Speed test Guides
A 1 Gbps fibre line that tops out at 40 Mbps in the living room is almost always a Wi-Fi problem, not a plan problem. Here is how to find the cause and fix it, from the simplest step to the most technical.
Before changing anything, run two speed tests: one over Wi-Fi where you have the problem, and one with an Ethernet cable plugged straight into the router. If the wired test shows the right speed and the Wi-Fi test is slow, the problem is wireless. If both are slow, look at the line or your provider instead.
Wi-Fi is a radio wave: it weakens with distance, and every obstacle costs you speed.
| Obstacle | Effect on the signal |
|---|---|
| Plasterboard wall, wooden door | Low |
| Brick or block wall | Medium |
| Concrete load-bearing wall, floor between storeys | High |
| Mirror, fish tank, radiator, fridge | High (metal and water absorb or reflect the signal) |
Good habits: put the router up high, central in your home if possible, and in the open rather than inside a closed TV cabinet or behind a screen. Moving it a metre or two can double the speed in a distant room.
Recent routers broadcast on several frequency bands with different strengths:
| Band | Range | Speed | Congestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | Long, better through walls | Limited | Very crowded (neighbours, Bluetooth, microwaves) |
| 5 GHz | Medium | High | Lightly used |
| 6 GHz (Wi-Fi 6E and 7) | Short | Very high | Almost empty |
Near the router, prefer 5 GHz (or 6 GHz if your devices support it). Keep 2.4 GHz for distant rooms and simple smart-home devices. If your router puts all bands under one network name, it chooses automatically; if a device stays stuck on 2.4 GHz close to the router, creating two separate network names lets you force 5 GHz.
In a block of flats, dozens of networks share the same frequencies. On the 2.4 GHz band, only channels 1, 6 and 11 don't overlap: a network set to channel 3 disturbs neighbours on both 1 and 6. Most routers pick a channel automatically at start-up; if speed collapses in the evening, restarting the router or choosing a less crowded channel manually can help. On 5 GHz, reducing the channel width from 160 to 80 MHz sometimes improves stability in dense areas.
| Solution | How it works | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi extender | Picks up the signal and rebroadcasts it | Cheap, simple | Often halves the speed, must sit halfway |
| Powerline | Carries the network through power sockets | Gets through thick walls | Depends on your wiring, avoid extension strips |
| Mesh system | Several coordinated units, one network | Even coverage, automatic hand-over | More expensive |
| Ethernet cable | Wired link to an access point | Fastest and most stable | Requires running a cable |
An extender placed too far from the router repeats a signal that is already weak: it needs a good signal in to give a good signal out. If you can run a cable, a second access point connected by Ethernet remains the best option.
Run a speed test in the same spot, at the same time of day, before and after each change, and change only one thing at a time: you'll know what really helped. Keep an eye on ping too: congested Wi-Fi often shows up as erratic latency before the speed drops.
In the evening your neighbours use their Wi-Fi more on the same frequencies, and your provider's network is busier. Test over Ethernet: if wired is fast, it's radio congestion, and changing channel or switching to 5 GHz often helps.
No. It extends range, but an extender that talks to the router on the same radio often halves the available speed. It is useful for a dead zone, not for speeding up a room that already has coverage.
It mainly improves performance when many devices are connected, and energy efficiency. You only see the benefit if your devices support Wi-Fi 6 as well.