Slow WiFi Driving You Crazy?
Before spending money on a new router or upgrading your internet plan, try these proven methods to dramatically improve your WiFi performance. Most of these tips are completely free and can be done in minutes!
We've organized these from easiest to most impactful, so you can start seeing improvements right away.
1. Optimize Your Router Placement 📍
Impact: High | Difficulty: Easy | Cost: Free
Router placement is the #1 factor affecting WiFi performance, yet most people place it in the worst possible location.
The Golden Rules:
- Central location: Place your router in the center of your home, not in a corner
- Elevated position: Put it on a shelf or mount it high on a wall (WiFi signals spread downward and outward)
- Open space: Keep it away from walls, especially exterior walls
- Upright antennas: If your router has external antennas, position them vertically
Avoid these WiFi dead zones:
- ❌ Inside closets or cabinets
- ❌ Behind TVs or large furniture
- ❌ Near metal objects (file cabinets, mirrors, refrigerators)
- ❌ Near water (fish tanks, water heaters)
- ❌ Close to microwaves or cordless phones
- ❌ In basements (signals travel poorly through floors)
Pro tip: Use a WiFi analyzer app on your phone to find the optimal placement. Walk around your home and see where signal strength drops.
2. Restart Your Router Weekly 🔄
Impact: Medium | Difficulty: Very Easy | Cost: Free
A simple restart clears your router's memory, closes hung connections, and installs pending firmware updates. Many speed issues resolve instantly with a reboot.
How to restart properly:
- Unplug the power cable from your router
- Wait 30 seconds (this fully clears the memory)
- Plug it back in
- Wait 2-3 minutes for it to fully restart
- Test your speed
Even better: Set up automatic reboots. Many modern routers have a schedule feature that reboots at 3 AM when you're asleep.
When to restart immediately:
- Sudden speed drops
- Devices can't connect
- Intermittent disconnections
- After installing new devices
3. Update Your Router Firmware 🆙
Impact: High | Difficulty: Medium | Cost: Free
Router manufacturers regularly release firmware updates that improve performance, fix bugs, and patch security vulnerabilities. An outdated router can be 30-50% slower than an updated one.
How to update:
- Find your router's IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
- Enter it in your web browser
- Log in (check the sticker on your router for default credentials)
- Look for "Firmware Update" or "Router Update" in settings
- Click "Check for Updates" and install if available
Modern routers: Many newer routers update automatically. Check your settings to enable auto-updates.
Warning: Don't interrupt a firmware update! Your router may become unusable if the update is interrupted.
4. Switch to the 5GHz Band 📡
Impact: Very High | Difficulty: Easy | Cost: Free
Modern routers broadcast on two frequencies: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Most devices automatically choose 2.4GHz because it has better range, but 5GHz is much faster.
2.4GHz vs 5GHz:
| Feature | 2.4GHz | 5GHz |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Slower | Much Faster |
| Range | Better | Shorter |
| Wall Penetration | Better | Weaker |
| Congestion | Very Crowded | Less Crowded |
Best practices:
- Use 5GHz for: Same-room devices, gaming, 4K streaming, video calls
- Use 2.4GHz for: Smart home devices, distant rooms, IoT gadgets
How to switch: Look for two WiFi networks in your device settings - one usually ends with "5G" or "5GHz". Connect to that one.
5. Change Your WiFi Channel 🔀
Impact: High | Difficulty: Medium | Cost: Free
WiFi works like radio - if everyone in your apartment building is on the same channel, you're all interfering with each other. Switching to a less crowded channel can double your speed.
For 2.4GHz: Use channels 1, 6, or 11 only (they don't overlap)
For 5GHz: Usually auto-selects the best channel
How to find the best channel:
- Download a WiFi analyzer app (free for iOS/Android)
- Scan for nearby networks
- See which channels are least crowded
- Log into your router settings
- Change the channel to a less crowded one
- Test your speed
Pro tip: Enable "auto" channel selection in your router settings. Modern routers can automatically switch to the best channel.
6. Kick Bandwidth Hogs Off Your Network 🦵
Impact: High | Difficulty: Easy | Cost: Free
Every device connected to your WiFi shares the available bandwidth. Too many devices = slow speeds for everyone.
Common bandwidth hogs:
- Background updates (Windows, iOS, game consoles)
- Cloud backups running automatically
- Smart TVs downloading updates
- Tablets and phones you're not using
- Old devices that stay connected but aren't used
- Neighbors stealing your WiFi (if you have a weak password)
Quick wins:
- Log into your router and see all connected devices
- Kick off devices you don't recognize
- Change your WiFi password if you see unknown devices
- Disable WiFi on devices when not in use
- Schedule large downloads for off-peak hours
7. Enable Quality of Service (QoS) ⚖️
Impact: High | Difficulty: Medium | Cost: Free
QoS lets you prioritize important traffic over less important traffic. Your video call gets priority over someone downloading a file in the background.
