How to Increase Your Internet Speed: 15 Proven Ways to Get Faster Wi-Fi
ITSpeedTest.net ·
You don't always need a more expensive plan to get faster internet — you often just need to remove whatever is holding your current connection back. Slow real-world speeds usually come from Wi-Fi problems, an ageing router or background apps quietly eating bandwidth, and almost all of those are fixable for free in a few minutes. Below are 15 proven ways to increase your internet speed, from 30-second tweaks to bigger upgrades. Run a speed test first to get a baseline, apply a fix, then test again to see exactly how much it helped.
Start with a baseline test
Before changing anything, run our internet speed test and note your download, upload and ping — ideally both over Wi-Fi and plugged in with Ethernet. The gap between the two tells you how much speed your Wi-Fi is losing, and the wired figure tells you how close you are to your full plan. With that baseline, you'll know which of the fixes below actually move the needle for you.
1. Restart your router
The oldest trick still works. Unplug your router for 30 seconds and plug it back in. This clears its memory, drops stale connections and lets it reconnect on a less crowded channel — often an instant improvement, and worth doing every few weeks.
2. Move your router to a better spot
Place it central, elevated and out in the open — not on the floor, behind the TV or in a cupboard. Wi-Fi radiates outward and is absorbed by walls, furniture and metal, so position matters more than almost anything else. A router in the middle of your home covers it far more evenly than one in a corner.
3. Switch to the 5 GHz band
Connect your devices to the 5 GHz network instead of 2.4 GHz when you're near the router. It's far faster and less congested. Keep 2.4 GHz for distant devices and smart-home gadgets that need range more than speed. Many routers let you steer devices automatically — but manually choosing 5 GHz for your phone, laptop and TV gives a reliable boost.
4. Change your Wi-Fi channel
In flats and crowded streets, neighbouring networks pile onto the same channels and interfere with each other. Log into your router's settings and switch to a less congested channel, or enable auto-select. On 2.4 GHz, channels 1, 6 and 11 avoid overlap. This one change can cure stuttering, inconsistent Wi-Fi.
5. Use a faster DNS server
Your DNS server translates web addresses into connections. Swapping your provider's default for a fast public DNS — such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 or Google's 8.8.8.8 — can make pages and apps feel noticeably quicker to load, even though your raw download speed doesn't change. It's a free, two-minute tweak in your router or device settings.
6. Plug in with Ethernet
For the device that matters most — a gaming PC, work laptop or smart TV — a wired Ethernet cable beats Wi-Fi every time: faster, lower ping and rock-steady. It's the single biggest upgrade for anything that needs a reliable connection, and it frees up Wi-Fi bandwidth for everything else.
7. Update your router's firmware
Manufacturers release firmware updates that fix bugs, patch security holes and improve performance. Check your router's admin page for any pending update, install it, and reboot. An out-of-date router can underperform for no other reason than old software.
8. Remove sources of interference
Microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth speakers and even fish tanks interfere with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Keep your router away from them and from large metal objects and mirrors. A clear line of sight to your most-used rooms makes a real difference.
9. Add a mesh system for whole-home coverage
If parts of your home are always slow, a mesh Wi-Fi system blankets the entire house with a single strong network and hands your devices off seamlessly as you move around. It's a far better fix for dead zones than a basic range extender, which often halves speed on the extended band.
10. Limit background bandwidth
Pause cloud backups, automatic updates and big downloads while you need the speed, and set them to run overnight instead. Closing unused browser tabs and streaming apps helps too — each one quietly holds a slice of your bandwidth.
11. Secure your network
If neighbours are piggybacking on your Wi-Fi, your speed suffers and so does your security. Use a strong WPA2 or WPA3 password and check the list of connected devices in your router settings for anything you don't recognise. Kick off anything that shouldn't be there.
12. Enable QoS to prioritise what matters
Quality of Service (QoS) settings let your router prioritise important traffic — like video calls or gaming — over background downloads, so one big transfer doesn't slow everything else. Some routers also offer Smart Queue Management (SQM), which tames the latency spikes known as bufferbloat. Both live in your router's admin page.
13. Update your device's network drivers
On a Windows PC, an outdated Wi-Fi or Ethernet driver can cap your speed. Update your network adapter drivers from the manufacturer's site or through your system's update tool. On phones and other devices, keep the operating system current.
14. Replace an ageing router
If a wired test is fast but your Wi-Fi is slow across the home, and you've tried the steps above, the router itself is likely the bottleneck. A modern router or mesh system that supports the latest Wi-Fi standards can transform real-world speeds — often more than paying for a faster plan would.
