If you notice that your Wi-Fi is using a lot more battery power than usual, or if you're connected but the internet is not very fast, then you may have a bad Wi-Fi connection.
Problems with Wi-Fi can occur anywhere, for example, in rooms with thick walls, and there are many reasons for their occurrence. Among them, we highlight a poor Wi-Fi signal.
How to improve Wi-Fi on an Android smartphone
Below we put a selection of tips on how to improve Wi-Fi on your Android smartphone.
Use apps
Wi-Fi Booster Offers One-Touch Solution to Your Wi-Fi Problems
This may be one of the easiest options to quickly improve your Wi-Fi signal quality, although it is the least proven. The thing is, many people debate whether apps like these can improve Wi-Fi connectivity, or simply claim that they can. No matter what anyone says, placebos are a powerful thing! Any smartphone owner can try popular applications available in the Play Store, for example, Wi-Fi Booster & Easy Analyzer - a free application that does not require the user to have root rights.
Tariff plan, network parameters and SIM card change
A browser that hides advertising banners and efficiently (and sometimes in an optimized form) loads web pages, although it will speed up surfing the Internet, will not make life completely easier. You'll have to dig deeper and seek help from your chosen mobile operator:
SIM card
Just 5-6 years ago, smartphones and tablets did not support 4G, and therefore operators distributed SIM cards exclusively with 3G. The difference in speed between the two generations of network technologies is colossal (4G is almost 10 times faster), and therefore a simple change of mobile identifier will help increase Internet speed. Of course, the long-awaited effect will only appear if both the smartphone and tablet are capable of processing a 4G signal.
Network settings and APN
With a new SIM card, it’s time to look into the “Settings”, select the “Cellular Communications” section (the parameter may be called differently depending on the version of the operating system, the selected firmware and launcher) and in the “Data Settings” force set 4G (LTE) instead of 3G or 2G.
Changes are applied automatically and take effect without restarting your smartphone or tablet.
Additionally, it is recommended to remove the slider from “Data Saving” - an option often found on iPhone and iPad and designed to reduce download traffic over a mobile network or via Wi-Fi.
In addition to the network type, some enthusiasts recommend experimenting with an access point (APN), which is automatically assigned by the operator. Internet from MTS, Megafon, Beeline, Yota and Tele2 - perhaps it will become faster if you set new ones instead of standard values.
NOTE! Be sure to select PAP authentication type. After entering new values, the smartphone or tablet must be restarted.
Tariff plan
Standard options without a fixed (monthly or daily subscription fee) are unlikely to become a stumbling block to high speed mobile Internet. And yet, at least for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to a tariff optimized for tablets or smartphones and downloading content from the Internet. Perhaps the speed will increase. \
Avoid bad connections
It's a great idea to avoid bad wireless connections!
There's a great little option in the Android OS settings menu that can help your phone avoid bad Wi-Fi connections. In other words, when a smartphone checks for available networks, it will not attempt to connect to networks that have a poor signal. All this will help you avoid disappointment and save a lot of battery power.
To enable the above option, go to Settings, then Wi-Fi. Here you should select the menu button and click on it, then select “Advanced”. After a second, you will see a box where you can check the box to enable the “Avoid bad connections” option.
We change the case and other accessories
It may sound strange, but even accessories on your phone can be the culprit of a poor Wi-Fi signal. In particular, this applies to cases and accessories that have metal elements.
It is best, if this is the reason, to replace them with conventional silicone options. Fortunately, the modern accessory market is replete with all sorts of original and colorful products that will not interfere with a good connection to a wireless access point.
Silicone cases fit your phone better than those with metal elements. The latter may degrade signal quality
Use a homemade radio antenna
It may seem silly, but a metal object can improve your Wi-Fi reception.
If you really need a better Wi-Fi signal, then you can make your own miniature parabolic antenna. Essentially, this is a mini analogue of a large radio or satellite antenna. For the antenna dish, you can use a small metal bowl or a cut aluminum soda can. Of course, such an antenna cannot be called very practical when you use it every time a bad signal occurs, but you have to admit, such an antenna looks cool.
Internet Speed Master Tool (Root required)
The special mobile network optimizer “Internet Speed Master” does not work without Root rights, but it automatically downloads special updates and patches that can strengthen the received signal, speed up loading, and even set appropriate frequencies if abnormal load is observed in a certain region.
“Internet Speed Master” has several operating modes: “Apply Patch” is available to those who took care of Root rights, and “Improve Connection” is available to everyone else. Regardless of the choice, the developers recommend organizing a backup copy and, if the situation gets out of control, rolling back to the previous point.
If you don’t have time to deal with Root rights, then “Net Optimizer” or “Internet Optimizer Pro” will also help with partial acceleration.
Opera Mini browser
An optimized web browser will not help speed up the Internet on Android from a technical point of view, but it will reduce the time required to render visited pages. Opera Mini automatically blocks pop-up ads, reduces the quality of content appearing on the screen (pictures, videos, icons) and prevents the loading of Flash resources. An additional bonus is a section with hidden settings. To go to a special section, just enter: “opera:config” in the address bar. There is a full saving of mobile traffic even in the background.
Update your radio or smartphone software
If you're not on OTA, you may need to manually update the radio.
