The cheapest versions cost less than $50, but check product reviews. That could include buying a new router, though anything less than five years old should be OK, Dandekar said.Īnother option is to buy a device called an extender or repeater, which receives the WiFi signal from the router and generates a copy of it. When all else fails, it may be time to spend some money. If the speed is well below what the service provider advertises, the issue could be anywhere along the chain: provider, cables, router, or even the device itself. Or it can be done further “downstream” on a phone or tablet, meaning that you are measuring the rate of data transfer through the cable and the WiFi signal. To check your current speed, use an app or web site that measures it in real time, such as This can be done from a desktop that is directly wired to the Internet, in which case you are measuring the speed straight out of the cable. For regular streaming, less than 100 milliseconds should be fine.) (Also look for low numbers in something called latency: a measure of lag time in handling the signal. With four devices running “high-demand” programs at once, a download speed of at least 25 Mbps is recommended by the Federal Communications Commission. How much capacity you need depends on how many household members are online at any one time, and what they are doing. All the more reason to make the most of what you’ve got.

And many do not have high-end broadband connections. Let us pause to acknowledge that this is a problem of privilege.

(Short version: beware of metal filing cabinets.) He explained how to tell if you’re really getting the speeds that Verizon or Comcast promises, why that wavy little WiFi icon may not mean what it seems, and above all, where to place that nifty little box with the blinking lights: the router. Yes, you can upgrade your service plan or your equipment, but that can be pricey.įirst try these low- or no-cost tips, which we assembled with the help of wireless communications expert Kapil Dandekar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University. In the interest of household harmony, we present the Inquirer’s official low-stress, plain-English guide to getting the most out of your Internet connection. As the COVID era drags on, can there possibly be enough bandwidth for all? And Junior is gunning down bad guys on one screen while streaming his biology class on another.

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