Is Your Router Slowing You Down?

If you have noticed that the Internet has slowed down on your smart devices, evaluating the equipment connecting your home is a good place to look. Bandwidth usage has grown immensely over the years. When a house used to have 2-4 devices on average in 2012, the household now averages at about 10-12 devices in 2020. Not only are there more devices being used in a home, but we are using them for more of our daily tasks such as online shopping, checking the weather, and paying bills. The Internet spreads to every part of the smart home including TVs, security cameras, and thermostats.

Your Internet service is not always the cause of lagging on your devices. The router could be the culprit for a slow connection. Since we have updated our homes with all of this smart equipment, we need to be updating our path to the Internet as well. Some routers are limited in their connection capabilities if they are older models or are not connected at the most optimal place for the best service coverage in a home.

The bandwidth you choose for your home should reflect your devices used and family needs. Now, when you have selected a large enough bandwidth to cover all of your requirements, you must make sure that your router can handle all of the connection you receive and assure that connection is reaching to every part of the home.

Try some of these tips if your router is slowing down your connection:

1. Upgrade your firmware
   Having the most updated software version for your router will help it connect with everything on your network and assure you have up-to-date features for your equipment.
2. Reboot your router
   Unplugging your router for 30 seconds or more and plugging it back in can help fix connectivity issues. A reboot is highly recommended to ensure your Wi-Fi is at its highest level of performance.
3. Protect your network with a strong password
   The Wi-Fi in your home could be slower because of unauthorized users, such as neighbors using your network. It is beneficial to have a secure password to avoid unwanted users taking up your bandwidth.
4. Change up the location of the router
   The location of your router is one of the most important factors of your Internet speed. Relocating it in your home where you use most of your connected devices can help with connectivity.
5. And finally, if none of these tips work, replace the router
   Over time, your home traffic will be moving faster than your router’s processor can adequately keep up. Like any other piece of hardware, your wireless router needs the occasional replacement to keep up with growing number of devices as well as the applications, which require more and more bandwidth with each iteration.   

If you have upgraded your router and the Internet reach is your problem, Wi-Fi extenders are beneficial in applying more coverage throughout the household. The more that stands between your router and your device, the worse the network will perform.

Choosing the best router is essential for getting the most out of your Internet experience.