How to improve my internet connection at home

1. Restart your internet modem and/or router

As the golden rule of internet troubleshooting, an equipment restart should always be your first step. It’s quick, easy, and effective.

The restart process is the same for a modem, router, or gateway (modem/router combo unit):

Step 1

Unplug the power cable from the back of the modem, router, or gateway.

Step 2

Wait 60 seconds.

Step 3

Plug the power cable back into the back of the equipment.

Step 4

Wait for the equipment to reboot (this can take up to 20 minutes).

2. Move Your Router

The perfect spot will depend on your home, but try not to hide your router in a corner, under a cupboard, or inside a drawer—the more central and prominent it is, the better. The goal is to get your main devices—consoles, laptops, and so on—as close as possible to your router. Devices that don't need quite so much bandwidth, don't have to be a priority in terms of physical proximity. If you don't have a flat surface near the best spot, you can mount your router halfway up a wall. If possible, keep it away from other devices that use electromagnetic waves; that includes baby monitors, wireless keyboards, and microwaves.

3. Use an Ethernet Cable

A wired connection to your router is faster and more stable than Wi-Fi, and it can't be affected by other devices or large fish tanks. The downside is that it limits where your devices can be, and it's less convenient.

4. Check your UDP ports (streams voice)

You can set your computer as the DMZ in your router configuration, which means that NAT essentially passes everything to you.

5. Change the Channel or Band

Wi-Fi signal is divided into channels. Your router uses a particular Wi-Fi channel to communicate with the devices around your home. If you have close neighbors who have routers using the same Wi-Fi channel, then everything can get congested quickly. Switching channels can solve this problem.

Every router will handle this differently. Check its documentation or look up the instructions online if you're not sure, but you should be able to find the option somewhere in the device settings.

Most routers now use dual-band technology, broadcasting at the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz frequencies. If your router settings allow you, you might be able to prioritize one or the other for certain devices—the 5-GHz band will get you a faster connection to the internet, though it has a shorter range than 2.4 GHz. We suggest leaving both frequencies enabled since older devices will often work only on 2.4 GHz.

6. Upgrade Your Router

Routers vary significantly in functionality and price. If you have dead or slow zones in your house, you probably need to change where and how far your Wi-Fi is broadcast. If you have a large home, you're likely better off with a router that can pair with "repeaters" that broadcast signals into the farthest reaches of your space. Smaller homes and apartments can generally get by with a simpler system.

7. Get a Wi-Fi Extender

If messing around with your router settings seems too daunting, and you have a few $ to spare, invest in a Wi-Fi extender or repeater. These devices plug into a spare wall socket, connect to the wireless internet getting beamed out by your router, and extend it.

They're (usually) simple to set up, easy to use, and can instantly get rid of Wi-Fi dead zones in your house. The extended or repeated wireless signals won't be as strong as the ones coming straight from your router, so, again, positioning is important. Try to use these devices to connect gadgets that don't need a huge amount of bandwidth. Make sure the maximum supported Wi-Fi standard (e.g., 802.11ac) matches that of your router so you get as speedy a connection as possible.

8. Add a Password to Your Wi-Fi

We probably don't have to tell you this, but you need a password on your Wi-Fi network. It's good for keeping hackers away and keeping neighbors from Netflixing off of your bandwidth, which will slow you down. Make sure you use AES encryption, which is both the most secure and most speed-friendly security option.

9. Cut Off Unused Devices

Having dozens of things tapping into the Wi-Fi at once can be problematic. Plug anything you can into Ethernet, and unplug anything you have connected but don't need (like that "smart" tea kettle you never once got to work). Make sure only the things that need internet get internet.

Good routers offer controls to prioritize a particular device or service. It's a handy way to make sure your calls never get interrupted by someone else streaming videos on Facebook.

10. Update firmware

Firmware is your router’s operating system. That said, routers are nothing more than small computers dedicated to routing your home network traffic to and from the modem or ONT, so you want to keep the firmware up to date. Many newer routers and all mesh systems have automatic firmware updates enabled by default.

However, for better peace of mind, you can use the web interface to check the firmware version to ensure you’re up to date. You can also verify that firmware updates are enabled (and toggle them on if not).

Keep in mind that, like with any other operating system, updates can sometimes lead to more woes, which is why some routers don’t enable automatic updates by default (or have the feature at all). Problematic firmware updates are rare but still a possibility.

11. Check Your PC

This tip is specific to computers: If the internet on your PC or laptop is perpetually slow but other devices seem fine, open your Task Manager or Activity Monitor and see which programs are running in the background. Certain programs could be set to auto-update that don't need to be. If they're always updating in the background, that could be the cause of your slow internet. Check it out and adjust the settings.

12. Call Your ISP

If you've tried it all and still have problems, you can always contact your internet service provider. They may send a service technician out, who might be able to pinpoint an overlooked issue that is getting in the way of you and fast Wi-Fi.