A Fix For Slow Wi-Fi - try changing the channel

**highwayman274** · July 5th, 2019, 06:43 PM

Spoiler alert . . . . I am not knowledgeable in computer or IT matters, and tend to struggle with issues that many VEF Members might be able to solve in an instant. This post is for the benefit of those, who like me, become frustrated when wireless connections slow to a crawl.

VEF has a thread dedicated to problems encountered with "hard-wired" internet speeds, and related problems when attempting to download large files. It touches on problems with slow or erratic Wi-Fi, but does not provide any guidance on the subject (other than not to attempt very large downloads using a wireless connection).

http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...d.php?t=346217

I am fortunate to have high-speed broad-band access through my ISP, and most often achieve download speeds of 500 Mbps, and upload speeds of 90 Mbps or better. I can monitor the internet speed provided by my ISP using the Netflix test utility "Fast".

https://fast.com/

The Dell laptop that I use for surfing the web relies solely upon 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi; and for the past several years my download and upload speeds have been very good, and very reliable. However, a couple of months ago, they started to become very erratic, and for much of the day and evening my Wi-Fi download speeds dropped to 5 Mbps and upload speeds fell to less than 10 Kbps . . . yes . . . that's a "K" (we're talking dial-up modem territory). Very frustrating.

I conducted a series of tests using the Netflix utility, and found that as I moved away from the dual channel Wi-Fi router supplied by my IPS, the speeds dropped off dramatically. I was getting 40 Mbps down, and 15 Mbps up, in the same room as the router, but only half that amount just outside the door to that room. Moving upstairs to my "den", the speeds dropped to the dismal range mentioned above.

I bought an inexpensive plug-in Wi-Fi repeater/extender, and positioned it about half-way between the router and my "den". Initially, I thought it was helping boost my speeds, but they remained highly erratic, and never reached satisfactory levels (uploads still ground to a halt almost every time . . . even when dealing with jpg files of only 500 Kb). I unplugged the repeater/extender and put it back in the box (poor signal-strength in = poor signal-strength out).

In desperation, I called my ISP and after hearing my complaint they suggested I change the Wi-Fi channel on my router. They speculated that someone nearby might be using the same channel as me, and that our two signals might be interfering with one-another. They pointed out that of the eleven channels available in Canada for 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi, channels 1, 6, and 11 are the most frequently used, and are the only ones that don’t overlap with each other.

Who knew there were Wi-Fi channels? Not me . . . .

Anyway, using the simple instructions my ISP had on their web-site, I was able to quickly change my router from channel 11 to channel 6.

Wunderbar!! Sitting in my "den" on the second floor of my house I am now consistently recording Wi-Fi download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 15 Mbps.

Here are a couple of links that may help explain a bit about Wi-Fi, and perhaps encourage others to take a chance on a do-it-yourself fix.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

https://www.extremetech.com/computin...-right-channel

.

**mucowag** · July 6th, 2019, 09:16 AM

Yes, good advice. I have changed my channel a few times, as local routers have come
on line, living in a built-up area. However how much bandwidth you would actually be
losing when "sharing" a channel is open to debate, as it would depend on the speed
package(s) the "competition" has.

I found a little utility which displays all the info on the channels in use etc. Just pick an
unused one.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_view.html

A word of caution!
Connect your PC to the router via a network cable connection when carrying this out,
as WiFi comms will be instantly lost when you change the channel.
Any other devices on your WiFi network may also need resetting, like phones.

Jenny48549 · July 6th, 2019, 03:35 PM

A lot of ISP providers also have a guest account enabled which allows everybody and their brother to use your bandwidth. Check that and if it's enabled, shut it off.

**mucowag** · July 6th, 2019, 06:49 PM

My Router has a guest facility, which I can enable, if I have guests, giving them WWW
access, but not to the rest of my network. ALWAYS use a different password, as it will
be saved on their devices. Was that what you meant Jenny?

Jenny48549 · July 6th, 2019, 07:28 PM

Yeah, but some ISP's set the guest accounts on their routers either wide open or to give access to users of their networks.