If you receive updates from your carrier or manufacturer over the air, then this probably won't apply to you, but if your smartphone is running custom firmware, then one day you'll come to conclusion that you should manually update the radio or OS version. This is very simple to do, and we will not go into detail about it. Let's just say that various instructions for performing such actions are available on the Internet. We will also add that your smartphone must have the latest version of Android, which improves overall performance, and updated drivers for Wi-Fi are available.
Software Gain
There are many applications available on the Internet that can enhance the operation of the transceiver at the software level. This is achieved through additional processing to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. This is the recommended method to start with if the Wi-Fi signal is too weak. Most of these programs are distributed free of charge (in the public domain).
The performance of applications depends on the hardware used.
- The most popular among amplification programs is TX power. Judging by the description, it enhances the power of the receiver or the stability of the antenna reception. But independent testing of the application shows that the gain is almost imperceptible, only the battery energy is consumed faster. Radio communication theory says that in this case the quality of the antenna is much more important.
- Users call the second most popular program Wi-Fi Overview 360 or a similar Wi-Fi Solver FDTD. They do not amplify the receiver or transmitter signal, but allow you to view field strength and amplitude in different areas of the room or outdoors. Applications are suitable for apartments, offices, production workshops, and garden plots. They show the level of el-magnetic intensity. fields in a given region of space. This doesn't help make the receiver or transmitter more powerful, but it does tell you where the signal is being received better or worse. The information obtained allows you to choose a place to place the device or talk on the phone. By installing the laptop in an area where there is the least interference for reception (from reinforced concrete walls, wooden partitions, furniture with mirrors), you will achieve a more stable connection. Sometimes this is enough to move the laptop to the other half of the table.
Forget about bad connections
If you have saved slow connections, just forget about them!
If you have dealt with a million different Wi-Fi connections and found that half of them are not suitable for you, then do yourself a favor and exclude such networks through the Wi-Fi settings. If you don't do this, your phone will again try to establish connections with one or another network that has a low-quality signal, and this will negatively affect the performance of your phone's battery.
Speed up loading web pages in Google Chrome
Simplified mode in Google Chrome allows you to load web pages in a pre-compressed form, which saves mobile data and speeds up their loading. Google Chrome may prompt you to use the simplified mode. If this does not happen, do the following:
Step 1: Open Google Chrome and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
Step 2: Select Settings.
Step 3. Open the "Simplified Mode" section.
Step 4: Turn the switch to the On position.
Step 5. Subsequently, information in graphical and textual form about the saved traffic will be displayed here. It will look something like this:
The Opera Max program also has similar functionality - according to the developers, its use allows you to compress traffic by up to 50-60%.
Do not cover the Wi-Fi antenna
If you notice an unreasonable decrease in Wi-Fi speed (left) with a reason (right), then you should reconsider your case.
Many smartphone cases can degrade the Wi-Fi signal, especially if they contain metal used to increase the strength of the case. To find out if your case is affecting your Wi-Fi signal, run the Ookla speed test on your smartphone with the case removed. Then, while still in the same place, put the case back on the device and perform the above test again. If you see a difference in the test results when the case is on your smartphone, then you should look for a different case.
How to increase internet speed on Android phone
Megaphone
Currently, Megafon provides the highest quality and high-speed mobile Internet connection in Russia (according to the results of independent testing by Speedtest.net), so the likelihood that its customers will encounter difficulties is minimal. If you cannot avoid a drop in connection quality, you should switch to the Opera browser to save traffic. It greatly compresses the received data, which has a positive effect on page loading speed. In addition, it is recommended to visit only mobile versions of sites.
MTS
MTS subscribers should think about whether they have left the network coverage area. To do this, you should look at the quality of the received signal. If there is no connection or the scale on the screen is minimal, it is recommended to return to the place where the connection level was high enough. If such actions do not help, you can call the contact center and ask the consultant who answers for help.
It is important to emphasize that you can call the support operator from a SIM card of a third-party telephone company if you cannot use an MTS SIM card.
Beeline
Sometimes increasing Internet speed on Android is achieved by simply rebooting the device.
Similar actions will help in two situations:
- if the phone malfunctions, interfering with its stable operation;
- when the gadget simultaneously performs a large number of functions, which has a detrimental effect on the quality of communication.
In other situations, you should take another look at the reasons listed above for the drop in speed and the proposed way to increase the communication level.
Find out which Wi-Fi hotspot is the best
A Wi-Fi analyzer can give you a quick assessment of nearby wireless networks.
One option for this would be to use a Wi-Fi analyzer app, which covers three aspects. Firstly. It can provide the best communication channel for your specific network. Without going into details, let's just say that this application allows you to optimize your network, and you don't need to have much technical knowledge to do it yourself.
Secondly, such an application is very suitable for use in an office or other public places, since it can find out which network has the most stable communication channel. And thirdly, using the above application you can easily find out the IP address, information about the network gateway, DNS server, etc. Of course, all this is not very important, but in some cases it can be useful.
What determines Internet speed on Android?
The most important factor determining the quality of the connection is the tariff. It will not be possible to exceed the indicators provided by the operator.
In addition, in 2022 you need to consider:
- network quality (2G, 3G, 4G and soon 5G);
- loading phone memory;
- operation of background programs and applications that use part of the traffic;
- smartphone settings;
- availability of money in the SIM card account;
- load on the network (speed decreases during peak hours).
There are other factors, for example, infection of the phone with viruses, but they are much less common, so first of all, owners of modern gadgets should take a closer look at the nuances listed above.
