Slow Wi-Fi has two different diagnoses - a slow internet line or a weak wireless link - and people routinely fix the wrong one. Two speed tests tell you which problem is yours; the fixes follow from there.
Quinn Yoo
Run a speed test (speedtest.net, fast.com) twice: once standing next to the router, once at the spot where things feel slow. Then, if possible, once more with a laptop cabled to the router by Ethernet. Wired result far below your plan's speed: the problem is the line or the provider - no router shuffling will fix it. Fast near the router but collapsing across the house: classic coverage problem. Slow everywhere including wired: restart the router, test again, then call the ISP with your numbers.
Restarting the router is cliché because it works: power off 30 seconds, power on, wait a few minutes. It clears memory exhaustion, stale connections, and forces a fresh channel pick. If a weekly restart noticeably helps, the router is telling you it is overloaded or aging - automate a nightly reboot in its settings, and budget for its replacement.
Wi-Fi is radio, and most homes sabotage it: router in a cabinet, on the floor, behind the TV, or in the far corner where the line enters. The rules: central in the home, elevated (shelf height or higher), in open air, antennas vertical. Every wall costs signal - concrete, brick, and tile cost the most; mirrors, fish tanks, metal appliances, and underfloor heating are stealth killers.
The classic mistake is judging placement by where the cable arrives instead of where the people are. A longer Ethernet or DSL/coax run to relocate the router centrally routinely doubles real-world speeds in distant rooms - a $10 cable outperforming a $200 gadget. Keep it away from the microwave and baby monitors too; both stomp on the 2.4GHz band.
Modern routers broadcast at least two bands: 2.4GHz - long range, through walls, but slow and congested (it shares air with neighbors, microwaves, and every smart plug) - and 5GHz (and 6GHz on newer kit) - much faster, shorter range. If your router broadcasts them as separate networks, put phones, laptops, and TVs on the 5GHz one when they are within range; if it merges them under one name ('band steering'), it mostly manages itself.
In apartments, 2.4GHz congestion is the hidden tax: a free Wi-Fi analyzer app shows the channel pile-up, and switching the router to a quieter channel (1, 6, or 11 on 2.4GHz) in its admin page can calm a stuttery connection. While you are in the admin page: update the firmware - routers accumulate years of performance and security fixes that nobody installs.
If a well-placed router still cannot cover the house, buy coverage: mesh Wi-Fi kits (two or three units that form one seamless network) are the right answer for most multi-floor or large homes, and mid-range kits from any major brand do the job. Cheap single-plug 'repeaters' are the disappointment tier - they halve bandwidth and create a second network your phone clings to wrongly; powerline adapters are a lottery that depends on your home's wiring.
Also worth buying: nothing, for the devices that should be wired. Anything stationary and hungry - TV, console, desktop, the work-from-home dock - belongs on Ethernet, which is faster than any Wi-Fi and frees airtime for the genuinely mobile devices. A flat cable along the skirting board is ugly for one afternoon and excellent forever.
ISP-bundled routers range from decent to dire; if yours is several years old, a modern Wi-Fi 6/6E router or mesh kit is often the single biggest practical upgrade - and you usually keep the ISP box purely as a modem. Check your real device load too: dozens of smart-home gadgets on a budget router cause exactly the random stalls people blame on the provider.
Finally, sanity-check the contract: if your plan is 50Mbps, no router makes it 200 - and conversely, paying for 500Mbps while testing 80 over Wi-Fi means the wireless link, not the plan, is the bottleneck. Match the fix to the measured gap: provider for low wired speeds, placement/hardware for the wireless gap, and the plan tier only when wired tests actually hit its ceiling.
Walls and distance - each wall (especially brick, concrete, tile) cuts signal, and 5GHz fades faster than 2.4GHz. Fixes in order: relocate the router centrally and high, switch distant devices to 2.4GHz, then add a mesh node positioned halfway to the dead zone.
The cheap repeater plugs work poorly: they halve throughput and create sticky secondary networks. Mesh systems do the same job properly with seamless roaming. If budget is tight, a long Ethernet cable to a second access point beats any repeater.
Neighbors congest the 2.4GHz band in dense housing (switch channels or to 5GHz), and freeloaders on a weak password eat bandwidth - set WPA2/WPA3 with a strong passphrase and check the router's client list for devices you don't recognize.
Roughly every 4-6 years, or when it predates Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), needs constant restarts, or stopped receiving firmware updates - an unpatched router is a security problem as well as a slow one. A modern Wi-Fi 6 router or mesh kit is the sweet spot for most homes now.
