Your fibre line is paid up, the lights on the router are on, but the internet still feels like it’s crawling. Before you spend an afternoon on hold with your internet provider, it’s worth taking a look at the small box that everything else depends on: your Wi-Fi router.
Routers don’t last forever. They run 24 hours a day, often tucked away in a warm cupboard, and in South Africa many of them have had to survive years of load-shedding and power surges. Here are five signs yours might be on its way out, and what you can do about it.
1. Your connection keeps dropping
If your phone or laptop keeps disconnecting from the Wi-Fi and reconnecting a minute later, or video calls freeze for no obvious reason, the router may be struggling. The odd drop can happen on any network, but if it’s happening every day, on every device, the router is a likely suspect.
2. It’s slow, even though your fibre line is fine
Here’s a quick test. Plug a laptop straight into the router with a network cable and run a speed test. Then run the same test over Wi-Fi, in the same room. If the cabled speed is close to what you pay for but the Wi-Fi speed is much lower, the problem is probably the router’s Wi-Fi rather than your fibre line. Older routers often simply can’t keep up with faster fibre packages.
3. You have to restart it all the time
Switching a router off and on again is a classic fix, and it does help now and then. But if you’re restarting it every few days just to get things working, something isn’t right. A router that feels hot to the touch, or that starts misbehaving after the power comes back on, may have worn-out parts or damage from a power surge. Load-shedding and surges are hard on electronics, and routers are no exception.
4. It’s too old for the devices you use now
Wi-Fi has moved on. Newer phones and laptops support Wi-Fi 6 and later, which cope far better when lots of devices are online at once. If your router is several years old, it may only support older standards, which means slower speeds and more congestion when the whole household or office is connected. Older routers may also stop getting security updates from the manufacturer, which leaves your network more exposed. Looking up the model number on the label will tell you which Wi-Fi standard your router supports.
5. Some rooms just don’t get a signal
Dead spots aren’t always the router’s fault. Thick walls, long passages and double-storey homes all weaken Wi-Fi. But an ageing router with a weak signal makes things worse. Sometimes the answer is a better router in a better spot; sometimes it’s adding an extender or a mesh Wi-Fi system to reach the far end of the house or office.
Look after your router (and everything else)
- Plug the router and your fibre box into a surge protector, so a spike when the power comes back doesn’t take them out.
- Think about a small UPS or a battery backup made for routers, so your internet stays on during load-shedding.
- Keep the router somewhere cool, open and central, not in a closed cupboard or behind the TV.
- Change the default Wi-Fi password and the router’s admin password, and install updates when they’re available.
Repair, reset or replace?
If your router ticks two or more of these boxes, it’s worth having it checked. Sometimes a settings change or a better position is all it needs. If your router came from your internet provider, check with them first, as they may be able to swap it. And if it does need replacing, the right router will depend on the size of your home or office, how many devices you have and how you use the internet.
Not sure whether it’s the router, the fibre line or something else? Get in touch and tell us what’s happening. We’ll help you work out the cause and the most sensible fix, without the jargon.
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