July 5th, 2019, 06:43 PM	#1
highwayman274 Former Staff Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Great White North Posts: 7,697 Thanks: 245,094 Thanked 130,613 Times in 8,119 Posts	A Fix For Slow Wi-Fi - try changing the channel Spoiler alert . . . . I am not knowledgeable in computer or IT matters, and tend to struggle with issues that many VEF Members might be able to solve in an instant. This post is for the benefit of those, who like me, become frustrated when wireless connections slow to a crawl. VEF has a thread dedicated to problems encountered with "hard-wired" internet speeds, and related problems when attempting to download large files. It touches on problems with slow or erratic Wi-Fi, but does not provide any guidance on the subject (other than not to attempt very large downloads using a wireless connection). http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...d.php?t=346217 I am fortunate to have high-speed broad-band access through my ISP, and most often achieve download speeds of 500 Mbps, and upload speeds of 90 Mbps or better. I can monitor the internet speed provided by my ISP using the Netflix test utility "Fast". https://fast.com/ The Dell laptop that I use for surfing the web relies solely upon 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi; and for the past several years my download and upload speeds have been very good, and very reliable. However, a couple of months ago, they started to become very erratic, and for much of the day and evening my Wi-Fi download speeds dropped to 5 Mbps and upload speeds fell to less than 10 Kbps . . . yes . . . that's a "K" (we're talking dial-up modem territory). Very frustrating. I conducted a series of tests using the Netflix utility, and found that as I moved away from the dual channel Wi-Fi router supplied by my IPS, the speeds dropped off dramatically. I was getting 40 Mbps down, and 15 Mbps up, in the same room as the router, but only half that amount just outside the door to that room. Moving upstairs to my "den", the speeds dropped to the dismal range mentioned above. I bought an inexpensive plug-in Wi-Fi repeater/extender, and positioned it about half-way between the router and my "den". Initially, I thought it was helping boost my speeds, but they remained highly erratic, and never reached satisfactory levels (uploads still ground to a halt almost every time . . . even when dealing with jpg files of only 500 Kb). I unplugged the repeater/extender and put it back in the box (poor signal-strength in = poor signal-strength out). In desperation, I called my ISP and after hearing my complaint they suggested I change the Wi-Fi channel on my router. They speculated that someone nearby might be using the same channel as me, and that our two signals might be interfering with one-another. They pointed out that of the eleven channels available in Canada for 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi, channels 1, 6, and 11 are the most frequently used, and are the only ones that don’t overlap with each other. Who knew there were Wi-Fi channels? Not me . . . . Anyway, using the simple instructions my ISP had on their web-site, I was able to quickly change my router from channel 11 to channel 6. Wunderbar!! Sitting in my "den" on the second floor of my house I am now consistently recording Wi-Fi download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 15 Mbps. Here are a couple of links that may help explain a bit about Wi-Fi, and perhaps encourage others to take a chance on a do-it-yourself fix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels https://www.extremetech.com/computin...-right-channel .

July 6th, 2019, 03:35 PM	#3
Jenny48549 Beloved Sister Mistress of Mayhem Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: The Great Gig In the Sky Posts: 6,668 Thanks: 64,911 Thanked 127,566 Times in 6,475 Posts	A lot of ISP providers also have a guest account enabled which allows everybody and their brother to use your bandwidth. Check that and if it's enabled, shut it off. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

July 6th, 2019, 07:28 PM	#5
Jenny48549 Beloved Sister Mistress of Mayhem Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: The Great Gig In the Sky Posts: 6,668 Thanks: 64,911 Thanked 127,566 Times in 6,475 Posts	Yeah, but some ISP's set the guest accounts on their routers either wide open or to give access to users of their networks. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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July 6th, 2019, 09:16 AM	#2
mucowag Vintage Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,011 Thanks: 3,100 Thanked 22,187 Times in 983 Posts	Yes, good advice. I have changed my channel a few times, as local routers have come on line, living in a built-up area. However how much bandwidth you would actually be losing when "sharing" a channel is open to debate, as it would depend on the speed package(s) the "competition" has. I found a little utility which displays all the info on the channels in use etc. Just pick an unused one. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_view.html A word of caution! Connect your PC to the router via a network cable connection when carrying this out, as WiFi comms will be instantly lost when you change the channel. Any other devices on your WiFi network may also need resetting, like phones.

July 6th, 2019, 06:49 PM	#4
mucowag Vintage Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,011 Thanks: 3,100 Thanked 22,187 Times in 983 Posts	My Router has a guest facility, which I can enable, if I have guests, giving them WWW access, but not to the rest of my network. ALWAYS use a different password, as it will be saved on their devices. Was that what you meant Jenny?