Changing WiFi channels can help you enjoy faster network speeds

In our daily life, when we connect our computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices to Wi-Fi, we often encounter slow Internet speed. In fact, slow Internet speed is often not caused by poor network quality. You might as well check the Wi-Fi channel connected to your mobile phone and computer - you may be squeezed into the same network channel with others.

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Slow Internet speed is often caused by you and others using the same network channel

Using a crowded channel, or a channel that is not fully supported by the device being used can be the difference between enjoying high-speed internet speeds and working at a snail's pace. While there are many reasons why a slow connection may occur, including the fact that the router you are using is substandard, there are a lot of obstacles between the router and the device trying to connect, and one of the less investigated reasons is that the channel is not up to par. This problem usually occurs when automatically connecting a device to the internet instead of manually setting it up, as the router will determine which channel to use based on the channel it is set to use.

For example, if someone in your home sets up their router to use a common channel, you might find that everyone on your street uses the same channel. Likewise, if someone in your office sets up their router to use a newer standard, you might find that an older laptop doesn't support that particular channel.

These two reasons mean you may be experiencing slower Wi-Fi speeds than you expect. There's no need to pick up the phone and call a repair person. You can try a self-fix by changing the channel on your router to one with fewer connections or to one that's more supported.

Guesswork is never the right way to go about this, and it might be better to opt for a tool that can help determine the best channel, such as MeteGeek’s inSIDDer. With three versions to choose from, it’s a great option if you want to see which channel other nearby devices are using, while WiFi Analyzer might be better suited for Android users.

The Mac operating system has its own discoverable tool built into Wireless Diagnostics in Sierra, Mavericks, Yosemite, and El Capitan. To find the tool options, hold down the Option (alt) key while clicking on the wireless icon in the menu bar. This will open a semi-secret menu. Near the top, there is an option called "Open Wireless Diagnostics." Once it's open, you can click the "Scan Now" button in the Scan window. This will then find all available networks and the channels they operate on. The summary box on the left shows the user which channel is best for 2.4GHz networks and 5GHz networks.

Change network channel

Once you've discovered which channels work best, the next step is to change them on your router. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of wireless routers, so we can't list how to change the Wi-Fi channel on every one of them. But we can list some general principles.

First, most routers are managed through a web-based interface. Most router IP addresses tend to be 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, but other router IP addresses exist. The router default address can also be found in its documentation, or on the bottom of the router itself. When you type the router IP address into your browser, you will be asked for an administrator username and password, again these can be found on the router itself or in the documentation. Once you are on the administrator web page, look for Wi-Fi settings, and within the Wi-Fi settings page, you should be able to find the current channel number. Change this to a better channel number as suggested by the previous investigation, and then click OK or Apply to make this change.

Maybe you are currently using an Internet life with lags when watching videos and playing games. The author also hopes that you who read this article might as well try the above method and enjoy the highest quality Internet service without changing routers, mobile phones or networks.