How To Get Full Download Speed From My Router
Rosaline Lathrop
I've had slower-than-usual internet-based benchmarks, and I'm having a hard time figuring out if it's because of a bad router-to-PC connection (interference, bad signal, etc.) or if it's indeed because my internet is actually slower.
Use your computer as the server connected via Wifi.Both computers should be on the LAN side of the router.You may connect the computer you are not testing to the router by cable (if faster),to ensure that its performance is not the bottleneck in the test.
The actual router speed is determined by the number of devices on the network, physical interferences that degrade the wireless signal, the distance between the connected device and the router, and more.
Although it's always helpful to get advice from consumer ratings, review scores, and ratings, take them with a grain of salt. People often complain about a device when the device wasn't well-chosen for their circumstances in the first place.
Modern wireless routers work primarily on two radio frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The band you use for your connections can affect your wireless speeds and Wi-Fi signal strength at different distances from your router.
But if you do have adjustable antennas on your router, try reconfiguring them. Router antennas are usually omnidirectional, which means they send out signals in all directions perpendicular to the antenna. For example, a vertical antenna sends out Wi-Fi signals horizontally and vice versa.
The quickest way to disconnect nonessential devices is to change your Wi-Fi passwords and reboot your router. You will then need to log back in to your network with the new password on every device you currently use. This method will purge all unnecessary connections, like the emergency cell phone you keep turned on that still quietly downloads updates.
Wi-Fi is great, but wired connections are faster and more reliable. If you have high-priority devices like a desktop, gaming console, or smart TV, it might be worth your while to plug them in to your router with an Ethernet cable instead of relying on Wi-Fi.
Rebecca Lee Armstrong has more than six years of experience writing about tech and the internet, with a specialty in hands-on testing. She started writing tech product and service reviews while finishing her BFA in creative writing at the University of Evansville and has found her niche writing about home networking, routers, and internet access at HighSpeedInternet.com. Her work has also been featured on Top Ten Reviews, MacSources, Windows Central, Android Central, Best Company, TechnoFAQ, and iMore.
Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she's not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in internet land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.
I tested mine with a tachometer and it agreed with the table, within reason. If you are concerned you can buy your own tachometer. Mine has reflective tape you put on the router nut, and it counts the number of revolutions per minute. Very simple, not very pricey. I think I got it from Amazon.
You need to be connected to your modem in order to send and receive data from the web; your router lets you do that without the need for a wire. It's basically a big, fancy antenna for your modem that lets you connect with it wirelessly, over Wi-Fi. You can also use that local Wi-Fi network to connect with other devices at home, like printers or remote storage servers.
Entry-level Wi-Fi routers average around $100, but you can find some ultra-cheap models for closer to $50. Mesh systems start around $200, and it's not uncommon to see high-performance gaming routers in the $400-$500 range.
It depends on what you need and how many people and devices need to connect, but a small- to medium-sized home or apartment can probably get by with a well-tested dual-band router in the $100 range. If your home is larger, it's probably worth spending more on a mesh system that can spread more consistent speeds from room to room. If you're working from home, gaming online or sharing bandwidth with multiple housemates or family members, upgrading to something like a high-speed tri-band router is probably a good investment too.
The old-fashioned way is to plug the thing in and connect it to your modem via Ethernet cable, then type its IP address into a browser's URL bar to begin the setup. The easier, more modern way is to use the router's app, which will typically walk you through setup in about 5 to 10 minutes. After setup, you can also use either approach to access the router's settings or change your Wi-Fi password.
You can think of your router like a radio -- it sends and receives signals through airwaves. Whereas a radio picks up audio broadcasts in AM or FM airwaves, a Wi-Fi router sends and receives data through 2.4 and 5GHz airwaves (as well as 6GHz airwaves if it's a fancy Wi-Fi 6E router).
Nearly all routers include separate radios for those bands, which lets you connect to whichever band is best. Some routers will automatically steer your connection between the multiple bands available, but you can usually turn that off as well, making each band its own, separate Wi-Fi network. The 2.4GHz band offers a better range than higher bands, but speeds are limited. With 5GHz (or 6GHz), you'll be able to hit much faster speeds, but those speeds will drop off at range faster than you'll see with 2.4GHz.
