Have you ever heard the phrase “spinning wheel of doom”? If you haven’t heard it, I know you have seen it. It’s that little spinning circle that appears on the screen whenever your connection is too slow for whatever it is you’re doing. You can’t watch your movie because the video buffers. A website refuses to load. Your character dies during the final fight because the game lags. It doesn’t matter what it is. It’s frustrating.
Slow speeds are the most common issue people call their internet providers about. But what causes your internet to slow down, and what can you do to fix it?
The first thing you need to look at is your signal strength and quality. Everything from an office wall to a marble countertop can affect your Wi-Fi signal. Look at the graph below.
The material a signal has to go through will affect its strength. Don’t put your router in a tight spot. Pull it out of any cabinets you may have it tucked away in to reduce environmental interference and improve your signal.
Did you know there were different Wi-Fi signals? There are two of them. 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. OEC Fiber’s network equipment has both, but your device can only use one at a time. It is designed to connect to the best signal possible. On average, devices connected to 2.4 GHz can expect speeds of around 50-60 Mbps, and 5 GHz can see about 350-500 Mbps.
The age of the device is a significant factor in which signal it connects to. That doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy all new equipment. Many smart home devices like smart bulbs, plugins, and thermostats can only use 2.4 GHz. If you suspect your device is connecting to 2.4Ghz, stand about 10 feet from your router and turn the Wi-Fi off and on on your device. This will force it to reconnect using 5 GHz if the device is capable of it.
How many devices are connected to your Wi-Fi? Ten? Twenty-five? The number might surprise you. It doesn’t matter how fast your internet speed is or what kind of bandwidth you have; there is a saturation point. It will cap out and slow down. Don’t know how many devices you have connected to your Wi-Fi? No problem. Download the OEC Fiber app. It will show you all your connected devices and help you troubleshoot your connection. Now, before you start logging all those devices off your Wi-Fi, try the classic reboot method first.
There’s a reason rebooting is the first step most technical support pros have you try. It fixes a plethora of issues. Start by turning your device on and off. If that doesn’t work, try turning your router on and off. (You may have to unplug it.) You’d be amazed what turning something off for ten to fifteen seconds can fix.
If the reboot doesn’t work, it may be time to look at what’s around you. Remember that graph I pointed out before? Make sure your device isn’t behind metal or glass. Get it higher off the ground and try rebooting again. Sometimes just moving a few feet can make a world of difference.
Once you’ve tried all that, it’s time to call for help. The OEC Fiber Support app is a wonderful tool to help you troubleshoot your connection. Not only can it give you a better idea of what’s happening to your connection, it can provide our support reps with valuable information when you call.
Our subscriber support team is fantastic. They will stop at nothing to get you back online and are here to help you 24/7/365. Using the information in the OEC Fiber Support app can give them an inside look that helps get you up and running much sooner.
Slow Wi-Fi is a pain that none of us want to deal with. Taking a few simple steps and using the great tools OEC Fiber makes available can help banish the dreaded buffer wheel for good and get you back to the action at #fiberfast speeds.
