Solving the problem with low Wi-Fi connection speed

Users of the global network often encounter a situation where the router slows down the Internet speed via WiFi and thereby prevents them from using the maximum capabilities of the World Wide Web. In such a situation, you need to know what the reasons are and how to act to eliminate the problem. Below we will consider these questions, and also consider other important points - how to find out whether a router is cutting speed over WiFi and wire, as well as which models of modern routers are better to give preference.

Verification methods

To test the Wi-Fi network, websites and programs have been created for computers and smartphones. In order not to install unnecessary programs, we will consider sites that are accessed via the Internet. And if the speed suddenly drops, sites like speedtest can provide actual confirmation of this fact. Let's look at the list of sites that allow you to check your speed.

Full list

This is a shortened list of resources for the test. A detailed description of all testing methods is provided in a special section. But you should measure it on at least two resources (just not in parallel!). This will eliminate all verification inaccuracies. When the speed fluctuates, testing allows you to measure these very fluctuations. And it doesn’t matter how much the test shows. It is more important to know what to do if the results do not meet expectations!

3G and 4G modems

If the router supports two communication standards - 3G and 4G - problems with the Internet on the laptop may arise due to frequent switching between them.

3G is slower, but covers a larger area, which means the connection is more stable. When the modem falls just short of 4G coverage, it periodically tries to “catch” a higher standard signal, and if its quality is poor, the download will be very slow or will fail altogether.

To resolve the problem, it is recommended to disable automatic network selection:

1. Log in to your router’s personal account. If instructions are not included, you can find out the address and details for authorization from your provider.
2. Go to the profile management section, open network settings.
3. Select the desired standard from the drop-down list of the “Preferred Mode” menu, click on the “Apply” button and exit the interface.

If changes are not available, you should return to the home page, turn off the Internet and configure again.

The influence of the router on speed

The first device that slows down the Internet speed is a router. And it may not just be a matter of settings. Every little thing affects the Wi-Fi connection. Moreover, the influence of small things can be either insignificant or very strong. Let's take a closer look at why the speed decreases.

The first factor is the router itself. It's not so much about its configuration as it is about the model. For example, if it is indicated that this is a 54 Mbit/s router, then it will not be able to distribute 100 Mbit/s.

The problem may also be on the provider's side. You should perform a speed test on the cable. To do this, the latter switches from the router to a laptop or computer. After this, a control test is performed! Most often, the provider's employees are asked to do such a test to determine why problems arise.

To resolve issues with the router, you will need to familiarize yourself with how to enter the router settings - watch the video about this.

results

We have done everything we wrote about above:

• moved the router closer to the computer;
• found a free channel;
• set the correct operating mode;
• selected the highest channel frequency;
• Reflashed the device.

Is your internet speed slowing down now? Let's check again on speedtest.net.

The results surprised even us. Compared to the initial test (29.20 and 17.59 Mbit), the speed increased four times. Bottom line: even a budget router can provide good speed.

Number of connected devices

The user is able to directly influence the speed of the network. If 6 devices are connected to the router at once, each device will experience slower operation. Alas, a standard for Wi-Fi network operation, in which all devices receive full speed, has not yet been developed. Therefore, everyone who connects reduces the speed for other network participants.

Let's look at a specific example: a laptop and a smartphone are connected to the router. We measure the speed in this case. Let's connect a couple more smartphones. The maximum speed naturally drops. There is only one caveat. The decrease will occur when everyone actively uses the Internet. For example, when watching a video. The number of devices limits the speed less than the traffic usage of those devices. When connected passively (for example, the smartphone is simply charging and does not update programs), the device has minimal impact.

Speed ​​is lost and falls according to a very obvious pattern: it is evenly distributed among users. But it may shift in one direction. It depends on the activity of use. A phone simply connected to the network will quickly lose priority. But the laptop on which a large file is downloaded will take this very part for itself.

Therefore, to solve the problem, it may be useful to use the order of use or disable unnecessary devices. Naturally, if you have access to them.

