Improve Your Wi-Fi Speeds

Follow these tips to improve your wireless internet speeds and get a better connection. Learn how to optimize your router and mesh extender placement, check your devices, and troubleshoot issues.

While a wired Ethernet connection always delivers the absolute fastest and most stable speeds, you can significantly boost your wireless performance by optimizing your home environment and hardware. Use this guide to maximize your Wi-Fi signal, place your equipment perfectly, and troubleshoot slowdowns.

Manage Your Network in the App

You can monitor your network, run speed tests, and restart your router directly from your phone:

GFiber Equipment: Use the GFiber App.
Google Wifi / Nest Wifi Pro: Use the Google Home app.

Using an older Network Box? You might be eligible for a free upgrade to a Nest Wifi Pro Router. Check the Router Upgrade section in your account profile.

Golden Rules for Router Placement

Wi-Fi signals travel outward in all directions like a lightbulb. Where you place your router directly dictates your internet speed and coverage.

Stay Central: Position your router near the center of your home to ensure maximum coverage across all rooms.
Get it Off the Floor: Elevate your router on a table or shelf. Avoid placing it on the ground.
Keep it in the Open: Never hide your router inside a closet, cabinet, drawer, or behind a TV.
Clear the Line of Sight: Your connection will always be fastest when your device has a direct, unobstructed line of sight to the router.

Overcoming Wi-Fi Obstacles

Wi-Fi networks use radio signals that degrade when passing through physical objects. Keep the top, sides, and front of your router completely clear of these signal-blocking materials:

Signal Interference Level	Material Type	Impact on Wi-Fi
Severe Blockage	Concrete, Cinder Blocks, Brick, Metal	Heavily reflects or absorbs radio waves, causing dead zones.
Moderate Blockage	Drywall, Wood, Thick Glass, Large Mirrors	Weakens the signal strength as it passes through walls.
Electronic Interference	Microwaves, Baby Monitors, Bluetooth devices	Disrupts the airwaves by competing on similar radio frequencies.

Optimizing Your Mesh Extender

Most average-sized homes do not need a Mesh Extender. However, if you have a large home or Wi-Fi dead spots, proper placement of your Mesh Extender is critical.

The Halfway Rule: Place your Mesh Extender halfway between your main router and the area where your Wi-Fi coverage is dropping.
The "Strong Signal" Trap: If you place the extender too far away from the router, it will broadcast a strong signal to your phone, but the data it receives from the router will be slow.
Less is More: Using too many extenders causes network confusion and actually lowers your overall internet speeds. Only add an extra extender if you have a verified dead zone.

Check Your Device's Age and Capability

Your internet is only as fast as the device receiving it. Even the fastest router cannot force a legacy device to go faster than its internal hardware allows.

Wi-Fi 7 (The Newest Standard): Included with GFiber Multi-Gig plans (Home 3 Gig and Edge 8 Gig). Wi-Fi 7 introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO), allowing the router and your devices to talk over multiple wireless bands at the exact same time.
- Requirement: To see multi-gigabit wireless speeds (up to 3.4 Gbps over the air), you must use the GFiber Wi-Fi 7 Router paired with a newer, Wi-Fi 7 compatible device (typically smartphones and laptops manufactured in 2025 or later).
Wi-Fi 6E (The High-Speed Standard): Included with the GFiber 1 Gig plan. It utilizes a dedicated 6 GHz band to bypass neighbor network interference.
- Requirement: Requires a GFiber Wi-Fi 6E Router and a Wi-Fi 6E capable device to access the clear 6 GHz lane.
Older Wireless Standards (Wi-Fi 5 / Wi-Fi 6): Older computers, legacy smart home gadgets, and aging phones rely on older standards. They will connect to your new GFiber router just fine, but they will max out at much lower speeds regardless of how close you are to the router.