How to Make Your Wi-Fi Faster Without Buying New Equipment

If you’re trying to make your Wi-Fi faster without replacing equipment, there are several proven adjustments that can dramatically improve speed and reliability.

Many homeowners and small businesses search for ways to make your Wi-Fi faster without buying new equipment. The good news: you can often fix your slow Wi-Fi with a few simple adjustments you can do right now.

Let’s walk through the most effective ways to speed up your wireless network — all without spending a dollar.

1. Move Your Router to a Better Location

Ideal router placement:

• High off the ground
• Central area of the home/office
• Away from walls, metal, and appliances
• Not hidden in cabinets or behind furniture

Worst places:

• Basement
• Inside TV stands
• Inside closets
• Behind a fish tank (yes, this kills signal!)

A 2-minute repositioning can double your signal strength.

2. Disconnect Devices You Aren’t Using

Smart TVs, tablets, smart bulbs, printers — they all eat bandwidth.

Try this quick test:

1. Open your router’s device list
2. Kick off anything you don’t recognize or don’t currently need
3. Watch your Wi-Fi speed jump

If you’re running a small business, consider separating work devices from personal devices using guest Wi-Fi networks.

3. Change Your Wi-Fi Channel (Especially in Suburbs)

Routers often crowd the same channels — causing interference.

Switching channels is free and can significantly boost performance.

For best results:

• 2.4 GHz → Channels 1, 6, or 11
• 5 GHz → Any channel except DFS if you want stability

Most routers allow this under Wireless Settings → Advanced → Channel.

4. Restart Your Router the Right Way

Simply unplugging and replugging helps, but a proper restart is better:

1. Unplug router for 30 seconds
2. Restart the modem
3. Restart the router
4. Wait 2 minutes before testing speeds

This clears cached network congestion and refreshes your IP address.

5. Remove Obstructions & Interference

Common signal killers include:

• Microwaves
• Baby monitors
• Cordless phones
• Bluetooth devices
• Thick brick walls
• Large TVs

If possible, move your router away from these objects (even a few feet helps).

6. Switch to the 5 GHz Band

If your router supports dual-band:

2.4 GHz

✔ Longer range
✘ Slower speeds
✘ More interference

5 GHz

✔ Faster
✔ Cleaner signal
✘ Shorter range

For workstations, home offices, and gaming setups located on the same floor as your router, 5 GHz can instantly boost speed.

7. Check Your ISP Speed to Rule Out Their Problem

Use a tool like Speedtest.net.

If speeds are significantly lower than what you’re paying for:

• Restart modem/router
• Test wired connection
• Call your ISP and request a line quality check

Don’t assume the problem is inside your home — sometimes it’s not.

8. Reset Router to Factory Settings (Last Resort)

If your Wi-Fi slowly worsened over months or years, your router may be overloaded with old settings.

A factory reset can clean it up entirely. Just remember to write down your Wi-Fi name/password before resetting.

Need More Speed? You Still Don’t Need New Hardware (Yet)

If you’ve tried these tips and still have poor performance, you may benefit from:

• A mesh Wi-Fi system
• A new modem
• Professional network diagnostics

But in most cases, the tips above fix slow Wi-Fi for free.