How Important Is My Wireless Router to My Internet Speed? (2024)

Technically, a router can’t slow your internet connection, but it can reduce the connection speeds between your devices and the modem or ONT. That bottleneck translates to a slow internet experience because the router is a slowpoke middleman between you and the internet.

An overwhelmed router can cause reduced speeds. It’s a tiny computer dedicated to routing network data, after all, so an overload can make the processor grow hot, causing it to work slower than usual.

Overload causes depend on the router and current network use. An old or low-quality router may produce slow speeds. Too many devices may upload and download data simultaneously, causing a network traffic jam. A faulty router causes slow speeds, too.

Another factor to consider is the type of internet port (WAN) a router uses. Pretend you have a 2Gbps internet plan. Your modem or ONT has an internet port outputting speeds up to 2.5Gbps, but your router uses Gigabit Ethernet for internet, so the most speed you can get from it is 1Gbps—half your plan’s speed.

Overall, a router can be your chokepoint, not the internet connection itself. Upgrading to a plan with a higher bandwidth doesn’t help if your router can’t handle your current network load or faster internet speeds. You must reboot, reset, or swap it out for a better model.

First, know your internet plan. You can see exactly what you have by logging into your account through a web browser or mobile app.

Second, know how your router connects to your modem or ONT. As we suggested above, if you have a multi-gig plan and a multi-gig modem or ONT, you won’t see those speeds if your router supports only gigabit wired connections.

If everything checks out, run a wired internet speed test to see if your router is causing speed issues. Here’s how:

Step 1: Connect a computer to the router or gateway using an Ethernet cable.

Step 2: Open a web browser and load our speed test.

Step 3: Select Start Speed Test and record the results.

Step 4: Unplug the computer from the router.

Step 5: Unplug the router from your modem or ONT.

Step 6: Connect the computer to the modem or ONT using an Ethernet cable.

Step 7: Select Start Speed Test and record the results.

Step 8: Compare the results from the two tests (modems and ONTs only).

Step 1: Connect to the router’s 5 GHz or 6 GHz band.

Step 2: Download and install our speed test app (App Store, Google Play).

Step 3: Run the test no further than two feet away from the router. Never test your Wi-Fi connection from 10 feet out or more.

Step 4: Compare the results to your wired test.

If so, consult our guide on how to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi network. Chances are, you need to switch Wi-Fi channels, change the channel width, or disable a few settings—again, many factors can cause slow wireless speeds.

You can also consult our guide on speeding up your internet if your connections are slow.

Older routers, network equipment, and even your aging wireless devices can affect your Wi-Fi speeds.

For example, if you have a plan that supports only 100Mbps, old routers and network equipment likely won’t bottleneck your connections. However, if you have a gigabit plan, but your old router supports only 100Mbps wired, your wireless connection will seem as slow as snails.

Old smartphones, tablets, and other devices can slow you down, too, even if you have the fastest router and internet plan on the planet. Newer devices with budget Wi-Fi radios can also make the internet feel extremely slow.

Technology and how we use it are constantly changing and improving—max Wi-Fi speeds have gone from 300Mbps in 2009 to 9,600Mbps in just ten years. And wired connections have jumped from 10Mbps to 40,000Mbps over the last few decades.

Wi-Fi standards are one primary reason why dated equipment might not perform as well as newer equipment. There are four main Wi-Fi standards to be aware of if you think your router or wireless device is causing slow wireless connections.

This specification was finalized in 2014 and pairs the 2.4 GHz band (Wi-Fi 4) with an additional 5 GHz band for faster speed capabilities. The spec brought beamforming to Wi-Fi, which enables the router to time broadcasts through multiple antennas so Wi-Fi signals converge in specific locations. The Wave 2 variant introduced MU-MIMO technology for sending transmissions to more than one wireless device simultaneously.

Here are three Wi-Fi 5 configurations:

* in megabits per second

† approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance

This specification arrived in 2019 and upgraded both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It can reach max speeds up to a theoretical 9.6Gbps (9,600Mbps) using eight streams (8×8).

The primary goal of Wi-Fi 6 is to better handle network efficiency as opposed to just faster speeds. Many Wi-Fi 6 routers can easily handle dozens of connected devices, making them ideal for smart home devices.

None of this is to say that all routers over a few years old are bad—Wi-Fi 5 routers can still be perfectly serviceable for some homes, and Wi-Fi 6 routers are commonplace in most homes.

But if you’ve upgraded your internet plan or added more devices to your network, an older router may have a harder time juggling the extra work than a newer model.

Are you getting the maximum speeds from your internet plan?

Run our speed test to see how the results compare to what you’re paying for.