Home WiFi Troubleshooting

You can use a service such as speedtest.net or simply google the term "speed test" and google will offer their own speed test on the results page.  Your result should include 3 numbers, the Ping or Latency number, measured in milliseconds, is the time it takes a packet to be sent from your computer to the server and back again.  Lower is better for Latency.  The upload and download speeds are usually measured in Mbps, and should (ideally) be close to what your internet service provider quotes for your service.  Usually  download speeds are higher than upload speeds, but upload speeds are very important as well, both for sending video for Zoom or Google Meets meetings, and also for sending requests and control traffic for downloads.  

It can be helpful to run speed tests under a variety of conditions:  With no other devices connected, with other devices active, from the same room as your internet router, and from other locations in the house.  You may find that your speeds are great when located right near the router but terrrible elsewhere, and due to the nature of wireless networks, you may find your entire network slows down when a certain device is connected.   If possible, it's a good idea to run a speedtest from a device that can be plugged directly into the router to get a baseline speed for your internet connection with WiFi out of the loop entirely.

It's also important to note that if you use Comcast internet, the way their system works it shares bandwidth within "neighborhoods," so you may be fighting not only with your own household for bandwidth but also with your neighbors, as a result, actual speeds can vary widely throughout the day as people work/learn from home, game, stream video, etc.   

Wireless networks are "broadcast" networks, every piece of data sent out on a wireless network gets sent to every device on that network*.  As a result, devices on that network negotiate the fastest speed that all of the devices can handle.  This means, simply put, that the slowest device on the network is also the fastest any device can run on the network.  Older devices, cheaply built devices, highly compact devices, and devices with poor signal can drag down the WiFi speeds for all devices on that network,* this includes "Internet of Things" devices such as smart lightbulbs, thermostats, plugs, etc. that connect to your WiFi as well as computers and smartphones that may be on the edge of the signal range.

*If you have a simultaneous dual band router (2.4ghz and 5ghz networks that run at the same time) each band is considered it's own network with regard to the above statements.

Yes!  If your network, and devices on your network, can "see" another wireless network that is running on the same channel, those networks will compete for "airtime" on that channel and slow each other down, even if they have different network names and passwords.  Just like when two people try to use a walkie talkie at the same time and neither can be heard, if two devices try to broadcast at the same time, they'll be in conflict and will each have to try again.  The more devices broadcasting on a channel, the more conflicts that will happen and the more retries that will happen, resulting in lots of wasted airtime.  A WiFi Network Analyzer may help you identify neighboring networks and the channels they are on, but 2.4ghz bands have severely limited channel options (11 channels, only three of which don't overlap with each other!)  so there's a decent chance if you use 2.4ghz and can see multiple neighboring networks you're seeing some channel conflicts.  

Options for checking neighboring networks:

Mac - iStumbler  $14.99 to buy, limited free trial

Windows and Mac - NetSpot free version will show networks and channels, paid versions also available.

More coming soon! 

The 2.4ghz and 5 ghz refer to the sections of radio bands used by the networks.  Each frequency range has it's advantages and disadvantages, some of which will be listed below:

2.4ghz, this band has been in use since early 8.02.11b wireless cards, and is broken into 11 channels (in the US/FCC spec).  Of those channels, only 1, 6, and 11 are far enough apart to not interfere with each other.  Other devices also use 2.4ghz signals, including some cordless phones.  Microwave ovens can also produce interference due to similar frequencies in use.  2.4ghz is not capable of as high of speeds as 5ghz, but it's signals do travel further and travel better through various materials, resulting in better overall range.

5ghz uses a higher frequency, and has many more channels available , 129 channels that don't overlap each other (though some devices don't actually support all of those channels).  In some setups, channels can be "widened" to increase speeds, at the expense of reducing the number of available channels and increasing the chance of interference.  There are less sources of outside radio frequency interference in the 5ghz band, but they do have more trouble with penetrating walls and less range in general than the 2.4ghz band.  

For more information, ekahau Wireless Design has a very helpful page on bands and channels here.

Many recent Wireless Routers and Access points will include both 2.4ghz and 5ghz radios, and can use them simultaneously.  Depending on your equipment, you may have both radios using the same network name, or each may have a different network name (myNetwork-2G and myNetwork-5g for example).  If your system has two network names available, it's best to add both networks to the device so that it can pick the best network for the circumstances (usually 5G if you're close, 2G if you're nearing the edge of range).  In some cases, if you move your device after it has connected to a network, it won't automatically change networks even though the other network/band would be better, you can try turning your device's WiFi off and back on again to make it reconnect so that it will re-evaluate which network is best.

