First things first, your internet speed will only be as good as your internet plan. Therefore make sure you are subscribed to the right plan based on your usage. Xfinity deals offer their customers different internet speeds that they choose from depending on their consumption. It does provide a reliable and secure internet connection at affordable prices. You also get to experience the state of the art Xfintiy customer service to guide you through any query or problem.
Your router, on the other hand, is in charge of everything on your end of the modem, so its performance can have an impact on your wireless and wired connections. Because it promotes data transmission between your devices and other networks, a router is a vital component of a computer network. A good router will help you get the most out of your Internet connection, whereas a faulty one will create lag and longer load times.
The most basic function of a router is to direct network traffic. This is since it is in charge of the connections between your devices and the Internet. When there is a lot of traffic, connections start to lag. Furthermore, slower connections will occur if the router is old or of poor quality.
Why does the router affect internet speed?
Your router can bottleneck your connections because it lies between your modem and your devices. Consider it a small computer that is solely responsible for routing network data to and from your devices. Connections slow to a crawl if it’s overloaded, like a traffic cop at rush hour. Your connections may be slow if your router is of poor quality or is old.
The router, either way, becomes your chokepoint. If your router can’t handle your present network traffic, upgrading to a plan with more bandwidth won’t help. You’ll need to reboot, reset, or replace it with a newer model.
It is important to have the right router for your use as well. For instance, if you have purchased a plan offering 300Mbps, however, your router is N200, you will most certainly lose the 100mbps speed as the router does not support the speed. Therefore the router you are getting with your internet must suit your connection plan.
Take a speed test
An internet speed test can typically detect if your router is holding down your internet connection. Here is how you can do it:
Step 1: Firstly make sure you are connected to the internet.
Step 2: Navigate to an Internet speed test in your browser.
Step 3: Click on the Start Speed test for it to begin the test.
Keep track of the outcome each time you test your internet speed to see if things are slowing down. You can also measure your speed at different times of the day. After work, for example, it will be slower than peak hours, such as late-night or in the early morning. This is an easy and quick technique to troubleshoot and determine if the issue is due to the router.
How to improve your router speed?
Here are some steps you can take to ensure that your router works at its optimum.
- Reboot the router: Turning the computer off and on again is a bit of typical advice for computer problems. Internal faults with your router, like any other computer, occur regularly. You can reset the router by disconnecting it from its power source. Frequently, simply resetting the router’s internal computer is enough to bring the device back to life.
- Cable Connection: Check the cords that run into the rear of the router first when troubleshooting it. If one of the cords isn’t plugged in or is partially undone, re-plugging it could be as simple as pushing it back in. If one of your cords appears to be loose regularly, you may need to replace it. Listen for a distinct click when testing cord security. This sound indicates that your router cord is securely attached.
- Device location: You may not be able to take full use of your internet connection if your wireless router is too far away from your device or even if the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction. Your plan will determine the optimum placement. The router should ideally be placed in a central, open space to improve the signal range, such as in a living, large family room, or on top of a bookcase. Putting the router in a walled-in corner, basement, or other secluded position, on the other hand, hinders it from sending stronger signals, resulting in dead or slow zones across your home. If you have a multi-story home, you may want to consider using numerous routers or a Wi-Fi extender to improve the signal all around the location.
- Check with the ISP: If your Wi-Fi is still slow after you’ve done all of the preliminary troubleshooting, it’s time to contact your Internet service provider. We’ll be able to see if any outages have occurred in your region or if this is a one-off problem. In any case, alerting our professionals is a terrific method to get to the bottom of the issue.
Conclusion
Routers do play a vital role in ensuring that you get a fast internet connection. Even if your internet service provider is sending you the full speed as promised maybe a problem with your router can cause some trouble for you. So it is better to keep a check on your router as well so that you do not miss out on anything online.