Nabataeans –
If you are facing the problem of slow home Wi-Fi, you must first research the possible causes of this problem to determine the appropriate solution method. Below we will mention 5 reasons that may lead to a slow home Wi-Fi network, and appropriate ways to solve this problem, depending on the cause:
1- Connecting a lot of smart devices:
The connection of many smart devices, such as: surveillance cameras, voice assistants, phones, computers, etc. to the same Wi-Fi network, increases pressure on the network and slows it down. This is because most home routers are not designed to handle the connection of a large number of smart devices.
To solve this problem, choose a newer model of the router that is suitable for the number of devices that will connect to the network. And if you plan to add a lot of smart devices in your home, use the (Z-Wave) protocol for wireless communication wherever possible, because it works at a different frequency than the Wi-Fi network, so it will not affect the performance of the Wi-Fi network.
While devices that use the (Zigbee) protocol, such as: Philips Hue lights, use the same Wi-Fi frequency, which is 2.4 GHz, and may cause interference with the Wi-Fi network.
2- Putting the router in an inappropriate place:
Wi-Fi routers broadcast a signal over the 2.4GHz band, and the 5GHz band. The 5GHz band signal is known to be faster, but it cannot penetrate thick walls. On the other hand, the 2.4GHz signal passes through walls and other solid objects easily, covers larger areas but is slower in transmitting data.
All of which means that Wi-Fi speed is affected by solid objects, so the more objects or walls between your phone or other smart device you use and your router, the slower the Wi-Fi speed.
Sometimes, the router cannot be moved due to the connection location of the fiber optic or telephone line. In this case, you can connect an Ethernet cable elsewhere in the house, and use an additional router for Wi-Fi only.
3- The presence of a lot of surrounding Wi-Fi networks: If you live in an area full of residential buildings, you will be surrounded by a lot of Wi-Fi networks that consume the available frequency bandwidth, which leads to a slow home Wi-Fi network.
To solve this problem, try connecting some smart devices to the Internet using Ethernet instead of using Wi-Fi, and use Wi-Fi for phones and tablets that cannot be connected to an Ethernet cable, and in this way you will be able to speed up the Wi-Fi network in your home.
4- Using old network cables: If you connect your computer directly to the router, or you use several Ethernet cables, it is important to check the type of cables, and the easiest way to check is by looking at the cable and searching for the number appearing next to the word Cat that indicates the specifications of this cable. Here are the specifications associated with each number:
Cat-5: It is the oldest and slowest network cable with a speed of 100 megabytes per second.
Cat-5e: It is the most widely used cable today, supporting Gigabit Ethernet connection and speed of 1000 Mbps.
Cat-6/6a: It is the fastest of the network cabling, supporting a higher data rate of up to 10 Gigabytes (10,000 MB) – with a bandwidth of up to 250MHz.
If you are using Cat-5 cable for computers, it may slow down the speed of the Wi-Fi network. On the other hand, use a cable tester to make sure that each of the eight wires within the cable is still connected to the other end. In addition, replace any broken Cat-5 cables or cables with Cat-5e or Cat-6 cables.
5- Using a Wi-Fi signal booster: Many people believe that the easiest solution to Wi-Fi network problems is to use a Wi-Fi range extender, which is a small device that connects to electricity, repeating the Wi-Fi signal to another part. from home. Some people use Powerline adapters, which allow network signals to be transmitted over household electrical cables.
These devices often fail to address the root of the problem your Wi-Fi network is facing, and may make things worse by adding interference to your Wi-Fi network. If your home is large and your Wi-Fi can’t reach everywhere, consider using a mesh wi-fi system, or a UniFi system that allows you to add access points as needed.