Perhaps the simplest step is to simply move your wireless router and/or your wireless client(s) closer together.  If you're at the edge of the range of your wireless network, your speeds will never be great and it's more likely that outside interference will overpower the signal from your router.  If possible, your wireless router should be located as near as possible to the center of the area you want to cover (ie: the center of your house).  If you aren't able to get your router to the center of the house, you do have a few options for extending the range.  If you have another cable jack towards the center or other end of the house, I believe Comcast offers a network extender (possibly at an additonal charge) that could be added.  If you have or are able to add an ethernet wire (Cat5e or Cat6 network cable) to another part of the building, you could add a "Wireless Access Point" to extend the network.  If a wired connection isn't possible, you may be able to add a wireless network extender, please see the question regarding those below.  

If your wireless router is rented from your internet provider (such as Comcast) and you've had it for a few years, it might be worth giving the provider a call to see if they can provide you with an updated device (that's supposedly the advantage to paying $10+ a month to rent the equipment!)

If you can, use a wireless network analyzer to check neighboring networks that may be using the same channel (see "Can neighboring Wireless Networks slow mine down?"  If you find networks on the same channel, find the least used (non-overlapping) channel, and change your network to use that channel instead.  (See your Wireless Router's documentation for instructions on setting or changing channels).

When in doubt, turn it off and back on again!  Routers are basically computers too, and sometimes they just need a reboot to function properly.  If performance is poor everywhere, restarting your Modem/Gateway/Router may help. 

Wireless network extenders, also known as wireless boosters, are often inexpensive devices that sometimes overpromise increased range and speed on your wireless.  Normally, a wireless extender will connect to your existing wireless network, and either rebroadcast the same network or a different network (myNetwork-Extended for example) to cover a greater range.  These can be helpful under the right circumstances, however, they can also cause new problems if not used correctly.  Some important things to keep in mind:

1:  These connect to your existing wireless network, so it is vital that they be installed in a location where you have a strong signal already, and they can be subject to many of the same causes of WiFi slowdowns that your devices are subject to.  If your signal is weak in the farthest bedroom, don't install your network extender there, install it in a location with good signal ideally about halfway between the area you're trying to cover and the location of the current WiFi hardware.

2:  These are an extra "hop" in the device's connection to the internet, speeds and particularly latency can suffer.  

3:  Range increase is limited, primarily due to the fact that for good performance they should be installed well inside the "good performance" range of the primary wireless network, and the two networks will largely overlap

4:  Wireless interference may increase, particularly when using the 2.4ghz band.

Wireless Router:  A device that takes your incoming single internet connection, and "shares" it to multiple devices, often offering both wired and wireless connections for those devices.  Your wireless router may be built into your Cable Modem, or may be a separate device located near it.  Your wireless router may also be rented from your service provider, or something you've purchased yourself.  A router includes services such as a firewall, NAT, DHCP, etc. to enable the single internet connection to be shared with multiple clients.

Gateway: This is a term often used by internet service providers to refer either to a wireless router or a wireless router that includes a built in modem as well.

Wireless Access Point:  A devices that bridges between a wired network and a wireless network, without the added services of a router included; frequently used with another device acting as a router, either a wireless router or a separate device, so that multiple wireless access points can exist without the other services (NAT, DHCP, etc) conflicting with each other.

Wireless Network Extender (aka Wireless Booster):  A device that connects wirelessly to your existing wireless network, and rebroadcasts the same or another network for extending range.  These are a quick and easy way to extend range, but can result in more Radio Frequency congestion and conflicts, an must be located within the effective range of the original Wireless device (limiting the additional range due to overlap).  The Wireless Network Extender is subject to the same issues as any wireless client, and won't be very effective if it doesn't have a strong and fast signal itself.

Mesh Networks:  A mesh network is similar to a wireless network extender, each mesh point connects wirelessly back to the main connection, and extends the wireless signal.  Usually a mesh network will include a dedicated mesh network between the devices, rather than sharing the main client WiFi network from the base wireless station and avoiding some of the issues caused by that. 

Unfortunately, hotspots rely on having good wireless service from a wireless provider (ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.), and in our testing no provider was able to consistently provide acceptable speeds on hotspot devices in a variety of locations in town.  In some cases, there was no service at all, in other cases service was barely better than dial-up.  In almost all cases, speeds were below the minimum recommended speeds for a Zoom video call.  We have partnered with Comcast to be able to provide their Internet Essentials program at no cost to families who qualify for up to a year.  We will be sending further information on that service to those who reported not having internet access at home on the "School Reopening Family Survey #2."  If you would like more information or need a promo code for the program, please email TechSupport@sharonschools.net