Slow Wi-Fi. The bane of everyone’s lives; seemingly easy to fix, always waiting to return and frustrate you.
What’s also frustrating is that at times, it feels like the fixes you try don’t solve the root of the problem. Like, sure, rebooting your router is a great option, but are there underlying problems with your network, placement, ISP, and so on?
Before you reboot everything in anger or call support, there are a handful of checks that solve the majority of slow Wi-Fi issues. They take minutes to run through, don’t require technical knowledge, and help you quickly work out whether the problem is your network, your device, or your internet connection itself.
Are you on the right Wi-Fi network?
So simple, so easy to overlook
I know this sounds ridiculous, but are you actually using the correct Wi-Fi network?
Your router likely has two bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. And if you have an ultra-modern router, you may even have access to the latest 6GHz band. Depending on your network configuration, your device may automatically connect to a slower band than you’re expecting, especially if you have a blended network configuration.
For example, your router may decide that it’s better for your device to use the slower 2.4GHz band even though the 5GHz band is available. The 2.4GHz band has greater Wi-Fi range but slower data throughput, which can make your device feel slow although there is technically nothing wrong with the Wi-Fi.
There are a few ways around this, but how you approach it will really depend on your devices:
- Some routers allow you to give the two bands different names, which helps you and your devices differentiate. Others will let you disable 2.4GHz, but I don’t advise this, as some older devices won’t connect to the 5GHz band, and you could find other devices fail to work properly.
- You could opt to forget the 2.4GHz network on your device if your router allows you control over the network SSIDs (the Wi-Fi name). Then your device won’t be able to automatically connect and make it feel slow
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On some operating systems, like Windows, you can set your Wi-Fi adapter to prefer 5GHz connections. It doesn’t stop 2.4GHz, but pushes the adapter towards 5GHz.
- Head to Device Manager > Network adapters, then right-click your network adapter and select Properties
- Open the Advanced tab, then scroll down until you find Preferred band or Band selection
- Now, use the dropdown menu to select the 5GHz option.
Even networks with identical names can behave very differently depending on which access point you’re attached to. If your Wi-Fi feels slow, manually disconnect and reconnect, double-checking the network name and signal strength. This one step alone often restores normal speeds immediately.
How old is your router?
You might still be chugging along on Wi-Fi 5
A router that’s more than a few years old could also be slowing you down—much more than you think, and especially in a busy modern household with numerous devices competing for traffic.
Modern devices are designed for newer Wi-Fi standards, and older routers simply can’t efficiently manage multiple high-bandwidth connections. At this point, Wi-Fi 6E should be considered the baseline for a new purchase, not a premium feature.
Wi-Fi 6E opens up the 6GHz band, which is far less congested than 2.4GHz and 5GHz. That means lower latency, fewer dropouts, and much more consistent speeds, particularly in flats or dense neighbourhoods. Even if not all your devices support 6GHz yet, a 6E router still improves traffic handling, scheduling, and overall stability across your network. It’s one of the few upgrades that delivers an immediate, noticeable improvement to everyday Wi-Fi performance.
The Most Common Wi-Fi Standards and Types, Explained
Confused by the various Wi-Fi standards in use? Here’s what you need to know about Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and older wireless standards.
Check your device
Sometimes, it’s on-device settings that are causing the problems
Now, something often overlooked is your device settings. There are two major culprits in this area, and I’ve fallen foul to both of them at times.
- Are you using a VPN? This one catches people out all the time.
- Are you using a low-power or battery saver mode? Again, this is another way devices throttle speed without you realizing.
Small issues that you may not think to check, but can have a serious effect on your Wi-Fi speed.
Where is your router?
And can you move it somewhere better?
Wi-Fi isn’t particularly great at passing through walls; some materials are much worse than others for creating interference. Concrete, brick, metal-lath plaster, and similar materials make it difficult for your Wi-Fi to broadcast throughout your home, making your whole network feel slow.
You should probably have a think about where your router is placed while you’re at it. Chucking your router in a cupboard is going to cause all kinds of Wi-Fi problems as your devices and the router struggle to communicate. Optimal router placement is central, without clutter, and ideally away from other devices like microwaves and wireless housephones that can cause interference.
Even mesh Wi-Fi systems need proper placement to be effective; you can’t just start adding nodes wherever you want and hope for the best. So, before making any changes, make sure to map your Wi-Fi network to find the sweet spots—and where it needs improvement.
The smartest thing I’ve done with an old Android was turning it into a Wi-Fi repeater
Get your Wi-Fi signal further in your home.
Are other devices stealing all your bandwidth?
Check what’s happening across your home network
Sometimes, your terrible Wi-Fi connection isn’t caused by the devices you’re using; it’s the ones you’re not using that are stealing the rest of your bandwidth and pushing the network to a crawl.
There are a few ways to see what’s slowing down your internet, involving third-party apps and software. But typically, your router has a good overview of everything on your network and should have a “network overview” or similar setting that shows connected devices, current download/upload speeds, how much data has been downloaded recently, and so on.
All routers are different, but mine allows me to go through the devices and remove them individually, preventing bandwidth leaching and hopefully stabilizing connectivity. In that, you’re probably looking for the usual suspects when it comes to accidental bandwidth hogs: smart TVs, game consoles, security cameras, smart home hubs, and so on can all use more bandwidth than you’re expecting.
Do you actually just need faster Wi-Fi?
Towards the middle of 2025, I was experiencing frequent Wi-Fi issues, slow network traffic, and more, and nothing seemed to fix them. Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the configuration. We, as a family of five, had just started to max out the connection, and the old router wasn’t able to broadcast more than Wi-Fi 5.
So, an internet upgrade was required. After having FTTP installed, everything changed, and our home network has been fine ever since. Checking your existing internet plan is always worthwhile if it’s been a few years since you last upgraded!