Speed is one of the virtues of the ‘online’ world, hence how exasperating it is when the internet is ‘slow’, especially now that teleworking is more than an exception. Having good Wi-Fi at home is key, since few devices connect to the router via cable and most use the wireless network. Those who work from home and also those who use the Internet for entertainment do so: play ‘online’, watch videos … Hence the importance of fast data transmission that avoids annoying interruptions, stoppages while watching a movie on the web. streaming, slowdowns during a video game … When this occurs it can be due to several reasons. Here are some of the most common causes and solutions to this problem:
IF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE WIFI IS SLOW THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
If the wireless connection goes bad throughout the house and even the devices that are connected by cable to the router are not going at the desired speed, there can be several reasons, with different solutions.
Diagnosis: The connection coming home is not fast enough. This is known by performing a speed test of the fiber or ADSL connection. There are numerous pages where you can check. Some are speedcheck.org or speed test.es. You just have to follow the instructions indicated in each one of them.
Solution: If the test indicates that the signal that arrives at home does not reach the limits established by the contract conditions, it is possible to complain to the company or, ultimately, to change the supplier company.
Solution: Disconnect one of the connected devices from the Wi-Fi, check the network speed and reconnect it. Repeat the process one by one with everyone who is home Wi-Fi to detect what the problem is and, once located, check if the connection is good or if the software needs to be updated. If the ‘culprit’ device is a computer or mobile device, it would be convenient to use an antivirus in case you have installed any ‘malware’ (malicious software) that is surreptitiously occupying the network.
Diagnosis: If the connection is correct and the router is fine but all the home Wi-Fi is slow, it is time to see if someone outside the home is using the network. There are ‘online’ software such as Wireless Network Watcher, Angry IP Scanner or Wireshark (this is a bit more complicated) or pages like whofi.com and even mobile apps like Net Scan or Fing on Android that can be downloaded to analyze which devices are connected. to the local network at all times and identify them.
Solution: Change the network name and password on the router. Do not forget to update it also on all devices in the house connected to the internet.
IF THE WIFI IS ONLY SLOW IN SOME ROOMS
Sometimes, the slowdown does not affect the entire home, but only some rooms, even preventing them from being able to navigate. A good way to check that the Wi-Fi connection reaches the whole house is to use a tablet or mobile phone and put streaming video on it and move from one room to another to detect if there are any ‘jerks’ or quality is lost in playback or even stops. In this case there are several solutions to the problem:
Replace the router.
A router transmits the signal in all directions, so if it is placed at one end of the house, it is likely that on the opposite side it will arrive weak and the connection will be very slow or even there will be cuts. The best location would be as central as possible, and with no surrounding objects to interfere with the transmission. If your router has antennas, it is best to orient each one in a different position to direct the signal to as many rooms as possible. It is also useful to eliminate potential interference near the router, especially from metal furniture, appliances such as microwaves, or devices such as webcams, landlines, or computer monitors.
Change Wi-Fi band
Today’s routers typically have two bands that appear by two different names when configuring the router. The 2.4GHz band goes further and goes through walls better, but is slower, while the 5GHz band has less interference and faster data transmission. Taking this into account, the ideal thing if the connection is not strong throughout the house is to configure in the first of these bands those devices in which speed is not the most important thing such as virtual assistants or mobile phones and in the 5 GHz band devices that are closer to the router and need the fastest connection to play games or stream video.
Use repeaters
If the house is very large or long, it may be better to place Wi-Fi repeaters that carry the router signal further or create a mesh network, especially if it is built on more than one floor. The repeaters are easy to install, you just have to connect them to the electrical network and link them with the router, while to create mesh networks they consist of a base station to which different access points are connected so that everyone can access them is more balanced. It is also possible that the router does not have enough power or it blocks easily and, in this case, the possibility of buying a more powerful one should be considered.
