How do I fix slow internet?

'Slow internet' covers four completely different problems: a slow connection, a struggling router, poor WiFi coverage, or a device issue. The wired-versus-wireless test separates them in five minutes and tells you which of the four you're dealing with.

What you'll need

• Ethernet cable
• Speed test site or app (optional)

Step by step

1. Restart the router, and wait the full two minutes for it to reconnect.It genuinely resolves a large proportion of intermittent problems, and it's free.
2. Run a speed test on a device plugged directly into the router with an ethernet cable.This measures your actual connection, removing WiFi from the equation entirely.
3. Run the same test on WiFi, in the same room as the router.A big gap between wired and wireless in the same room points at the router's WiFi rather than your connection.
4. Compare the wired result against the speed you're paying for.Check your contract. If wired speed is well below it, the problem is the line or the provider, not your setup.
5. If wired is fine and WiFi is slow, work through WiFi placement and interference.Router position, band selection and channel congestion — see the WiFi signal guide.
6. Check whether one device is slow or all of them.One slow device is a device problem — background updates, malware, an old wireless card.
7. Check what's using bandwidth in the background.Cloud backups, game and OS updates, and video streaming on other devices can saturate a connection.
8. Check the router's age.A router more than about five years old may be both slower and no longer receiving security updates. Providers often replace them free on request.
9. If wired speed is consistently below contract, contact your provider with the test results.Test at different times of day and record the results. Evidence makes the conversation much shorter.

Tips

• Test at several times of day. Evening congestion is normal on some connection types and tells you something different from all-day slowness.
• Use the provider's own speed test as well as an independent one — they'll usually only act on their own figures.
• A single old device can drag down a WiFi network by forcing it onto slower standards.
• For a desk or a TV that must be fast, an ethernet cable removes the problem permanently.

Common mistakes

• Testing only on WiFi — You can't distinguish a connection problem from a WiFi problem. The wired test is the diagnostic.
• Testing once and drawing conclusions — Speeds vary by time of day. Several tests over a few days give a real picture.
• Buying an extender before diagnosing — If the connection itself is slow, an extender extends the slowness.
• Ignoring background bandwidth use — A cloud backup or a console update can consume an entire connection.

Questions people ask