Are you tired of slow Wi-Fi speeds and poor connectivity? Are you constantly battling with buffering videos and lagging online games? Changing the channel on your router can significantly improve your network performance.
With multiple devices connecting to the internet simultaneously, it’s easy for the default channel on your Wi-Fi router to become overcrowded, resulting in slow speeds and poor connectivity. But fear not, my friend! You can easily choose different channels.
Any router with any firmware provides this capability. It can be a simple solution that stabilizes your network. All you need to know is how to access your router’s admin web interface. Additionally, you will need software to check which channel in the network is less busy.
But first, it’s worth discovering how changing the router’s channel can help. So let’s get started!
How does changing the router’s channel improve network performance?
Long story short, changing the router channel can help improve Wi-Fi network performance by reducing interference from other wireless networks in the area.
Wi-Fi networks operate on specific frequency bands, and only a limited number of channels are available for use within these bands. When multiple Wi-Fi networks in the same area use the same channel, they can cause interference, leading to slower speeds, dropped connections, and poor performance.
By changing your router’s channel to less congested, you can reduce interference and improve network performance. This is because a less crowded channel has fewer networks competing for bandwidth.
Not all Wi-Fi channels are equal, and the best channel for your network may vary depending on your location and the number of other networks in the area. A Wi-Fi scanner app can help you determine the optimal channel for your network and ensure you get the best possible performance from your Wi-Fi network.
How to know which channel is less busy
There is a unique solution for this – a Wi-Fi scanner. It scans all the channels in your area and shows you which ones are being used the most and which ones are the least congested. By analyzing each channel’s signal strength and noise levels, the app can recommend the best one for your network.
Some popular Wi-Fi scanner apps are Wi-Fi Scanner and NetSpot. Remember that these apps will only work on devices with built-in Wi-Fi modules.
Once you have downloaded and opened the app, you will see a list of all the Wi-Fi networks in your area and the channels they are using. Look for the channels that have the least number of networks using them. These channels will have minor interference and are ideal for your network.
It’s important to note that the optimal channel may change over time as other networks in your area may change channels or add new networks. Therefore, it’s recommended to periodically check and adjust your router’s channel to ensure optimal performance.
How to use Wi-Fi Scanner
Let’s look at how this works in Wi-Fi Scanner as an example. It’s free for personal use. You only need to get a free license key. So first, download and install it on your computer. Then follow these steps:
- Launch Wi-Fi Scanner.
- After that, the app should automatically start scanning all nearby networks your device detects.
- Look at the Channel column. You should see the channel number of each network.
- Scroll through the entire list and find the channel that occurs the least frequently.
Now you know what channel number you need. You can also use a channel that is not on the Wi-Fi Scanner list at all. This would be ideal for you.
How to change the Wi-Fi channel
Once you have identified the best channel for your network, you need to access the router settings. You should connect to the router’s web interface to do this. I will show you this using my TP-Link router as an example.
So follow these steps:
- Open your web browser and type in the router’s IP address. The IP address can usually be found on a sticker on the bottom of the router or in the user manual.
- Then you will be prompted to enter the router’s username and password. This information can also be found in the user manual.
- Once logged in to the router’s web interface, navigate to the Wireless Settings.
- After that, scroll down and find the Channel option.
- Select the channel you identified as the best for your network and save the changes.
It is also a good idea to reboot your router. Note that steps may vary depending on the firmware of your router.
After changing the channel, you should notice an improvement in your Wi-Fi network’s performance. You can use the same Wi-Fi scanner app to check if the new channel is less congested. Try a different channel if you are still experiencing slow speeds or poor connectivity.
