SIGNAL STRENGTH PERFORMANCE ≠

A strong wireless signal isn’t always a guarantee of fast performance. If your heatmap shows that a computer is sitting pretty in a bright green area but it’s still getting sluggish network speeds, here are some possible causes to investigate.

OLD WI-FI STANDARD

Wi-Fi devices from different eras are gloriously interoperable – you can connect a Wi-Fi 5 client to a Wi-Fi 7 router, or vice versa, without having to worry about the differing technologies. However, this means you could be running an outdated connection without realising it. If a device is being slowed down by an older Wi-Fi standard, you may be able to give it a boost by changing its settings or fitting a new network card.

SLOW RADIO BAND

Wi-Fi works across three separate radio bands – 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. The 2.4GHz band has the slowest data rates, with many routers capping it at around 600Mbits/sec, while 5GHz and 6GHz connections can go up to 4.8Gbits/sec. The 2.4GHz band can provide longer-range coverage, but in most cases you can boost a device’s performance by moving it onto a different band.

POOR SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO

Many domestic networks are affected by radio interference from other nearby networks or electrical appliances. This can cause even a strong Wi-Fi signal to suffer data errors, resulting in slow performance. Switching to a different radio frequency can help; some routers automatically select channels to avoid interference, but if yours doesn’t you can try changing your router setting manually. As long as the network name stays the same, client devices will follow.

NETWORK CONGESTION

A final possible cause of performance issues is an overloaded network. If too many devices are trying to exchange information at once, the router may simply not have the wireless bandwidth to give them all good service. In a case like this, optimising your signal strength won’t help; try moving some devices onto a different network band or switching them to wired connections – or buy a more powerful router.