Network hacking

Poor download speeds are often caused not by a weak WiFi signal, but by someone else using the connection. To protect yourself from hacking, it is recommended to follow simple rules:

1. Prevent public networks from sharing laptop files. To do this, go to “Network Connections” through the control panel, right-click the local network connection context menu, and open properties. In the “General” tab, uncheck the “File Sharing Service” box.
2. Use WPA2-PSK encryption. It is enabled in the router’s personal account interface, the required section is “Wireless protection”.
3. Come up with a complex password; it’s better to use a random combination of letters and numbers. If you suspect hacking, replace it with a new one.
4. Hide WiFi network. You will need to open the basic settings of the wireless mode in your personal account and uncheck the item that enables SSID broadcasting. To access the access point from a laptop, you need to select a hidden network in the list of connections, specify a name and password.
5. Set a unique SSID. This will make it difficult for attackers to hack the invisible network.

If WiFi is used in a small area, you can reduce the signal radius in the settings so that it does not spread beyond the boundaries of the apartment or house.

Problems with the channel

The use of a data transmission channel is special. This is a specific broadcast frequency of the router, the wrong choice of which can lead to poor communication in certain corners of the apartment, poor connection speed, and constant Internet outages. Channel selection is an important setup step. Common transmission channel problems and their solutions are discussed below.

Channel absorption by programs

The periodic loss of speed is due to the following fact: programs use the Internet when updating. Often the update times for these programs coincide. Outwardly, the user does not notice this. After all, everything is functioning normally. But in the background, the operating system or program may be downloading an update package. In fact, the speed dropped for no apparent reason. The reason becomes clear when you restart or turn off the computer. The process of updating the operating system begins, and this allows you to understand what the problem was a couple of hours ago.

But not only the operating system is capable of absorbing Internet traffic without demand. Many programs also like this action. And if the speed suddenly drops, you should launch the “Task Manager”. Most likely, there will be a couple of processes containing “update” or “upd” in the name. If the Internet is needed urgently, we complete these processes. But fixing the speed in this way is a dubious decision - the programs still need to be updated.

The best solution would be to set all programs to update at a specific time. To do this, you need to understand the specifics of their settings. But this is easier than dealing with the router itself and blocking the ports through which programs are updated. But at the specified time, the reason for the decrease in speed will be clear - programs are quietly updating in the background!

The concept of channel width

The case where the speed is affected by the channel width is very rare. Rather, he acts as an exception. However, this is no reason not to mention it. According to statistics, when setting up a router on their own, users make a mistake with choosing the router channel width. The speed reduction in this case will be permanent. Let's figure out how to configure this parameter.

To determine the channel width, it is best to check which devices you will be working with. If all devices support the 802.11n standard, feel free to select it in the router configuration. This standard supports a channel width of 40 GHz, which gives speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s (in theory, up to 600, and with two antennas, up to 300). Usually this is enough, because providers most often provide a service of 100 Mbit/s. In the event that this standard is not supported, the following information should be relied upon:

• 11b – allows you to enjoy speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s. However, there are additions to the standard (more on this below) that allow you to increase the speed to 100 Mbit/s. The presence of these additions in the router and adapter can only be determined experimentally.
• 11g is the most common option. Supports speeds up to 100 Mbps

In a situation where the router operates according to one of these standards, you should choose a channel width of 20 GHz. This will not allow you to go beyond the speed established in the standard, but will improve the signal and increase its stability.

Using different Wi-Fi standards

The previous section touched on the topic of Wi-Fi standards. A somewhat paradoxical thing was indicated: among the standards b, g, n, only b is full-fledged. The remaining standards are intermediate and acted as extended versions for wireless connection standards.

To avoid confusion, let's look at all the standards together:

You should also understand that the same speed as when connecting a cable directly to a PC cannot be achieved from a WiFi connection. But the advantage of Wi-Fi is that it is not tied to a location.

Using busy channels

In addition to the channel width and Wi- Fi standard, the network speed is affected by the channel number: if there are several points in the area that use the same channel number, each will receive only part of it.

This part of the ether will be distributed among everyone who uses it. That is, the network speed is reduced in proportion to the number of clients. The more mouths on the pie, the less pie for everyone. This is true even for a wireless connection.

