What makes Wi-Fi faster or slower?

Walls, floors, and furniture can block or weaken signals.

Wi-Fi is the invisible signal that connects your phone, tablet, or computer to the internet without wires. But sometimes, your Wi-Fi feels super fast, and other times it’s slow or keeps cutting out. Why does this happen?

One big reason is how far you are from the Wi-Fi router—the box that sends the signal. The closer you are, the stronger and faster the signal usually is. Walls, floors, and furniture can block or weaken Wi-Fi signals, making your internet slower. That’s why you might have a strong connection in the living room but a weak one in your bedroom.

Another factor is how many devices are using the Wi-Fi at the same time. If your whole family is streaming videos, playing games, and browsing the internet together, the router has to share its speed with everyone. This can make it slower for all devices.

Wi-Fi speed also depends on the technology the router uses. Newer routers support faster Wi-Fi standards, like Wi-Fi 6, which can handle more devices and deliver faster speeds than older models.

Interference from other wireless devices, like microwaves, cordless phones, or even your neighbour’s Wi-Fi, can also slow things down. These devices use similar frequencies, so they create noise that interferes with your connection.

Finally, the internet plan you pay for matters. If your home internet package offers slower speeds, your Wi-Fi can’t be faster than that, no matter how good your router is.

To boost your Wi-Fi speed, try moving closer to the router, reducing the number of devices connected, or upgrading your router. Understanding these reasons helps you enjoy smoother internet for gaming, streaming, and chatting online.

Wi-Fi stands for “Wireless Fidelity”

It allows devices to connect to the internet without wires or cables.

First version of Wi-Fi was created in 1997

Since then, it has improved many times to become faster and stronger.

Wi-Fi signals use radio waves

These waves travel through the air, carrying data between your device and the router.

Wi-Fi symbol shows radio waves

Those curved lines represent the strength of the wireless signal