15. Upgrade your plan (only if you've tried the rest)
If a wired speed test already hits your plan's full speed but it still isn't enough for your household, that's the one case where paying for more Mbps genuinely helps. See what counts as a good internet speed to choose the right tier. But if your wired test is far below your plan, fix the connection first — see why your internet is slow — because an upgrade won't help a bottleneck that's inside your home.
Quick wins vs bigger upgrades
If you only do a few things, start with the free, high-impact ones: restart and reposition your router, switch to 5 GHz, change your Wi-Fi channel, and set a faster DNS. Those alone fix most everyday slowdowns. The bigger moves — Ethernet, a mesh system, a new router or a plan upgrade — are worth it when the quick wins aren't enough, in that order. Always re-test after each change so you spend effort where it actually helps.
How to boost your Wi-Fi signal specifically
If your problem is weak coverage rather than a slow plan, focus on the signal itself. The biggest wins are placement and height: put the router central, elevated and in the open, with a clear line to the rooms you use most. Point any external antennas in different directions (one vertical, one horizontal) to spread coverage across floors. Connect close-up devices to 5 GHz and leave 2.4 GHz for range, switch to a less crowded channel, and keep the router away from microwaves, mirrors and large metal objects. For homes where one router simply can't reach everywhere, a mesh system is the proper fix — it carries a strong signal into every room far better than an extender.
How to increase your upload speed
Upload is often the forgotten half of the connection, and it's what video calls, cloud backups and gaming depend on. To get the most from it: use a wired Ethernet connection, enable QoS so one big transfer doesn't swallow all your upload, and pause cloud backups and other people's streams while you need it. Remember that most home plans are asymmetrical by design, with far less upload than download — so if you regularly hit your upload ceiling, the real fix is a plan with higher upload, ideally a symmetrical full-fibre connection that gives you equal speed in both directions.
How to make your internet faster on a PC
If it's your computer specifically that feels slow, a few targeted steps usually help — the connection may be fine while the PC is the bottleneck. Start by plugging in with Ethernet or moving to the 5 GHz band. Then update your network adapter drivers, since an outdated Wi-Fi or Ethernet driver can cap your speed for no other reason. Close background apps and pause automatic updates and cloud syncs that quietly use bandwidth — on Windows you can mark a connection as metered to stop large updates downloading at the wrong moment. Switch to a faster DNS for snappier page loads, and run a malware scan, because a compromised PC can hog the connection in the background. Finally, test the same connection on another device: if the other device is fast, you've confirmed the limit is the PC, not your internet.
Still slow after trying everything?
If you've worked through the list and your connection still isn't fast enough, run one final wired speed test and read the result carefully. If it hits your plan's full speed but that simply isn't enough for your household, the fixes have done their job and the honest next step is a faster plan — choose a tier using our guide to a good internet speed. If the wired test is still well below your plan, no home tweak will close that gap: the bottleneck is your router, modem or your provider's line, so it's time to replace ageing hardware or contact your provider with your results in hand. Either way, the wired test is what tells you which of those two situations you're in — and stops you paying for speed you can't actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I increase my internet speed for free?
The best free fixes are: restart your router, move it to a central spot, connect to the 5 GHz band, change to a less crowded Wi-Fi channel, and switch to a faster DNS server. Together these can dramatically improve real-world speed without spending anything.
Does Ethernet really make internet faster?
Yes. A wired Ethernet connection delivers faster, more stable speeds and much lower ping than Wi-Fi because it avoids interference and signal loss. For gaming, video calls and big downloads, it's the single most reliable upgrade.
Why is my internet slow even though I pay for fast speeds?
The speed you pay for arrives at your router, not always at your device. Wi-Fi distance, walls, an old router or background downloads eat into it. Test wired versus wireless — if wired is fast, the fix is in your Wi-Fi, not your plan.
Can changing DNS speed up my internet?
Changing DNS won't raise your raw download speed, but a faster DNS server resolves web addresses more quickly, so pages and apps feel snappier to load. It's a quick, free tweak worth trying.
Will a Wi-Fi extender increase my speed?
An extender increases coverage, not speed — and basic models often halve throughput on the extended network. For dead zones, a mesh system or a wired access point gives much better results.
How can I boost my Wi-Fi signal at home?
Reposition the router centrally and high up, switch to 5 GHz, change to a clearer channel, remove nearby interference, and add a mesh system for large or multi-floor homes. These steps target signal strength rather than your plan speed.
Does restarting the router increase speed?
Restarting won't make your plan faster, but it clears glitches, drops stale connections and lets the router pick a cleaner channel — which often restores speed that had quietly degraded. It's the best first step for a sudden slowdown.
How do I make my internet faster for gaming?
Use a wired Ethernet connection, enable QoS or SQM on your router, pick the nearest game server, and pause background uploads while you play. For gaming, low and stable ping matters more than raw Mbps — see our gaming speed guide.