Improve Your Wi-Fi Speed in 10 Simple Steps

Wi-Fi is a finicky thing. Sometimes, it feels faster than a Lamborghini. Sometimes, it moves slower than snails. It’s never constant and just gets worse the more you move away from the source.

But Wi-Fi shouldn’t make you toss every device out the window because the connections are frustratingly, painfully bad. I’ll list ten simple steps to help eliminate those Wi-Fi blues.

First, know your internet speed
You should always know your internet plan’s advertised speed before you troubleshoot connections. Simply log in to your account using your provider’s mobile app or web interface to get the number in megabits per second (Mbps).

Next, use our speed test provided below and compare the number against your plan’s listed speed. As you work through the fixes, run the test again to compare the results as you go—that way, you know if it’s helping.

Keep in mind fiber, cable, and DSL providers guarantee speeds only over a wired connection. It’s normal to get a speed test result that’s lower or higher than your advertised maximum speed. However, if you’re getting speeds far below what you expect, it’s time to troubleshoot

How to improve your Wi-Fi speed
Sometimes fixing Wi-Fi woes can be as easy as restarting your modem and router. Some problems may require all new equipment. I ordered the list of fixes from easy to the extreme.

Solution #1—Turn things off and on again
If you’re experiencing slow Wi-Fi, the first rule of thumb is to restart your modem and router (or mesh system) or your gateway.

Restart: Modem or gateway | Router or mesh system | Wireless devices

Restart your modem or gateway
Your modem or gateway sits at the edge of your provider’s wide area network (WAN). You need it to access the internet. With modems, a single Ethernet cable connects it to your router, which is the Grand Central Station of your home’s local area network (LAN).

If the connection between these two networks is acting up, a power cycle can clear any possible errors and bring your connection back up to speed. That said, let’s power cycle the modem or gateway first and see if your speed woes clear up. Do the following:

Step 1: Unplug the power connector from the wall outlet.

Step 2: Wait 30 seconds.

Step 3: Plug the power connector back into the wall outlet.

If you rebooted a gateway, skip ahead to the section about restarting your device’s Wi-Fi.

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

Restart your device’s Wi-Fi
This may be overkill if you’re experiencing slow Wi-Fi across all your wireless devices, as your problem isn’t related to just one device. However, if only one phone, tablet, laptop, or some other wireless device still experiences slowdowns, do the following:

Step 1: Go into the settings and switch off Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Wait 30 seconds.

Step 3: Switch Wi-Fi back on and reconnect.

If this still doesn’t work, try these options:

Power cycle the device (switch it off and on, not reboot)
Forget the Wi-Fi connection and reconnect
Update drivers or firmware
Factory reset the device
I recommend rebooting your equipment regularly—at least once every few months. Some modern routers and gateways even allow you to schedule reboots when everyone is offline, like during bedtime hours.

But keep in mind that rebooting leaves you without internet for a few minutes, so plan to restart your equipment when no one needs internet. Check out my guide on how and when to reboot your router.