Sometimes you might only get slow internet speeds even if you have a fast internet connection from your ISP.
Because most of you have a router in your home network, you might also wonder whether the router can limit your internet speeds.
In this post, we’ll explain how your router can limit your internet speeds and a few things you can do to prevent it.
Can Your Wi-Fi Router Limit The Internet Speeds Of Your Wireless Devices?
Your Wi-Fi router can limit the internet speeds of your smartphone, laptop, and other Wi-Fi devices.
The router’s Wi-Fi speed may be slower than your fast internet connection. For example, if you have an older Wi-Fi 5 router, it can bottleneck your gigabit internet connection.
Wi-Fi hardware on your router and connected devices can also limit your internet speeds; older Wi-Fi standards are typically slower and can bottleneck fast internet connections.
The distance between the router and your wireless devices can also affect the Wi-Fi speeds; devices closer to the router typically get a stronger signal and faster internet speeds.
Walls and other obstacles can also block Wi-Fi signals and cause slow internet speeds.
RF interference from other Wi-Fi devices, Bluetooth devices, microwave ovens, and fluorescent lights can also reduce Wi-Fi signal strength and cause slow internet speeds.
Can Your Wi-Fi Router Limit Your Internet Speed When You Use Ethernet?
Your Wi-Fi router can also limit the internet speed on its ethernet port; when you plug the ethernet cable from your computer into your router’s ethernet port, the router can still limit the available internet speed to your computer.
Your router may be slower than your fast internet connection. For example, if your router is only 100 Mbit/s and your internet connection is 1 Gbit/s, the router’s ethernet port will only give you 100 Mbit/s maximum.
Your router can also limit the internet speed on its ethernet port when many other devices use the router simultaneously. Most routers only have one ethernet port but can handle many other devices using Wi-Fi. So when your Wi-Fi router serves many wireless users, the internet bandwidth on the ethernet port will become lower.
However, if your router supports your internet connection’s speed and only has a few connected Wi-Fi devices, it will not limit the internet speed on the ethernet port.
How To Make Sure Your Wi-Fi Router Won’t Limit Your Internet Speed
Always use ethernet for bandwidth-heavy tasks. A wired connection to your router is always faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi.
Also, check whether your router’s ethernet port supports your internet connection’s speed. Most routers these days have at least gigabit ethernet ports, so they can easily handle regular internet speeds on their ethernet ports.
When you use Wi-Fi, you should move closer to the router to get a stronger Wi-Fi signal. Also, try to reduce RF interference from external sources as much as possible; you should place your Wi-Fi router away from microwave ovens, fluorescent lights, and other interference sources.
You can also use QoS features on your router to prioritize your traffic. For example, you can give higher priority to your game console to get faster game download speeds and lower latency.
You can also upgrade to a faster Wi-Fi router. Newer routers with the latest Wi-Fi standards, multiple antennas, and beamforming can give you faster Wi-Fi data rates.
You should also ensure that your Wi-Fi devices, like phones and laptops, support the latest Wi-Fi standards and features. If your Wi-Fi devices do not support newer standards, having them on the router is pointless.
Final Thoughts
Your Wi-Fi router can limit your internet speeds.
If you have a fast multi-gigabit internet connection, your router’s Wi-Fi may not be capable of such speeds and may limit your wireless internet speeds.
Also, if your router is slower than your internet connection, it will limit the internet speed on its ethernet port.
So get a router that supports your internet connection’s speed. Also, use ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for bandwidth-heavy tasks.