A adept router can make a massive deviation to your cyberspace connection speed. But if you lot don't have the money to fork out on a top-of-the-range model, what other avenues are open to you lot?

Keep reading if you lot want to know how to optimize router settings for speed or found the best router configuration for faster net.

one. Automate a Reboot Schedule

Most newer routers don't need to be rebooted regularly. Just as about people know, if you've e'er run across a dead internet connexion, rebooting your router is often all it takes to get you back up and running.

However, if you detect yourself rebooting the router regularly, the DD-WRT and Love apple firmware options both have timed reboot options. Set it to reboot one time a day while you're sleeping, and you'll never fifty-fifty notice the downtime while the router powers off and starts back up.

2. Make Your Router Faster With a New Antenna

A simple way to brand a router faster is to buy a new antenna.

The antenna on most consumer-form routers is awful. An amplified aftermarket antenna is a bully fix and a simple way to improve signal quality (and thus improve speed) without needing a new device. Powered and amplified aftermarket options showtime at around $15 and get all the way up into the low $100s.

Plug-in range extenders are a flake more than expensive, but they act every bit a powered antenna and wireless repeater in i. They tin can offer a pregnant improvement to homes with expressionless zones or signal deposition, only your mileage may vary.

However, be sure to check local wireless broadcast laws earlier picking upwards a beefy antenna. In some jurisdictions, amplifying your Wi-Fi point is illegal (or may be illegal over a certain threshold).

3. Disable Older Wireless Protocols

How practice you optimize router settings for speed? 1 of the first things you can consider is turning off old wireless protocols.

Newer routers on the 802.11ax protocol offer capabilities far exceeding many ISPs' service offerings. While the router might be fast, many of your devices are probably using older protocols—such as 802.11b—which slows the unabridged network down as soon as this device connects. Ideally, yous should remove whatever device you run across using b or 1000 protocols.

The fastest protocols, in gild of fastest to slowest, are ax > ac > north > g > b. Consult your router documentation to observe out how to do this.

4. Change the Channel Width

What about the all-time router settings to improve speed on your local network? For example, how tin can you make a video stream between your devices more than rapidly?

The all-time router configuration for local speed often entails changing the channel width. The wider the width, the more older devices on older protocols will endure from interference.

You tin even take it one step further by reading our commodity on aqueduct bonding for Wi-Fi routers.

5. Keep Your Router Updated

One of the most overlooked ways to maximize router speed is to ensure your router is always running the latest software and firmware from the manufacturer.

Sure, the updates are normally security fixes, just they're non going to all of a sudden make your router blazing fast. However, every incremental gain can help. If y'all've non updated in a while, you might run into more of a boost than you'd expect.

6. Experiment With Router Location

It's not simply well-nigh finding the all-time router settings for fast net. You also need to consider where you're placing your router in your home.

Because the router competes with every other 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz device in your area, subtle movements often make a world of difference. Additionally, the building material of your house might interfere with the wireless signal. For example, solid concrete walls are notoriously hard for a Wi-Fi connection to laissez passer through.

7. Optimize Your Router'south Channel Settings

Permit's take another wait at how to make a router faster past optimizing the settings.

Take you considered changing the router's aqueduct? There are plenty of costless tools that'll browse your local airwaves for the channels with the least interference. They will and so suggest which channel y'all should switch to.

You lot need to alter the channel from within the router'south settings. Once again, you'll find out how to practice this using your device'south documentation or online assist page.

If you desire to know more than, cheque out our article on how to pick the all-time Wi-Fi channel for your router.

8. Switch the Router to a Different Band

A typical home is total of wireless devices. Luckily, with a dual- or tri-band router, you'll accept the capability of separating them to maximize speeds.

In uncomplicated terms, you're opening another lane for network traffic. While a ane-lane road will go you there, two (or three) lanes are better for everyone involved.

If yous have a dual-band router, you lot could assign some to the additional (and typically less crowded) 5GHz ring instead of all your devices competing for space in the 2.4GHz band.

We've written about the all-time dual-band routers you can buy if you'd similar to know more than.

ix. Alter Your Network Proper noun and Password

A lot of otherwise tech-savvy people still employ the default username and countersign on their router. Even intermediate hackers are capable of hacking relatively secure networks with non-default passwords.

Using a strong Wi-Fi password is equally important. While you might do a great job of splitting your devices upward into separate bands, updating your firmware, and switching channels during high traffic periods, it'due south all an do in futility if your neighbors are piggybacking your Wi-Fi and using information technology to torrent movies all mean solar day.

x. Install New Firmware

tomato router firmware

Many routers keep the settings relatively dummy-proof and so that you don't screw anything upwardly. While this is bully for almost users, sometimes you but desire to dive in and hack the settings until you lot're running a router that far exceeds its price tag.

In that location are several open up-source firmware options for some of the virtually popular routers. While not every router is supported, at that place is no shortage of great options. They can help you speed upward a Netgear router, find the best settings for a TP-Link router, and make merely about whatever brand of router run faster.

DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Lycopersicon esculentum brand some of the most popular third-party firmware.

Continue in mind that installing new firmware is non an option if you stick with your Isp's hardware. That'south one of the reasons it's a good idea to supercede your ISP's router with a store-bought one.

Optimize Your Router Settings for Speed

Hopefully, this article has shown you how to maximize your router'south speed and place the best configuration for faster internet.

Some of the steps might sound a piffling complicated, just if yous accept the time to acquire and understand the tweaks that are available to y'all, y'all will increase your router speed in minutes.

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Dan Price (1604 Manufactures Published)

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2022 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, chapter agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. Yous tin can as well notice him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you're going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

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