When watching movies, shows, gaming, or just working, slow internet bothers us all. Waiting dreadfully for that buffer to be over to continue with your activity, wishing there was a way your router could give out more Speed without getting a new router or changing to a new plan? You are in luck. Here are six ways to increase the Speed of your current router
SPEED IS IMPORTANT
As the title rightfully says, ‘Speed is essential, which pretty much applies to everything we do in our daily lives. The upcoming internet generation does not like to wait, and thus router speed is essential, whether it comes to zoom meetings in this WFH scenario or online video games that we lose due to slow Wi-Fi.
So here I am with some ways to increase your current router’s Speed –
Turning it off and on again:
This is the easiest and the oldest method. Everything once in a while needs a break, whether it is human or technology. Increasing your router’s Speed also depends on the way you configure it. Follow this link at (https://routerlogin.one/192-168-1-18/) that explains how you can log in to the 192.168.1.18 IP Address on your router. This guide features detailed yet straightforward steps you can follow to log in to the admin panel with the username and password. If your internet is slow, do this to your router or modem as the first step of troubleshooting to increase the Speed of your current router. This helps give a fresh start by clearing all the tasks that were obstructing it before.
Sometimes, you will have to call your Internet Service Provider to reset it on his end to make sure your modem is translating signals correctly between your home network and the ISP.
This might look like a simple step, but it can give your network a significant boost. This also means that you won’t be able to use the internet for a few minutes, so plan to do this when nobody needs an internet connection.
Move the router to a better location:
The best place for keeping your router is at a central location in your house. If your router is stuck in a corner, you may have issues at the other end of your home.
Wi-Fi signals can get interrupted or blocked by many things like walls, floor ceilings, large physical objects, or radio waves from devices like microwaves, Bluetooth speakers, etc. Never place your router in the basement or a closet; that is a sure way of getting connectivity problems.
The next thing to do if the Speed does not change after the first step, place the router in a broad place so the network reaches every part of your house.
Adjust router’s antenna:
Another simple way to increase your router’s Speed is to get a new antenna. Some routers have internal antennas, which cannot be adjusted by tweaking the antenna position. But if you have an adjustable antenna on your router, read ahead. In case this is, you move on to the next step.
Router antennas send out signals in all directions, perpendicular to the antenna. If you need to maximize your Wi-Fi signals to multiple floors, adjust the antenna to sit horizontally to spread the signs.
Upgrade to faster internet:
Don’t forget to check your internet speed before starting with all the other steps. Type speed tests in Google Chrome and check your network speed on the page you land on.
If the tested Speed is less than the data speed you bought, contact your service provider so they can fix the issue and provide you with the promised data speed according to your plan.
It might also be possible that your internet consumption can be more than the data pack you bought, making your internet connection slower. If that is the case, the best way is to upgrade to a faster internet plan to get better Wi-Fi speed.
Extend your Wi-Fi network:
You have moved your router to a better central location but still have speed issues in specific areas; you can try adding a device that can stretch your network’s range.
You can do this by using any of the following devices:
- Wi-Fi boosters: This can boost Wi-Fi signals to areas where the Speed is already slow. It pulls wireless signals from the router, amplifies them, and then re-broadcasts them to create a stronger connection with other wireless devices.
- Wired Access Points: Connect your router via an Ethernet cable and distribute Wi-Fi and LAN signals as an extension of your router.
- Mesh Wi-Fi systems: You can create Wi-Fi coverage by placing several devices around your home, each sending off a wireless signal, to create a ‘mesh’ of wireless coverage around your home. This is known as a Mesh Wi-Fi System. It can improve connectivity throughout the whole area if placed strategically in locations around the house.
Check the Google Nest Wi-Fi as it is currently the most popular in the market, but others are also available.
Replace your equipment:
Your router processes all your internet data, and if it is not up to the task, it can slow down your whole network. Even after all the hard work, you could not increase your Wi-Fi speed. In that case, I think it is a crucial time for router replacement.
You can rent your router, but it is better to buy one as it saves you money over renting and gives you more control over the network’s Speed and security.
Hopefully, this article helped you in optimizing and increasing your Speed. Some steps are pretty easy, while others might be a bit complicated, but you will get the desired results in a few minutes if you take time and try to do them.
