Why does my wifi say connected but there is no internet?
Full bars and nothing loading is not a contradiction — the wifi symbol only reports the first link in a chain of five. How to find which of the other four has broken.
beginner10 min5 min read
Internet & WiFi
Making a home network fast and reliable.
55 guides in Technology
Why is my wifi slow in only one room?
What blocks a signal, how to confirm it is the wifi rather than the broadband, and the fix that suits each cause.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I improve my WiFi signal?
Why WiFi is weak in parts of the house and how to fix it — router placement, frequency bands, interference and when a mesh system is the right answer.
beginner1 hr3 min readShould I get a mesh system or a wifi extender?
What each actually does to your network, why extenders halve throughput, and the cheaper option that beats both.
beginner20 min4 min readAre smart plugs actually useful?
The four things they genuinely do well, the ones they do badly, and what happens when the internet goes down.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I fix slow internet?
How to tell whether the problem is your WiFi, your router, your devices or your actual connection — and what to do about each.
beginner45 min3 min readShould I run an ethernet cable instead of using wifi?
Which devices genuinely benefit, why the cable is cheaper than any wireless fix, and the ways to run one without lifting the floor.
beginner20 min4 min readWhere should I put my router?
Central, high and in the open — and the specific things that ruin a signal if the router sits near them.
beginner30 min2 min readWhy does my wifi keep dropping?
Separating a router problem from an interference problem from a broadband problem, and fixing each.
beginner40 min2 min readHow do I secure my home WiFi?
The router settings that matter for security — the admin password, encryption type, firmware updates and guest networks.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I test my broadband speed properly?
Most speed tests measure your wifi, not your broadband — how to test the thing you are actually paying for.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy will my smart plug or doorbell not connect to my wifi?
Almost every cheap smart device can only use the 2.4 GHz band, and almost every modern router hides that band behind a single network name. The four workarounds, in order of how little they disturb.
intermediate25 min4 min readShould I use 2.4GHz or 5GHz wifi?
Range against speed — which band suits which device, and whether to split the network names.
beginner15 min2 min readAre smart bulbs worth it?
The four things they genuinely do well, the physical-switch problem, and when a smart switch is the better answer.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I log into my router's settings page?
The address, the password that is not the wifi password, and what to do when the sticker no longer matches — plus the settings actually worth changing once you are in.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat is the digital landline switchover and what do I need to do?
The old analogue phone network is being retired. What changes, who needs to act, and the protections available to households that depend on a landline.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy do my smart devices keep going offline?
The 2.4GHz band problem, why band steering breaks smart plugs, and the fixed addresses that stop devices wandering.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I change my wifi channel to stop interference?
In a flat or a terrace your wifi is competing with everyone else's. Which channels are genuinely worth using, how to see what your neighbours are on, and why the channel in between is the worst choice of all.
intermediate20 min4 min readHow do I get wifi to reach the whole house?
Why extenders often disappoint, what mesh actually does differently, and when a cable is the right answer.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I set up a new router?
Installing a router, the settings to change immediately, and how to move devices across without reconfiguring everything.
intermediate1 hr2 min readWhat is the difference between part fibre, cable and full fibre?
Where the fibre actually stops on each kind of connection, why that decides your speed, and the one thing full fibre changes about your phone.
beginner15 min4 min readWhat should I do when my phone will not connect to wifi?
A short sequence that fixes most phone wifi problems, from forgetting the network to resetting network settings.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy do my video calls stutter when the speed test says everything is fine?
Speed is not the only number and it is rarely the one that breaks a call. What latency, jitter and packet loss actually are, how to measure them at home, and which one your symptom points to.
intermediate15 min4 min readHow do I change my wifi name and password?
How to change the network name and password without losing half the house, when it is worth doing, and the devices that always need rejoining afterwards.
beginner30 min4 min read
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