How QoS helps:
- Video calls stay smooth even when others are streaming
- Gaming doesn't lag when someone downloads updates
- Work-from-home traffic gets priority
How to enable:
- Access your router settings
- Find "QoS" or "Traffic Prioritization"
- Enable it and select priority devices or applications
- Common options: Gaming, Streaming, Video Calls, Web Browsing
Advanced tip: Some routers let you set priorities by device. Give your work laptop highest priority during business hours.
8. Use Ethernet for Stationary Devices 🔌
Impact: Very High | Difficulty: Easy | Cost: Low ($10-30)
Wired connections are always faster, more stable, and more secure than WiFi. If a device doesn't move, plug it in!
Speed comparison:
- WiFi (best case): 100-400 Mbps
- Ethernet cable: 1000 Mbps (Gigabit)
- Plus: No interference, no dropouts, lower ping
Devices that should be wired:
- ✅ Desktop computers
- ✅ Gaming consoles (PS5, Xbox, PC)
- ✅ Smart TVs
- ✅ Streaming devices (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV)
- ✅ NAS or home servers
- ✅ Work-from-home desks
What you need: Cat 6 Ethernet cables ($5-15 each). They're faster and more reliable than older Cat 5 cables.
9. Upgrade to WiFi 6 (If You Can) 📶
Impact: Very High | Difficulty: Easy | Cost: Medium ($80-200)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) is the latest WiFi standard, offering significant improvements over WiFi 5 (802.11ac).
WiFi 6 benefits:
- Up to 40% faster speeds
- Better performance with many devices
- Improved battery life on devices
- Better performance in crowded areas
- Lower latency for gaming
Is it worth upgrading?
- Yes, if: You have 10+ devices, game competitively, or have a large home
- Maybe, if: Your router is 3+ years old and you're experiencing slowdowns
- Not yet, if: Your current router works fine and you have few devices
Note: You need WiFi 6 devices to see the full benefits, but WiFi 6 routers still improve performance for older devices.
10. Add a WiFi Extender or Mesh System 🌐
Impact: Very High | Difficulty: Medium | Cost: Medium to High ($50-300)
If your home is large or has dead zones, a single router might not be enough.
WiFi Extender:
- Cost: $30-80
- Plugs into an outlet halfway between router and dead zone
- Extends signal but at reduced speed
- Good for: Small extensions, budget solutions
Mesh WiFi System:
- Cost: $150-400
- Multiple units work together as one seamless network
- Maintains full speed throughout home
- Good for: Large homes, multiple floors, complex layouts
Popular mesh systems: Google WiFi, Eero, Netgear Orbi, TP-Link Deco
Pro tip: Place mesh nodes where you still have some signal from the main router. If there's no signal at all, the mesh node can't extend it effectively.
Bonus Tips: Advanced Optimizations 🎯
11. Enable Beamforming
Makes your router focus WiFi signals directly at your devices instead of broadcasting in all directions. Enable in router settings.
12. Disable Old WiFi Standards
If all your devices support WiFi 5 or 6, disable WiFi 4 (802.11n) and older standards in your router settings. This reduces overhead.
13. Use a Different DNS
Switch to faster DNS servers like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8). Can improve page load times by 10-30%.
14. Check for Interference
Baby monitors, Bluetooth devices, and even Christmas lights can interfere with WiFi. Turn them off one by one to identify culprits.
15. Update Device Drivers
Outdated WiFi drivers on your computer can limit speeds. Update them via Device Manager (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac).
Testing Your Improvements 📊
Before making changes:
- Test your speed with InternetSpeed.my
- Write down your results
- Note any problem areas or times
After each change:
- Wait 5 minutes for changes to take effect
- Test again in the same location
- Compare results
- Keep the change if speeds improved
When to Call Your ISP 📞
If you've tried everything and speeds are still poor:
- Your speeds are consistently less than 50% of your plan
- Issues occur even on wired connections
- Problems started suddenly without any changes
- Your modem/router is provided by the ISP and may be faulty
When calling:
- Have your speed test results ready
- Note the times when issues occur
- Mention you've already tried basic troubleshooting
- Ask if there are known issues in your area
The Bottom Line
Most WiFi problems can be solved without spending money. Start with the free solutions (placement, restarts, channel switching) and only invest in hardware if needed.
Expected improvements:
- Router placement: 20-50% speed increase
- Channel optimization: 20-100% speed increase
- 5GHz band: 50-200% speed increase
- Ethernet connection: 100-500% speed increase
Test your WiFi speed before and after these changes using InternetSpeed.my to measure your improvements!
Remember: A properly optimized WiFi network can perform just as well as more expensive plans. Don't upgrade your internet plan until you've optimized what you already have!