5 Fast WiFi Fixes this Holiday Season

Is your internet feeling a little behind this holiday season? Well, before you jump to any expensive conclusions, there are a few things you can look into first to get your WiFi back up to speed. Here are five WiFi fixes to get your network ready for the holiday season:

Step 1: Reboot your wireless router

You’ve heard it once; you’ve heard it twice: “Did you turn it on and off again?” There’s good reason for this. Sometimes, your router needs a reboot to get back up to speed. Try this first to see if your WiFi connection speeds boost back up to their peak performance.

Step 2: Check your modem and wireless router placement

Hmm, the reboot didn’t do the trick? The problem could be with the placement of your modem and router in your home. Depending on whether you rent your modem/router from your internet service provider (ISP) or if you purchased your own, you will either be looking for the one combo device from your ISP or two devices that are close together.

Make sure that the router and modem (or combo modem/router) is centrally located in your home and not blocked by any obstacles like thick walls. A router that is tucked away from your devices can hinder your connection. 

If the location isn’t the issue, your router could be outdated. If yours was provided to you by your ISP, you should be okay, but if you purchased your own router and it is two to three years old, you may need a new one to support your devices. Speaking of devices, you will want to check those, too.

Step 3: Check your devices

Just like your router, your devices could be outdated, too. Computers, tablets and phones all become outdated, which means they suffer slow speeds when trying to connect to a router than doesn’t support them. You do not need to rush out and buy all new devices, but if WiFi speeds are an issue, you may consider looking into replacing at least one with a newer model.

Step 4: Run a WiFi speed test

You can check your router and your devices to get a general idea of what is going on with your network, and you can also run a WiFi speed test to see how fast or slow your network really is. There are two ways to do this. You can use free tools to get a general idea of your WiFi network speed. Or, you can use paid tools to get actual numbers, insights and suggestions on making it better.

Knowing your WiFi network speed also gives you a benchmark to measure against if your network starts to feel slow again in the future. This way you won’t have to guess if the network needs help, you will know.

Step 5: Check your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Assess your ISP and the plan that you are paying for. If your router and devices are up-to-date and everything else seems in order, then it might be your ISP and plan that are the issues. This means that you might need to upgrade to a faster plan.

However, you might just need some professional help troubleshooting, but at least you tried everything else before resorting to this step. Fortunately, all the steps before this one can usually diagnose the issue and you can take care of it yourself. But, sometimes it’s time to turn to the pros.

Regardless, if you follow these steps, you should be able to find that “quick fix” or at least “quick diagnosis” before the holidays (and your guests) are at your door.

Check out the ScreenBeam blog for more technology news and tips.