explained.
Key takeaways
Remember these:
- Placement and channel choice are the fastest wins
- Use 5/6 GHz for speed; keep 2.4 GHz for range and IoT
- Firmware, security, and QoS settings shape stability
- Mesh with wired backhaul beats single‑router hacks
- Always compare wired vs Wi‑Fi to avoid chasing ISP issues