1.   Turn things off and on again

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

Unplug your modem or wireless gateway, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. This process allows the modem to clear its virtual head.

Your modem translates internet signals between your home network and your ISP. If your internet is acting up, a power cycle is a good place to start troubleshooting—it may even fix your connection issues. But sometimes you need a customer support agent to reset your modem remotely and make sure it’s properly calibrated to translate your internet connection’s signals.

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

Finally, 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 that doing 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 can travel only so far, and its signals can get interrupted or blocked by walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, appliances, and basically any large physical object. These signals can also get interrupted by radio waves from other devices, including cordless phones, baby monitors, microwaves, and Bluetooth speakers.

So if you place your router in a corner, you may have issues with Wi-Fi at the other end of your home. The best place for your router is in a central 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.

3.   Adjust your router’s antennas

Many routers and wireless 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.

4.   Make sure you’re on the right frequency band

Modern routers work primarily on two radio frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The band you use for your connections can affect your speeds and the quality of your connections at different distances from your router.

The 2.4 GHz band is the oldest and most commonly accessed 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.

The two frequency bands often appear as two separate Wi-Fi networks. To reorganize your connections, log off from the incorrect band and connect to the correct one on each device.

5.   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. 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.

6.   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.

7.   Update your router’s firmware

Your router is 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 entirely perfect, developers release updates that optimize the code, stomp out pesky bugs, and fill security gaps.

Keeping the firmware current is a major priority for performance and security. Many newer routers have automatic firmware updates toggled on, 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.

8.   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 ISP, 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, 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 Wi-Fi or ASUS RT-AX86U are also great choices.

9.   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 add a device that can stretch 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.

10.   Upgrade to faster internet

While we hope these tips will do the trick for you, sometimes your internet connection is simply too slow to sustain your internet consumption. 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 actually faster than you think you would need. That way, network slowdowns will still happen, but you’ll probably notice them less.