You can check who is using the channel number using special programs: Wi-Fi analyzer (for Android) and inssider (for Windows and Mac). They work independently of the router, but they require a Wi-Fi adapter. It’s easier to use the first one, since it’s free.

To understand the program, watch the video:

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Determine the channel using one of the programs above.
2. Log in to the settings panel on the router (there is a link to the video above - use this cheat sheet).
3. Go to the “Wireless” section and select “Wireless settings”.
4. We look for the Channel section (marked in red in the image). We need to switch it.
5. Save the changes and reboot the router.
6. Now nothing affects the network.

This is not the last trick showing how to increase Internet speed via a WiFi router. Pleasant additional effects are signal amplification over the entire area and increased connection stability. But the solution is limited by one nuance: testing by the program showed that a busy channel is being used. Otherwise, the action is useless.

Tariff limits and restrictions

When the router and laptop adapter support the latest protocols, the signal remains high, but the Internet speed is still slow, it is recommended to study the terms of the tariff.

Network providers, whether wired or mobile, provide users with the opportunity to use their services for a fee. Two main options:

1. Unlimited for any period (usually a month).
2. A package of a certain volume.

In addition to the number of available gigabytes, the conditions stipulate restrictions on Internet speed, which are lower, the cheaper the tariff. In addition, restrictions can be set on a specific type of traffic - for example, coming from torrent trackers. To bypass them, you should use:

1. Proxy server. In the connection settings of the torrent client, you will need to specify the IP and port, which are easy to find on the Internet.
2. VPN is a virtual network for encrypting traffic; paid and free services are available. Desktop clients have been developed for different operating systems.
3. Tor browser. The setup takes place in the same place as in the case of a proxy; you will need to select the “SOCKS4” type, IP 127.0.0.1, port 9050.

After making changes, it is recommended to restart the torrent client before further use.

Wi-Fi Signal Strength

Sometimes neighbors are to blame for poor speed. Not out of malice, it’s just that the transmitting antennas, being nearby, interfere with each other’s signal. This is especially true if Wi-Fi routers are from the same provider and are located nearby.

Let's assume that 2 points are separated by a wall and hang back to back. These are 2 identical routers that operate on the same frequency and the same channel. Interference is induced at a regular frequency and, as a result, the points constantly shuffle channels and switch operating modes (during auto-tuning).

How to fix a power problem

There are 3 options:

• immediately choose a router that is different from your neighbor’s. An important step because it involves communication and pre-planning;
• move the router to another location. Once at a distance, the points will create less interference in the work. Thus, it is possible, without changing anything, to increase the speed, quality of the signal and its stability;
• replace the WiFi router with a better one.

Not always one of these solutions allows you to increase speed. It may happen that changing the location of the router will not affect the interaction with devices at all. For this case, there is an additional solution: the router may have the option to change the signal strength.

Changing the signal strength

If Wi- Fi is slow, you can try switching the signal strength. It is not necessary to increase it, sometimes it needs to be lowered.

If the speed has decreased, we return the parameters back. The speed has increased - leave it as is.

For some devices (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, most Chinese smartphones), reducing the transmitter power has exactly the opposite effect - increasing signal quality and network speed. This is the wireless paradox.

Large load and viruses

Virus programs affect WiFi operation in two ways:

• use traffic for their own purposes, for example, transferring data from a laptop;
• knocking down the settings of the adapter, access point.

If your Internet speed suddenly decreases, it is recommended to check your laptop with an antivirus.

Another non-obvious reason for slow loading is the weak hardware of the device itself. Due to an insufficiently powerful video card, processor or low amount of RAM, the laptop slows down when opening pages, which gives the impression that the router is not working well. Installing a lighter OS distribution will help improve the situation somewhat.

Causes

• Problems with the provider.
• The router has overheated.
• Hacking of a wireless network by a neighbor.
• A large number of devices actively using one channel.
• Incorrect router settings.
• Clogged Wi-Fi channel.
• Virus programs and malware on PC.
• Constantly dropping Wi-Fi indicates the router - more often than not, this means that “its time has come.” We just buy another one if it's old. The old router can be buried.