Improve your Wi-Fi speeds

Experiencing slow Wi-Fi? Here are some tips on how to boost your GFiber Wi-Fi connection.
If you have a Google Wifi or Nest Wifi Pro router, you can also use the Google Home app to manage your Wi-Fi settings.
Most Network Box customers are eligible to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 Router. To learn more, please visit the Router upgrade for Network Box customers article.

Your Wi-Fi speed depends on several factors, such as the age of your computer or other device, its distance from your router, and the number of devices connected at once.

Although GFiber allows you to get superfast network speeds, there are some important steps you can take to ensure you're getting the best Wi-Fi speeds possible.

An illustration showing a Nest Wifi Pro router and a smartphone, with arrows in between the two to show a close proximity.

Stay within range of your Network Box or router. The closer you are, the better your Wi-Fi signal.

In general, position your router near the center of your home for maximum coverage. Keep your router off the floor and out of closets and cabinets. Staying within 100 feet of your router will increase your Wi-Fi speed.

An illustration showing a brick wall separating a Nest Wifi Pro router from a smartphone

Ensure that walls or other solid objects aren't blocking your Wi-Fi signal.

Wi-Fi networks use a radio signal that can be blocked or weakened by any number of construction materials: cinder block, concrete, metal and even wood and drywall. Be sure to keep the top, sides and front of your router clear of walls and obstacles. The Wi-Fi signal is emitted from all directions of the router, so make sure the box is out in the open, not inside a cabinet or drawer.

An illustration of three devices that might interfere with a Wi-Fi signal: a microwave, a cordless phone, and a baby monitor.

Avoid interference from other Wi-Fi enabled devices like microwave ovens and cordless phones.

Another important factor is that your Wi-Fi device might be using the same radio frequency as other items in your home. Your Wi-Fi connection can run into interference from signals being sent by microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, garage door openers and other devices.

The "Use a unique SSID per band" tile in the GFiber portal. The 2.4 GHz network has the name "Asparagus2g," and the 5 GHz network has the name "Asparagus2g-5."

Connect to your network's 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency rather than 2.4 GHz.

If you experience interference, consider connecting to your network's 5 GHz signal to improve performance. Signals from neighboring devices can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Typically this only occurs on the 2.4 GHz signal because other types of devices -- for example, microwaves and baby monitors -- also use the 2.4 GHz signal.

An illustration of a 90s-era beige computer, with a green terminal cursor on the screen. The computer has a mouse and keyboard.

Check the age of your device.

In most cases, newer wireless devices (computers, phones or tablets) use standards that enable faster Wi-Fi speeds. You'll get the fastest speeds -- up to 800 Mbps over WiFi -- with a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router and mesh extender.

The "security protocol" tile in the GFiber customer portal. The option "WPA2" is selected in the dropdown menu.

Avoid WEP security.

If you’ve used advanced settings to enable WEP security on your network, your maximum network speed will be reduced. To get the fastest speeds with network security, use the WPA2 security setting.

Remember, you won't achieve maximum possible Internet speeds by connecting your computer wirelessly. Check the Maximum Internet speeds on Google Fiber article to learn more about Wi-Fi and wired connection speeds. If after you've run a Google Fiber speed test and you're still experiencing slow Wi-Fi speeds, please use our Wi-Fi troubleshooter to resolve the problem.

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