Improve Your Wi-Fi Speed in 10 Simple Steps

Top Wi-Fi fixes

We’ll go into more depth about each of these fixes further down the page, but here’s a quick breakdown of the best ways to speed up your Wi-Fi.

1. Restart your router or internet gateway (modem/router combo).

2. Move your router to a better spot—the ideal location for a router is elevated, centralized, and free from obstructions.

3. Use 5GHz Wi-Fi instead of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi—the 5GHz frequency band is much faster and less crowded.

4. Adjust your router antennas

5. Invest in a mesh network to make your signal reach farther.

6. Remove unnecessary devices

7. Switch to a less crowded Wi-Fi channel

8. Upgrade your internet plan

9. Upgrade your router

10. Update your router firmware

Test your speed

Run a quick speed test to see what you’re dealing with. Use this initial result as a baseline measurement. As you work through the fixes, run the test again to compare the results as you go—that way, you know if it’s helping.

You could also compare the results to your internet plan’s advertised speed. That way, you know if your speeds are actually underperforming or if it’s just time to upgrade to a faster plan.

Keep in mind fiber, cable, and DSL providers guarantee speeds only over a wired connection. It’s normal to get a speed test result that’s lower than your advertised maximum speed, especially over Wi-Fi. If you’re getting speeds far below what you expect, though, it’s time to troubleshoot.

How to improve your internet speed

1.   Turn things off and on again

First, let’s power cycle everything to see if your Wi-Fi speed improves.

Restart your modem

Unplug your modem or wireless gateway, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. This process allows the modem to clear out any glitches.

Your modem translates internet signals between your home network and your internet provider. If your internet is acting up, a power cycle is a good place to start troubleshooting, as it often fixes connection issues.

Restart your router

Next, repeat the process if you have a standalone wireless router. Like with the modem, a power cycle clears your router’s memory and gives it a fresh start on tasks that may have been bogging it down.

If that doesn’t work, turn off the Wi-Fi on all your wireless devices. Wait a few seconds and then toggle Wi-Fi back on. Allow these devices to reconnect and see if your connection improves.

A power cycle might seem simplistic, but turning your home networking equipment off and on again can really give your network a boost. We recommend rebooting your equipment regularly—at least once every few months. But keep in mind this will leave you without internet for a few minutes, so plan to restart your equipment at a time when no one needs an internet connection.

2.   Move your router to a better location

Wi-Fi signals can travel only so far. So if you place your wireless router at an edge of your home’s space, you may have issues with Wi-Fi at the other end. The best place for your router is in a central and elevated location, near where you use the internet most often. Don’t relegate your router to a basement or closet—that’s just setting yourself up for connectivity issues. We go over all this in more detail in our guide on how to move your router to another room.

Your internet speeds may also be slowed or blocked by certain materials, such as metal, tile, stone, or water. For these reasons, it’s best to avoid placing your router near a bathroom, behind or underneath metal furniture, or near any kind of large water container, like a fish tank. If your wireless signal is forced to pass through these materials before reaching your devices, you may suffer slowed speeds and service interruptions.

Wi-Fi signals can also get interrupted by radio waves from other devices, including cordless phones, baby monitors, microwaves, and Bluetooth speakers. 

3.   Switch your Wi-Fi frequency band

Modern wireless routers work primarily on two radio frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The band you use for your connections can affect your wireless speeds and Wi-Fi signal strength at different distances from your router. 

Whatever Wi-Fi frequency band you’re on may be experiencing some temporary interference, so try switching to the other band. It will show up as a different Wi-Fi network on your device, usually with a label in the network name that identifies the network as either 2.4 Ghz or 5 Ghz.

The 2.4 GHz band is the most commonly used Wi-Fi connection. It’s used for many other wireless communications other than Wi-Fi, so the airwaves in this frequency can be a little crowded. This band trades speed for range—meaning it’s better at passing through walls and other objects—whereas 5 GHz has better speeds but a shorter range.

Learn how to pick the best Wi-Fi frequency band with our quick guide on 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

4.   Adjust your router’s antennas

Many wireless routers and gateways have internal antennas—meaning they’re mounted inside the device, and you can’t adjust them. If that’s the case for you, skip this step.

But if you do have adjustable antennas on your router, try reconfiguring them. Router antennas are usually omnidirectional, which means they send out signals in all directions perpendicular to the antenna. For example, a vertical antenna sends out Wi-Fi signals horizontally and vice versa.

So if you need to stretch your Wi-Fi signals to multiple floors, adjusting an antenna to sit horizontally to spread Wi-Fi signals up and down could help. And if you need to cover more area, position the antenna vertically. 

5.   Extend your Wi-Fi network

If your router is in the best location but you’re still having speed or connectivity issues in certain areas of your home, you may need to extend your network’s range.

There are a few different devices you can use to increase the reach of your network:

• Wi-Fi boosters sit between your router and the dead zone and either amplify or redistribute existing Wi-Fi signals into the new area.
• Wired access points connect to your router via an Ethernet cable and can distribute Wi-Fi and LAN signals as an extension of your router, similar to a Wi-Fi booster. Many devices can be used as access points, including old routers.
• Powerline extender kits come with two devices—you connect one to your router via Ethernet and plug it into an outlet. You plug the second one in where you want better Wi-Fi, and the internet signals travel through your electrical wiring.
• Mesh Wi-Fi systems replace your router with one or more devices that work together to create a single Wi-Fi web that blankets your whole home from multiple points.

