Why is my WiFi slow?

In this world of fast food, speedy travel, and instant information we don't like to wait for our phones or laptops to load a web page. Yet, it seems like we have daily issues trying to get our content to render in a timely manner. It can make a person wonder, what causes wireless to become slow? 

Well, there are several answers. Some of the slowness could be caused by the components of network infrastructure - things such as the hardware, software, or service provider. The diagram below gives a basic example of some of the devices used in a wireless setup.

The wireless is only as strong as it’s weakest link, so even if your router, firewall, software configuration, service provider, etc… could handle 10Gb, if your cable can only handle 100mb, then your bandwidth - the amount of data that can be transferred over a network at any given time - would only be 100mb. This makes it very important to check that all the equipment and software is performing as it should, and sometimes checking to make sure everything is operating as expected will lead you to discover a problem and improve the speed.

One of the most common reasons for slow wireless is having a lot of devices trying to connect or send/receive data all at once. Wireless search requests and page downloads all run through a wireless connection point over radio waves, but there is only so much data that those waves can carry and that the wireless device will transmit. This means that if there are a lot of devices using the internet, they will have to share. This type of slowness is especially noticeable in the dorms when, after classes, everyone tries to connect to watch Netflix. Which all goes to say that, as you connect more and more devices, the amount of data that can be carried to and from each device gets smaller and smaller. So, if it’s a prime internet-usage-time, be prepared for some buffering.

Another cause of lagging WiFi speeds has to do with the location of the wireless connection point. Being far away from your access point or router makes loading pages slower. If you put your wireless device in your basement and are trying to access it in your attic, your connection won’t be very good. So, by moving closer you will be able to get a better signal. Also, another issue related to your device placement is that any object between the wireless access point or router can diminish the signal strength. There is a table given at Pearson.com that shows different materials and their effects on signal strength. Some of the worst signal destroyers are metal, mirrors, and water. By moving your location or rearranging some furniture, you may be able to improve your signal and speed up your internet.

Slow wireless could also be caused by issues with the device you’re using, and not the network itself. If your computer has some faulty hardware, the internet may seem slow because things are just not running as they should. There are usually other signs that can lead you to believe there are hardware issues on your computer such as blue screening or troubles booting up. If that’s the case, getting a new part or computer usually does the trick. More commonly however, it is software on your computer hogging some of the processing power. Turning off startup items, scanning for viruses, and running less programs at once can help you see an improvement in this area.

Finally, it could just be that you are trying to access a large site or file and that causes your browser to take a while to display the site.  Depending on what type of bandwidth you have, if you are loading sites that have a lot of data heavy ads, animations, or videos, it will take longer for that site to render. The good news is, you can sometimes make those sites load a little quicker by utilizing plug-ins such as AdBlockerPro or FlashBlock, which block the website from displaying data consuming ads.

Next time your internet is running slow, take that time to ponder what might be causing the lag and maybe you’ll find a way to fix the issue.

Happy surfing.