Do you constantly get less speed from your internet connection than you’re paying for? It’s normal for a connection to be a little slower than advertised, but I expect (and usually get) at least 90% of the rated speed on my own connection under ideal conditions. So, if you’re getting less than that, there may be a few bad habits we all have sometimes holding you back.

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Leaving your VPN on when you don’t need it

Credit: Kris Henges / How-To Geek

VPNs are incredibly useful. They hide your activity from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and allow you to access content and services that are usually region blocked. However, the way a VPN works means that it’s no free lunch, and it can slow your connection down. After all, your traffic is first routed through a VPN server through an encrypted tunnel before reaching you.

This means your internet connection can be no faster than the VPN server’s speed, and there’s some added latency because of the additional hop as well as encryption and decryption work happening on your local device. If the server is very far away, which is usually the case for region unblocking, that also has an impact on speed. Just as you’d see less total speed when using a distant speed test server. Usually, when you use a streaming service, the content comes from a nearby content server on a CDN (Content Distribution Network), which is faster. If you use a VPN, you might be getting that data from a server on another continent!

If your VPN supports it, you may want to set up split tunneling. Here, only some specific traffic (like a streaming service) is routed through your VPN and other traffic, like video game downloads or online banking, runs through your normal internet connection. Ironically, in some cases, a VPN can speed your connection up if your ISP uses traffic shaping, where certain types of traffic are throttled.

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Relying on Wi-Fi when a cable would be faster

Credit: Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek

I currently have a Wi-Fi 5 mesh network (yes, I know I’m behind the times) which has a theoretical maximum speed of 6.93Gbps under lab conditions. In reality, I typically see 300-500 Mbps over Wi-Fi depending on the receiving device. My M4 MacBook is the one computer I have that consistently gets those speeds wirelessly.

That means I’m only getting about half of the 1Gbps I’m paying for over Wi-Fi, which is fine because I also have some devices wired using Ethernet, which means they get access to the other 500Mbps. However, if you’re only using Wi-Fi and you have fast home internet, you’re probably leaving speed on the table.

Consider wiring up the devices that can be wired up. For example, when I dock my laptop in my office, I use Ethernet because it eliminates the Wi-Fi portion of the connection, and now runs directly through my mesh wireless backhaul. Likewise, I have an Ethernet cable with a USB Ethernet adapter set up permanently at my primary router linked directly to my fiber connection. That cable will pull 950Mbps on my 1Gbps connection, so if I have something I need to download fast on my MacBook, handheld PC, or other Wi-Fi device, I plug it in for a few minutes and crush that download in no time.

Hiding your router in the worst possible place

Credit: Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

We’ve published numerous guides on speeding up your Wi-Fi and there’s one common thread in all of them—router placement. Some materials block Wi-Fi, especially the fast 5Ghz band, so checking Wi-Fi signal power should take that into account. Having your antennas angled the wrong way can alter the shape of the Wi-Fi “bubble” and make reception worse on an upper or lower floor, for example.

We all have a tendency to simply put our router right next to the fiber outlet or whatever your internet gateway device is, and assume it’s fine. But, that’s why you have dead spots and slow speeds in parts of your home. In fact, you need to ensure that the router you have is designed for the size and shape of home you live in. Some routers are designed for better vertical transmission and others for covering a large space on the same plane.

Ultimately, the best modern solution for whole-home coverage is a mesh network of routers that act and appear as one router to the devices in your home, and have their own wire or wireless backhaul connection. A single router, or one coupled with boosters or powerline Ethernet extenders can be more cost-effective, though.

Ignoring basic network maintenance

Sadly, a home network isn’t just something you set up and forget about. Your network will pick up bugs and performance issues over time if you just leave it be. A router is a type of computer with a CPU, RAM, and secondary storage and so it falls victim to the same issues any computer would. It’s a good idea to reboot it sometimes, for example. Some routers even let you set a reboot schedule so that it happens while you’re sleeping. Likewise, you need to update your router firmware to fix bugs or improve performance.

Older routers have a web interface to access their settings, but modern mesh systems and newer routers use mobile apps which make things easier. For example, my TP-Link Deco mesh routers allow me to “optimize” my Wi-Fi and mesh network in the app, automatically scanning for busy channels or poor connections between my router pods. Often when my network gets laggy, that magic button (or a reboot) is what sets it right!

Coverage

7,500 square feet

Number of Devices Supported

100

Bands

3

Speed

5.7Gbps

Wi-Fi Protocols

Wi-Fi 6E