While all these work to push your Wi-Fi farther, the best one for your network depends on your home’s floor plan. If you have just one stubborn dead zone, a booster would probably be a good fit. Mesh systems are better for full-house coverage if your home is particularly large or has a complicated layout. And using an access point would be ideal if your house is wired with Ethernet. See our in-depth guide to learn more about the best ways to extend your Wi-Fi range.

6.   Prune unnecessary connections

If you’re running low on bandwidth, you should disconnect all unused devices. Everything connected to your network should be essential.

The quickest way to disconnect nonessential devices is to change your Wi-Fi passwords and reboot your router. You will then need to log back in to your network with the new password on every device you currently use. This method will purge all unnecessary connections, like the emergency cell phone you keep turned on that still quietly downloads updates.

7.   Change your Wi-Fi frequency channel

The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands divide into channels: 11 in the former and 45 in the latter. Most routers automatically choose the best channel for you, but sometimes you need to change them manually.

Frequency channels can get crowded, so if you and all your neighbors use the same channel in the 2.4 GHz band, that could affect your Wi-Fi speeds.

To find the best Wi-Fi channel, you can use the Wireless Diagnostics feature on a Mac computer—just hold down the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon on the menu bar in the top right corner of your screen. The Scan window will list the best 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels available to you.

On Windows, you can use a command in Windows PowerShell to see all the available channels or install an app like NetSpot. These methods don’t summarize the best channels for you but instead require you to determine the best channels by examining the scan’s results.

To change your Wi-Fi to the best channel, you’ll need to log in to your router’s online interface. You can do this by typing your router’s IP address into a web browser and logging in. Once logged in, look for your Wi-Fi settings. The option to change your band channel should be there.

8.   Upgrade to faster internet

While we hope these tips will do the trick for you, sometimes your internet connection is just too slow. If that’s the case, you’ll need to upgrade to a faster internet plan to get better speeds.

Unsure what internet speeds you need to support your online habits? Check out our guides to internet speed for online gaming and video streaming requirements.

And if you’re confused because you’re sure you’ve paid for enough internet speed but your connection still doesn’t cut it, that might be because your internet connection doesn’t always perform at 100%.

Internet providers advertise speeds up to a certain speed—they don’t promise that you will always get those speeds. So even if you have a 100 Mbps plan, you might not always get that much bandwidth. In that case, you might need a bit of a buffer or a plan that’s faster than you think you would need. That way, network slowdowns will still happen, but you’ll probably notice them less.

9.   Replace your equipment

Your router and modem process all your internet data—if either one isn’t up to that task, it can slow down your whole network. So if you’re dealing with older, out-of-date equipment, it’s time to get a replacement. 

If you rent equipment from your internet provider, you can request new units if you believe they’re out of date—especially if they’re causing poor network performance. Internet providers supply either a single wireless gateway or pair a standalone modem with a router.

Buying your own modem and router could save you money over time, especially if you’re renting both. A store-bought router, for instance, usually gives you more control over the features, speeds, and security of your home network.

If you’re in the market to purchase a new modem or router, we recommend a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem like the ARRIS Surfboard SB8200. It sets you up for 10 Gbps cable internet when the connection becomes available. A Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 router like the Google Nest Wifi or ASUS RT-AX86U are also great choices.

If you want more recommendations for a new modem or router, check out some of our favorites:

• Best Wi-Fi Routers
• Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers
• Best Modem/Router Combos
• Best Modems for Gigabit Internet

10.   Update your router’s firmware

If you have a modem/router combo unit (also called a gateway), your provider probably updates the unit’s firmware for you automatically. But if you have your own separate router, it may be worth checking for updates.

Why does it work? Because your router is just a small computer dedicated to network management and traffic routing. Like any computing device, it requires an operating system—in this case, firmware. Since no software is perfect, developers release updates that optimize the code, stomp out pesky bugs, and fill security gaps.

Keeping the firmware current is very important for performance and security. Many newer routers have automatic firmware updates, but checking the firmware version can give you better peace of mind. Log in to your router and verify that automatic updates are toggled on. If not, update your router’s firmware immediately and then switch on automatic updates.

Bonus tip 1: Use an Ethernet connection to boost speed

Wi-Fi is great, but wired connections are faster and more reliable. If you have high-priority devices like a desktop, gaming console, or smart TV, it might be worth your while to plug them in to your router with an Ethernet cable instead of relying on Wi-Fi.

Bonus tip 2: Use An ad blocker to increase browsing speed

Many webpages are clustered with internet ads. Ads these days can be images, videos, or animations, all of which can take up considerable bandwidth. By using an ad blocker, you can still get to the content you’re looking for without wasting your precious internet bandwidth.

More internet speed resources

• Why Is My Internet So Slow? Your Ultimate Guide to Speeding Up
• Internet Troubleshooting Guide
• What Is a Good Upload and Download Speed?
• Will Paying for Faster Internet Improve My Wi-Fi Speed?
• The Consumers Guide to Internet Speed