GoKawiilThere are few things more infuriating than a video buffering, a game lagging or a file downloading slower than you had hoped it would. Of course, the first thing to check for is your internet speed. If you are receiving upload and download speeds close to what your internet service provider has advertised, your connection isn't the bottleneck. In fact, statistics from the Speedtest Global Index show that the median broadband speed in the United States is over 300 Mbps — that's more bandwidth than most streaming services demand and is even quite fast for downloading large files.
Your internet connection and speed are also heavily influenced by your router. If your device is receiving a poor Wi-Fi signal or keeps dropping the connection, consider moving your Wi-Fi router to a more central location in your home. If it has external antennas, try spacing them out and pointing them in different directions to improve coverage throughout your house. Avoid placing your router near other electronic devices or appliances like microwaves that can weaken the wireless signal.
For those with particularly fast broadband speeds who are only seeing a fraction of the performance in real-world downloads, it's worth checking which Wi-Fi band your device is connected to. Some Wi-Fi routers broadcast a separate 5GHz network that provides significantly better speeds than the 2.4GHz band. If your device isn't connected to it, it will only be able to take advantage of the slower 2.4GHz connection, which typically offers download speeds up to 100 Mbps — a far cry from the gigabit speeds that a 5GHz network unlocks.