Nowadays, we can do almost everything on the Internet — bank transactions, work, communication, and more. But now that everything is digital, can our wifi actually handle all our devices without getting overloaded? How many devices can we connect to one wifi router?
A maximum of 250 devices can connect to most wifi routers. However, even if it’s possible to connect this many devices, limiting the number of connections to only three to four is recommended to maximize Internet speed. Connecting too many devices to one wifi router can result in overloading.
In the rest of this article, we will discuss the things that slow down your wifi speed and how to remedy them.
What causes internet speed to slow down
Internet speed is one of the most important productivity factors in a fast-paced digital world. If you’ve been making do with a really slow Internet connection and don’t understand the reason it’s so slow, here are possible reasons why and what you can do:
Too many devices are connected to WiFi
Most wifi routers claim to be able to handle up to 250 devices connected simultaneously. However, this is not actually what it’s like in a real-life user setting.
If you’re a heavy user with a lot of daily traffic, it’s not ideal for sharing the same connection with too many other users. You’ll need a lot of bandwidth, and having other people use up valuable space will slow you down. It can be even worse if you need to connect multiple devices.
Note that “users” does not mean people here. All devices connected to the same wifi affect Internet speed. So if you have multiple devices that are taking up speed, such as smartphones, laptops, wifi-enabled cameras, and so on, and your Internet is really slow, try disconnecting your other devices.
You need an upgrade
If only one or two devices are connected to the wifi, and yet you’re experiencing very slow speeds, it could be a sign that you need an upgrade. You may be running on outdated hardware or on very low bandwidth.
Outdated wifi routers and lines may not be able to support the heavy Internet user that many day-to-day tasks now require.
You’re running on a WiFi repeater
If you think that using a wifi extender or repeater can solve your problem, think again. Yes, you may be able to extend your wifi’s range, but the speed often stays the same or, in most cases, even gets slower.
To solve this issue, you can try moving your main Wi-Fi router closer because distance affects Internet speed. If you are a heavy Internet user and need a faster connection, you can also try getting a second router instead of using a repeater.
Something is interfering with the signal
Where you place your wifi router affects how effectively you can connect to the wifi. If there are too many solid objects in between your router and connected devices, it can cause a partial blocking of the signal, resulting in slower speeds or an intermittent connection.
If your router is on the first floor of your house, for example, and you work on the second floor, try moving your router to the same room where you usually use the Internet for work.
Video explanations
Summary
If you’re still experiencing slow Internet speeds even after looking into the possible causes mentioned above, you might want to try calling a specialist to look at your network or your ISP.
