3 reasons your internet is slow that have nothing to do with Wi-Fi

Are you having Wi-Fi issues right now? It's very possible that those problems aren't from Wi-Fi at all. Here are three things you should check before blaming your connectivity problems on Wi-Fi.

Your DNS could be to blame

A DNS issue looks like a Wi-Fi problem under the hood

Just the other day, I was trying to visit a new site, and it simply wasn't loading. I checked everything that I could. I was connected to Wi-Fi and Ethernet. I could reach other sites. The web told me that this site should be working.

However, I still couldn't access it. The problem ended up being my DNS settings . Now, I use a custom DNS setup with Pi-hole , but, even if you're using the stock DNS provided by your ISP, DNS could still be the reason why your Wi-Fi isn't working.

You see, DNS stands for Domain Name System. It's how your computer knows where google.com lives. When you type in google.com, you're actually accessing 142.250.180.14. That sounds complicated, I know, but that's why we have domain names—so you don't have to memorize long strings of numbers.

If the DNS server that you're using stops working, which does happen from time to time, then it will seem like the internet is no longer working either.

In those cases, I recommend using a few different DNS settings on your router. Start with changing it from your ISP's default setting to 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, or 1.1.1.2 . Give it a few minutes, and try things again.

If that doesn't work, then try 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, give it a few minutes, and try again. The 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1, and 1.1.1.2 are Cloudflare's DNS, and 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4 are Google's DNS. One of those two should get you back up and going.

If you're still struggling to access things, try an incognito window just to be on the safe side. That should solve your internet issues if the problem was DNS in the first place. If you're still having issues after that, then it's likely the problem wasn't DNS at all and could be something else on this list.

Your access point placement could be the source of all your problems

Too few, too many, or just bad placement can

I live in a 1,300 square foot house built in 1993. The walls are thick enough that I have to have multiple access points if I want quality Wi-Fi coverage throughout the house, which might seem counterintuitive considering many Wi-Fi manufacturer's claims.

My Wi-Fi router that I have, the UniFi Dream Router 7 , boasts 1,750 square foot of wireless coverage. That means I should easily be able to cover my entire house with one access point—the router.

In reality, if I only have that one access point, I get very little signal at the back or sides of the house. The main area of my house gets solid coverage, but everywhere else does not. So, I added two more access points, spread out throughout the house for better coverage.

If you are having issues in certain parts of your home with wireless coverage, it's probably not your Wi-Fi's fault at all, and it's simply the way your house is designed.

So, you probably need more access points to deliver proper whole-home coverage—a mesh system of sorts. I use UniFi, but there are many mesh systems you can use.

The problem with mesh systems, however, is the access point placement is more important than anything else. If the mesh nodes are too close, they fight each other for who your phone should connect to. Too far apart and your phone will lose signal before latching onto another node.

So, if you have multiple access points in your home, you need to be sure they're placed properly. UniFi users can use the UniFi Designer or the WiFiman app to check access point placement and coverage. Non-UniFi users have other options, like NetSpot or WiFi Heatmap .

If you haven't yet, I'd recommend using one of those tools to create a Wi-Fi heatmap of your home so that way you know exactly where those access points should be placed.

You're using an old ISP-provided router

If you haven't upgraded your router recently, then it's time to request a new one

Modern ISP-provided Wi-Fi routers are actually quite good . I've been impressed with what AT&T, Xfinity, and GFiber have released recently. Most brands now have Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 routers available upon request.

However, it's not often that an ISP will replace your old router with a new one unless you change your plan or ask them for it. So, if you're having Wi-Fi issues, check how old your router is.

I've seen people who still had old Wi-Fi 4 or Wi-Fi 5 routers from their ISP when the ISP offered Wi-Fi 6E systems. If you're paying to rent the router, then you should have the latest and greatest they have to offer.

So, if you haven't upgraded the router recently, give your ISP a call and ask them to send you the latest they have to offer. Just make sure to specify that you don't want to pay anything, because sometimes an ISP can try to sneak in extra charges for things like this, even when they shouldn't.

---

Often, a Wi-Fi problem isn't a Wi-Fi problem at all

Something I think we forget a lot of the times is that Wi-Fi is just simply a connection method to the internet, not the internet itself. There have been many times when I was having an issue on Wi-Fi, and thought the problem was my Wi-Fi, only to try the same thing on a computer that is hardwired to my network and experience the same problem.

So, the next time you're having a Wi-Fi problem, check one of these three things. It probably isn't a Wi-Fi problem after all.