All methods to improve WiFi speed

With the multiplication of devices that have access to the Internet in our homes, browsing speed has now become fundamental. For this reason it is essential to know how to improve WiFi speed. In fact, in most urban centers, optical fiber is now present and it would be a real shame not to exploit the potential that this offers us.

As you will soon understand, it is not enough to have a high-performance connection. To use it at its best, it is very important that once it arrives inside your home, it can reach even the most remote points in an optimal manner. In today’s guide, therefore, we will explain how to make WiFi faster. You stay there, comfortably seated, because we will take care of the rest.

What WiFi speed depends on

Mainly the speed of WiFi inside your home depends on the speed of the line. If you have a subscription for a 20 Mb ADSL, it is impossible that you can exceed this value. At the same time, however, if you do not pay attention to several details, it is very likely that the optimal performance will degrade.

For example, the modem. Not all devices are in fact the same and you can easily guess this from the cost differences between the different models. The arrangement of the eventuals is also very important signal repeaters. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, don’t worry, we’ll go deeper into the subject shortly.

In addition to these two aspects, there are many others that can negatively or positively affect the speed of your connection. So let’s start to see how to improve the speed of WiFi by putting your hand to all those small details that until now you were underestimating.

Improve the WiFi speed by changing the modem

With most landline subscriptions, the service provider chooses which modem you will use. In fact, we are sure that it was not you who bought it and chose it but it arrived at your home after signing the contract. While the most modern modems are almost always calibrated for excellent performance, the older ones can be a big limitation from this point of view.

Per improve WiFi performance and increase the speed, the first thing you will need to do is to check the connection protocol used. This is indicated by an abbreviation “802.11xx” which may already provide you with various information. The WiFi protocols essential to improve Internet speed are the following:

• 802.11n: Also known as WiFi 4, this standard is the threshold under which you should never go down. Allows you to browse up to 300 Mb / s.
• 802.11ac: WiFi 5 is the most current of the standards in use and allows for a theoretical maximum speed of 1 Gb/s. In addition, band a is supported 5 Ghz and technology DESPITE. Excellent for optical fiber.
• 802.11ax: presented in 2018, WiFi is currently the best performing among the standards used. The frequency band is included between 1 and 7 Ghz, with a theoretical maximum speed of 11 Gb/s and a reduced latency of the 75%.

Do you feel a little confused after all these numbers? Don’t worry, in our guide to the best WiFi router you can learn more and find the most suitable modem for your purposes.

Use a range extender to improve coverage

You will surely have already noticed that the further you move from the router the lower the speed of your connection. This happens because the WiFi range is limited and it drops in performance even when it encounters obstacles (walls, furniture, etc.). You can easily work around this problem by using one or more range extender to be strategically placed inside your home.

These devices will simply bounce the router signal and extend it, thus expanding the range of your connection. This also greatly improves the speed of WiFi in the most remote points of the house, which is why you are reading this guide. There are really all kinds of range extenders, from simple and cheap ones to much more expensive models like systems Mesh.

If you are using a fiber optic connection, we advise you not to save too much on this component. The WiFi N of many cheap range extenders for example, allows you to reach a maximum speed of 300 Mb / s, totally insufficient to handle a connection of this type. Even in this case, however, we can help you. Finding the best WiFi repeaters will in fact be very simple thanks to our in-depth analysis.

Restart the router

As absurd as it may seem, restart the router can help you improve WiFi speed. In fact, modern modems have a real operating system inside them, which simultaneously manages dozens of processes. Restarting the modem then, on a regular basis, can make sure everything works right.

Also don’t worry, as you won’t have to do this manually. In fact, through the firmware interface you can program the restart of the router at night, so that it does not interfere with your navigation. Just type the IP address you find in the label below or on the back of the device in the browser search bar and log in with the default credentials or with the ones you created.

Read also: How to recover the router password

Finally, all you have to do is access the panel dedicated to the modem settings and set a daily restart. Although there are many different brands, all the graphical interfaces are very intuitive and you will not encounter any problems whatsoever.

