How to troubleshoot your WiFi router issues

Having WiFi problems? Let’s get to the bottom of it!

There might be a simple fix for why your router isn’t working properly, so before you unleash screams of despair over your signal struggles, we’ll let you into a few handy tips to troubleshoot your router issues and get your WiFi working wonderfully again.

These tips will spare you from angrily typing full caps into google “WHY IS MY ROUTER NOT WORKING?!?!” or endlessly searching how to improve your WiFi connection and getting nowhere. So, sit back, relax, and meet your very own personal router troubleshooter…

WiFi troubleshooting tips

Step 1: Check the Network Status

Before you venture any further on your WiFi troubleshooting mission, it’s worth checking our Network Status Page to see if the connection problem stems from a network issue instead.

If there is a problem, rest assured that our engineers are aware and working quickly to fix this as soon as possible. If there’s no fault in your area, it’s time to determine what is using the following wireless tips and tricks.

Step 2: Reboot the router

Have you tried turning it off and on again? It’s the age-old classic, but it could well be a quick fix to solving your WiFi woes!

It’s easy to reboot your router – simply unplug the power cable for your router and/or modem, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect the cable to finish rebooting. Et Voila!

Should I reset the router? No!

Even if rebooting doesn’t work, make sure you DO NOT press the reset button on your router! This will reset your router back to its original factory settings, which will make it unusable with your Airband connection. You’ll also run the risk of incurring a charge to fix this issue too, so be sure to avoid doing this. Instead, if rebooting hasn’t worked, take a look at more of our tried and tested tips to fix your WiFi router issues…

Top router tips

It may seem obvious, but moving your router to a room where you most often use the internet will help you on your way to improving your WiFi signal. Placing the router nearby will reduce the chance of signal interference, so you can get the best speeds and service wirelessly.

However, choosing the best room isn’t the only thing that can affect your WiFi working properly. You’ll also need to consider other factors such as the positioning of the router itself and electronic interference too. Let’s delve deeper into more of our wireless troubleshooting tips…

Tip 1: Lift your router off the floor

One of the key router rules is to always make sure your router is lifted off the floor. Routers are designed to broadcast signals slightly downwards, so putting them on the floor means your signal is being directed towards the ground, where the signal is more likely to be soaked up and lost.

Let’s avoid that from happening – place the router on a surface that can allow for better signal release and more airflow around the router, like a tabletop or an open shelf. Ensure that the router is kept in the open.

Tip 2: Keep your router away from other electronics

Electronic interference – it’s another biggie to consider when it comes to getting the best out of your WiFi signal.

Make sure there are no other electronics nearby your router, as any other device that transmits an electromagnetic signal can interfere with your router and affect your signal.

Don’t forget, electronics can be anything from Microwaves to TV’s and telephones – so steer clear of anything likely to cause a disruption!

Tip 3: Reposition the antennas on your router

If your router has antennas, be sure to spread a further signal by positioning the antennae at different angles – move one antenna vertical and one horizontal.

This is because your router’s signal transmits from the Antennas in an opposite motion to which it is positioned. For example, if the antenna is vertical, it will broadcast the signal horizontally. Whilst this would generally maximise coverage in your house, having your device’s antenna (i.e. phone or laptop) positioned in the same direction as your router will optimise reception.

As this depends on how you are holding your device, if your router has antennas, it’s best to put one router antenna horizontal and one vertical to ensure you’re spreading the signal as broadly as possible.

What to do if you’re getting slow broadband speeds

The actual speed you experience can be lower than estimated. Broadband speeds may be affected by things we can’t control, like the device you’re using*, and if you’re using WiFi, the distance of your device from the router – especially if multiple devices connect to the same network.
Also, the number of users online and accessing a particular website can impact speeds as can congestion during major events too.

*Many things affect the processing speed of your device – these include the software you run (for example, if you run too many apps that need to connect to the internet, things will naturally go slower). Don’t forget, viruses also make a device slow – so be sure to keep your devices up to date and protected!

Be sure to perform a speed test to know exactly what speeds you’re getting. You can also discover more info about how much broadband you need in our blog.

How to perform a broadband speed test

To get an accurate picture of the speeds being delivered to your router, avoid testing the speed through WiFi. Ideally, you’ll need to perform a wired speed-test instead.

A wired speed test involves connecting a PC or laptop directly to the router via an ethernet cable.

Ethernet cables are cheap and available to buy on sites such as Amazon and eBay. If you’re unable to do a wired speed test, a wireless one is fine, but please be aware that it will not be as accurate.

If you are performing a wireless speed test, make sure that you disconnect other devices so that the device running the speed test has exclusive use of the bandwidth available.

Once you’ve done all of the above, log on to a speed test site and note the results.

To find out your expected speeds, take a look at our broadband speeds explained. If the speed is lower than your expected contracted speed, be sure to get in touch with us so we can investigate further and help you with this!

What can affect my speeds?

There’s not a “one-size fits all” answer when it comes to finding out what is affecting your WiFi speeds. In fact, there are many things that can affect the speed and connectivity of an individual wireless device. To name a few, it could be due to…

• Age and compatibility of the device and/or its network card
• Position & distance of the device in relation to the router
• The number of other devices also connected
• The amount of bandwidth that other devices are currently using (e.g. an active games console, video calls or streaming on a TV).
• Interference from physical objects. WiFi signal strength can be weakened by physical obstructions, particularly thicker walls in older properties
• Interference from other electronic devices such as baby monitors, mobile phones, microwaves
• And (rarely) other WiFi signals from nearby properties

What should I do if devices keep losing connection or are experiencing lagging and buffering?

Don’t fret. There are a number of ways to combat a woeful wireless connection.

• Check the age and specification of your device. The manufacturer’s website may help to understand its relative capability
• Check which devices are currently in use.
  Turn these off & see if the performance improves. To do this, you can download an app like Fing – Network Scanner
• Test the signal strength of your WiFi where the device is situated and move the router if needed. There are many downloadable apps for Android and Apple devices to check.
• Perform a speed test
• Make sure the device is running on the latest software and has the latest updates installed

Further ways to improve WiFi coverage

Still not having luck with your wireless connection? We’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve on how to improve WiFi coverage.

Just bear in mind that all homes are different, so you’ll need to check which is best suited for you…

Mesh systems

Mesh WiFi or Whole Home WiFi systems consist of a main router that connects directly to your modem, and a series of satellite modules, or nodes, that are placed around your house for full WiFi coverage. They’re all part of a single wireless network.

Powerline extenders

Powerline extenders use your existing electrical wiring to extend your Internet access to any room in your house. Add Powerline access points throughout your home to create strong, reliable WiFi connections where you need them most.

WiFi extenders

A WiFi extender connects to your router (either wirelessly or through a wired connection) to help extend your internet signal into rooms that are WiFi dead zones due to walls, furniture obstructions or general spacing.

While we do not provide or endorse any of these additional devices, we can help you find one that best suits your needs if you need a helping hand.

Although we cannot guarantee your WiFi coverage, we can help you make it the best it can be – after all, it’s our goal to provide you with the best service possible! You can request an engineer to visit you to help set up new additional equipment if preferred, but please be aware that this will involve an additional charge.

The vast majority of our customers find that broadband issues can be sorted by taking the above steps. However, if you’re still experiencing issues and a speed test shows that your speed to the router is performing as expected, we can still help! Feel free to call us so we can give you some further advice on what else you may be able to do.