10 reasons why your Wi-Fi is so slow, and how to fix it

Wi-Fi is the way of the world now. It is the invisible friend who comforts us, allows us to rock on Netflix in bed, and equips us to work from anywhere at any time. Wi-Fi is pretty much a necessity these days. Sometimes, however, the relationship becomes sour - especially when Wi-Fi slows down at a pace. When you depend on Wi-Fi, speed problems can be harmful. Unfortunately, speed issues are not always easy to diagnose due to Wi-Fi operation. An unknown variable could potentially reduce your Wi-Fi speed in half, so it's important to know what to look for when something goes wrong not. Knowing this, we can now explore some of the lesser-known reasons why your Wi-Fi is so slow - and the best ways to solve these problems.

1. Router positioning: High vs low

Most people underestimate the importance of choosing a good place for a Wi-Fi router. Even a small change in positioning could end up being the difference between day and night.

If you are like most people, you probably unpacked your new router, located at the exit of the reasonable location, plugged in, and simply left on everything that was nearby: a shelf, desk, or even floor. As it stands, the router's height makes a difference.

This means that your router leaving on the ground or other objects behind usually results in significantly worse performance. Instead, put the router as high as possible to extend the range of broadcast waves. This also makes it possible to remove the router from possible interferences.

2. Router positioning: Concrete & metals

Materials such as concrete and metal tend to be the worst for blocking Wi-Fi waves, but even objects from other materials can hinder the high wireless performance. Make sure that your router is not blocked by other objects, especially electronic devices.

Also, avoid placing your router in your basement as this area is usually surrounded by a lot of concrete, which can be almost impossible for Wi-Fi signals to penetrate.

3. Router positioning: Distance to router

The further away you are from your router, the lower the Wi-Fi signal. Therefore, the best option is to place your router as close to your devices as possible, but this is only convenient if you have a main area where you tend to use your devices.

Otherwise, you should place your router near the center of your house. After all, Wi-Fi broadcasts 360 degrees, so it does not make sense to put it at one end of the house.

However, if your router is particularly weak or your home is particularly large, you may need to increase the range of these Wi-Fi waves by using Wi-Fi extensions or repeaters. These are auxiliary devices that connect to the Wi-Fi network. Router and "repeat" the signal so that it covers more surface.

If you want to get really scientific on your router site, take a look at this project from a doctoral student and download the application to try it out for yourself.

4. Wireless interference & noise

You probably have never noticed, but there are wireless signals everywhere you go and they go through you all the time. From where? Electronic devices, Wi-Fi routers, satellites, cellular towers, etc.

Information designer Richard Vijgen has created "The Architecture of Radio" - available on iOS and Android - that uses public information on satellites and cell towers, as well as Wi-Fi information, to create a map of All the invisible signals around you. I tried this out and you can see the results of my essay in the screenshot above.

Although Wi-Fi is assumed to be on a different frequency than most of these devices, the amount of radio noise may still cause interference.

5. Microwaves can cause interference

Did you know that microwave ovens can cause interference with your Wi-Fi network? Especially with older routers. This is because microwave ovens operate at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, which is incredibly close to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.

Specifically, the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band actually broadcasts between 2.412 GHz and 2.472 GHz, there are times when the frequency of microwaves can overlap with the Wi-Fi frequency - and when this occurs, Transferred data is disrupted.

Most microwaves are properly protected so that no waves should be detected outside the oven, but when there is a faulty or bad shield, this is where interference may occur.

6. Wireless interference: Bluetooth devices

It turns out that another preferred type of wireless connection - Bluetooth - also happens to operate at 2.4 GHz. In theory, a properly designed device must be shielded in a manner that prevents interference.

In addition, in order to avoid the frequency clash, Bluetooth manufacturers use frequency hops, which is where the signal rotates randomly between 70 different channels, changing up to 1,600 times per second. Newer Bluetooth devices may also have the ability to identify "bad" or currently in use channels and avoid those.

But interference can still occur, so try to move the router away from Bluetooth devices (or at least turn them off) to see if this is the cause of your problems - especially if they are older Bluetooth devices without management channels.

7. Wireless interference: Christmas lights

Fairly funny, Christmas lights (or fairy lights) can be a misguided guilty by slowing down your Wi-Fi because these lights can emit an electromagnetic field that interacts with your Wi-Fi band. This is especially bad when you Use lights with the ability to blink.

You are not even safe with modern LED lights because some of them have flashing chips built into each lamp, and these create an interfering electromagnetic field.

In reality, all other types of lights can cause interference by emitting electromagnetic fields like this, but the effect is almost negligible in most cases. However, you must keep your router away from electric lights just in case.

8. Check for Channel interference

A modern world truth is that every household has its own Wi-Fi network, which can cause problems with channel overlap. This can be somewhat problematic in a townhouse but is particularly problematic in residential complexes and apartments where there may be a lot of routers nearby.

Channel overlap is mostly a problem for routers that can only broadcast at 2.4 GHz, or if you have devices that can not receive a 2.4 GHz wireless signal. Why? Because there are only 14 channels to broadcast on. Two routers broadcasting on the same channel at the same frequency will interfere.

This is why it is important that you choose a good channel in your router settings. Modern routers can automatically choose channels for you, but it is sometimes best to explore and find the best channel yourself.

In addition, people can try to get on your network without your knowledge, and this can also slow down your Wi-Fi. The most important thing you can do about this is to make sure your router does not A password easy to break. Also, keep your router up to date and perform regular checks on suspicious devices on your network.

9. Prioritize network traffic

Have you ever left a massive download running on your PC? Well, in this case, you are probably the cause of your own slow Wi-Fi. Downloading large files can take a long time on your Wi-Fi performance. Sometimes this can not be avoided - updates Of the operating system can be huge, for example - but if you are performing tasks that are not urgent, try to stop them.

More likely, however, is that people on your network - like friends, roommates or family members - participate in the bandwidth of heavy activities like Netflix games and streaming. Fortunately, if this is the case, you can prioritize your own network traffic by enabling quality of service in your router settings.

10. Bonus fact: Water can slow down radio waves

Humans are 60% water ... and water can slow down the radio waves. Although I do not suggest that you remove all people from your home, make sure your router is kept out of the main areas where people are gathering. The impact will not be terrible, but it could be noticeable.