Update the router firmware

We told you about the router firmware a little while ago. It is a simplified operating system that allows you to better manage all the functions and settings of the device. Like any self-respecting software, the router firmware it is occasionally updated by the manufacturer.

This means that bugs are fixed, features added or performance improved, as in the case of WiFi speed. Updating the firmware is actually very simple, even if you’ve never done it before, and there are two main ways to do it.

After accessing the router menu, in fact, you just need to navigate the settings menu and choose the part dedicated to the firmware. You will find a button that will allow you to search on the net and possibly automatically install the update. The process will take only a few minutes.

If the automatic update is not available, do not despair. Go to the site of your router manufacturer, here for example the FritzBox download page, and select the model of your modem. You will be allowed to download a file which you will then need to import through the router’s control panel to perform the installation. Nothing so complicated.

Change the WiFi channel

Are you wondering if there are any other tips we can give you on how to improve WiFi speed? The answer is obviously yes. In fact, you must know that modern routers (dual band) use two frequencies for communication, 2,4 Ghz e 5 Ghz. Especially the former is subjected to numerous interference, which can be caused both by other routers and by other household devices of various types.

The bands have been previously divided into channels, 12 for the 2.4 Ghz that can help you solve your problems. There are quicker methods than testing channels individually to measure their speed with a speed test, and this is the route we recommend. In fact, there are numerous software available on the net, called WiFi Analyzer, which allow you to analyze all the data of the wireless signal and find the most suitable settings for your ecosystem.

Choose the right location for the router

We often tend not to give too much importance to location of the router. In reality this detail can really make a difference in terms of WiFi speed, especially if you are not planning to use range extender. First make sure the modem is in a central point of the house, in order to reach all the rooms, even the farthest ones, for that signal range.

Putting it at one end could in fact decrease the browsing speed, perhaps right in the place where you study or work with your laptop, or watch your favorite series on Netflix. Likewise try to avoid rooms with a large concentration of appliances. As we have already seen, in fact, these could create important interference with the Internet connection. Finally, if you live in an apartment, preferably use the 5 Ghz frequency.

Manage the connection bandwidth

The connection bandwidth is nothing more than the portion available for streaming, streaming and in general everything that moves data in one direction or another of the network. This particular can become a problem especially with not too fast connections, usually up to 100 Mb / s. In this case with many sessions active at the same time, you may notice some slowdowns while using WiFi.

What occupies the most bandwidth is definitely streaming, especially if in high resolution. But be careful not to underestimate even online gaming or downloading large files, especially if you often use the Torrent protocol. If you want to improve the speed of WiFi then, make sure that you have not forgotten active sessions or that you are not using too many devices at the same time to stream multimedia content.

Position the router antennas correctly

Most routers by now, especially the newer ones, are equipped with antenna internal. These, even if invisible, do their job very well and as you can guess it is not possible to adjust them. If, on the other hand, your modem has external antennas the subject changes, and you could reap the benefits by changing their positioning.

In fact, you must always remember that the router antennas are omnidirectional. This means that the signal is sent in all directions perpendicular to the antenna. Therefore, in the case of multi-storey dwellings, it may be necessary to change the orientation of the antennas, thus optimizing the signal response over the entire area of ​​the house.

Connect two routers in cascade

With some operators it is impossible to change your router due to some blocks and settings arbitrarily decided by the provider. Despite the battle for the free modem in fact, this is still a practice in use, but one that can be easily bypassed by figuring out how to connect two routers in cascade.

This is a fairly straightforward operation, even if you have never used your modem before. Just choose the router that best suits your needs and connect it to the one provided by the operator. The key steps involve copying the network settings and disabling WiFi on the modem provided by the operator, so as not to create interference. If you have doubts about performing this operation, don’t worry, you will find all the information you need in the guide that we have listed above.

Now that you have followed all our advice carefully, you have no more excuses and you will find that improve WiFi speed it’s really a no-brainer. Always remember that each connection still has a theoretical speed limit, which cannot be exceeded. In this case, if the performance still doesn’t satisfy you, you need to do a Internet subscription upgrade.