These Are the Reasons Your Wi-Fi Might be Slow

Your Wi-Fi network can often be a life-saver — it prevents you from using endless data and driving up your cell phone bill at the end of the month. However, we have all had issues with maintaining optimal Wi-Fi speeds at home. Here are a few reasons why you might be experiencing trouble with your home network, and how to check your current Wi-Fi speed.

Check Your Wi-Fi Speed

Use DFNDR’s Wi-Fi Check feature to check the current speed of your Wi-Fi network. This feature will perform a connectivity test, check your download speed, and check your DNS and network security. This is an easy litmus test to decipher whether or not your Wi-Fi is up to optimal speed. Click here to check the speed of your Wi-Fi:

Read More: What to Do About Apps That Are Stealing Your Data

Wi-Fi Moochers

If you leave your Wi-FI open to the public — i.e. without password protection — then there will be a huge freeloader problem. Too much traffic on your Wi-Fi will significantly reduce its speeds, as there is only a finite amount of bandwidth available for your network. Be sure to make your Wi-Fi network private if it isn’t already, and to closely monitor the amount of traffic you allow access to your network. Further, a private network ensures that your network is more secure, too. It’s safer to access your banking or other sensitive information on a private network.

Old Equipment

Like all other technologies, Wi-Fi routers are continuously evolving as the years go by. Thus, older Wi-Fi equipment is bound to be slower than the new, more developed equipment. Check the model of your Wi-Fi gear to ensure that you have the latest and greatest model; otherwise, your Internet will likely be slower than usual. If your router is more than a few years old, then it might be time to upgrade your device. Doing so will help to increase the security of your network, too.

Out of Range

Proximity is key when it comes to the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. As a result, it is imperative that you are relatively close to the Wi-Fi router. Too much distance from your router can result in incredibly low speeds and lag time. Make sure to move your router around the house a few times to find the optimal spot.

Router’s Security Settings

First of all, make sure that there is a viable security setting present on your Wi-Fi router. Otherwise, your Wi-Fi will likely be slowed down. Open networks make it easy for people to steal your Wi-Fi. According to USA Today, WPA2 with AES is your best security option for your Wi-Fi network.