Troubleshooting Home WiFi Problems

If your home WiFi seems sluggish or inconsistent, check out our article on Improving Home WiFi Connections.

If you've had good WiFi in the past but experience sudden changes in performance, here are some things to try:

1. If a microwave is running, that could easily disrupt your signal. Wait till it is done and try again.
2. Unplug both your modem and your WiFi router (if they are separate devices). Wait for 10 seconds, and then plug them back in. Wait for them to turn on and establish their connections (can take a minute or more).
3. Make sure all cables (ethernet and power cables, usually) are fully connected to the modem and/or router, pressing them in securely
4. Check to see if another device in your house (phones, gaming consols, iPads, streaming services, TVs, smart devices) are doing bandwidth-intensive activities (moving lots of data, especially video data). Turn them off if possible.
5. Connect your computer to your modem with an ethernet cable
6. Call your Internet Service Provider (it's a good idea to have their phone number pre-programmed into your phone or written down somewhere, along with your account information)