In general, the 5GHz band is going to be your best bet for a reliable, high-speed connection at close and medium range, while the 2.4GHz band is great for devices at the far reaches of your Wi-Fi network, where the improved range is worth the speed trade-off.
In most cases, you won't need to worry about updating your router more than once every five years or so, if not longer. That said, there are a few things to watch for that might give you good reason to consider something new.
First, you should know that the Wi-Fi standard gets a generational update once every several years. The latest of which, Wi-Fi 6, ushered in faster top speeds and better efficiency for crowded networks with lots of devices. The next big update, Wi-Fi 7, is expected to arrive in 2024, and it stands to offer even faster top speeds and better use of the 6GHz band once it becomes a fully ratified standard. You shouldn't feel compelled to upgrade to a new generation as soon as it arrives, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on if you're looking for top-tier Wi-Fi performance.
More important is to make sure that your router is still receiving regular firmware updates against the latest security threats. If it isn't, then it might make sense to go ahead and upgrade. I'd also look for something new if my router didn't support WPA3, the most recent Wi-Fi security protocol.
If you're thinking of upgrading because your home's internet speeds aren't satisfying, try testing those speeds out across different distances (and remember that you can connect only as fast as your ISP plan allows). If speeds seem fine when you're close to the router, but they plummet when you're a few rooms away, then upgrading to a router with stronger radios or a mesh router with multiple devices, could be a worthwhile investment.
The fastest Wi-Fi router in CNET's testing was the Linksys Hydra Pro 6, which retails for less than $200. On a 940Mbps fiber internet connection, it delivered average download speeds of 536Mbps and upload speeds of 467Mbps across our testing facility.
Mesh routers use multiple devices to relay a better Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, with fewer dead zones. It's definitely the right approach if you live in a large, multi-story home or if there are multiple spots in your home where you can't connect as reliably as you'd like.
Expect regular updates to this post as we continue testing networking devices periodically. When we find a new router that merits strong consideration, we'll add it to this list with links to our most recent test data so that you can always find the best router.
Available for $75 (or less if you catch a sale), the TP-Link Archer AX21 is an entry-level, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that supports top speeds of up to 1,201Mbps (1.2Gbps) on its 5GHz band. It's nothing fancy, but it offered near flawless performance for small- to medium-size homes in our tests, and it's a cinch to set up and use, thanks to TP-Link's Tether app.
If you've already got a budget router running your network and you're ready to upgrade to something more powerful, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6 belongs high on your list. With a dual-band, AX5400 build, full support for Wi-Fi 6, and 160MHz channel support for moving data more efficiently, it was an excellent performer in my speed tests, even managing to outperform flashier picks like the also-great Asus RT-AX86U.
For the best performance from your mesh router, you'll want to prioritize getting one with support for Wi-Fi 6, plus a tri-band design that includes three separate bands of traffic: the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands, plus an additional 5GHz band that the system can use as a dedicated wireless backhaul for transmissions between the router and its satellites. Most mesh routers like that cost at least $300 or even $400, but the TP-Link Deco W7200 gets you there for around $200.
Gaming routers promise high performance and low latency for die-hard gamers, and it isn't uncommon to find them selling for as much as $400. At $300, the Asus RT-AX86U dual-band router isn't inexpensive either, but it's a strong value relative to routers like those -- and the performance it delivers as a gaming router is exceptional.
It isn't as fully featured as systems that cost more, and it doesn't support Wi-Fi 6, but aside from that, the budget-friendly, AC1200 version of the Netgear Orbi mesh router stands out as a clear value pick in the mesh category. Currently priced below $200 for a three-device setup with the Wi-Fi router and two satellite extenders, it's an affordable system that managed to keep up with both Nest Wifi and the Wi-Fi 5 version of Amazon's Eero mesh router in our speed tests, and it'd be a great fit in homes with internet speeds of 300Mbps or less.
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