Home WiFi Not Working? A Brisbane IT Pro's Troubleshooting Guide
By Jamie Hamilton · Published
WiFi problems are miserable, particularly when you are working from home and the video call is the meeting. Before ringing your provider, there is one test worth doing, because it decides which half of the problem you have and most people skip it.
First, is it your internet or your WiFi?
These are two different things that feel identical from the couch, and the fix for one is nothing like the fix for the other.
Plug a computer into the router with an ethernet cable and try it. If the internet works over the cable but not over WiFi, the problem is inside your house and the rest of this article applies. If it does not work over the cable either, the problem is your connection or your provider, and no amount of moving the router will help.
No cable or no ethernet port? Stand next to the router with your phone and try. If it works beside the router and not in the back bedroom, that is a coverage problem rather than a connection problem, which is the same conclusion.
Step 1: Restart the router properly
It genuinely works a good part of the time, and there is a right way to do it. Unplug the router from power rather than using a reset button, wait thirty seconds so the internal state clears, then plug it back in and give it two or three minutes.
The distinction that matters: a reset button often restores factory settings, which wipes your WiFi name and password and turns a five minute annoyance into an evening. Pull the plug instead.
Step 2: Check which band you are on
This is the one most guides leave out and it explains more household WiFi complaints than anything else.
Your router broadcasts on two frequencies. The 2.4GHz band travels further and passes through walls better, but it is slower and it is crowded. The 5GHz band is much faster and barely penetrates a brick wall. Many routers present both under one name and decide for you, and they frequently decide badly, leaving a device clinging to a weak 5GHz signal from two rooms away when it would be better off on 2.4GHz.
If your speed is fine in one room and hopeless in another, this is usually why. Some routers let you split the two into separate network names, which lets you choose deliberately: the 5GHz one for the desk and the television, the 2.4GHz one for the far end of the house and anything that only needs to send a little data.
Step 3: Move the router
WiFi is weakened by distance, walls, floors, metal and water. Brick internal walls, which are common in older Queensland houses, are among the worst.
The router wants to be central, off the floor, out in the open, and away from other electronics. The three worst places are inside a cabinet, on the floor behind the television, and in the corner of the house where the cable happens to enter, which is where almost every router in Australia lives, because that is where the technician found the socket.
Moving it can mean paying for an outlet to be relocated. Before doing that, test the theory by temporarily running a long ethernet cable to the new position and seeing whether it actually helps.
Step 4: Check for channel congestion
In a suburb with houses close together your network competes with dozens of neighbouring ones, and on 2.4GHz there are only three channels that do not overlap. If everyone is on the default, everyone is slower.
Most modern routers pick a channel automatically, and most of them only pick once. A free WiFi analyser app on your phone will show what your neighbours are using so you can choose a quieter one manually. It matters much more on 2.4GHz than on 5GHz, which has far more room.
Step 5: Update the router firmware
Log into the router's admin page, usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, and look for a firmware update. Outdated firmware causes stability problems and, more importantly, leaves known security holes open on the device that every other device in your house connects through.
While you are in there, change the admin password if it is still the one printed on the sticker.
Step 6: Consider mesh, but only after the above
If the house is large, long, or has thick internal walls, one router may genuinely not be enough, and a mesh system using several units will cover it properly.
Do this last rather than first. Mesh solves coverage, and it will not help if the actual problem is your connection, an overloaded channel, or a router in a cupboard. Buying hardware to fix a placement problem is the most common expensive mistake in this list.
If you do go mesh, connecting the units back to the main one by ethernet where possible is considerably better than letting them relay wirelessly, because a wireless relay spends half its capacity talking to the other units.
When it needs somebody in the room
Some problems will not yield to a checklist: interference from a specific appliance that only appears at certain times, a router that is failing intermittently, wiring inside the walls, or a fault on the provider's side that needs escalating with evidence rather than a phone call.
The signs are a problem that comes and goes on a pattern, one that affects only certain devices, or one you have already thrown a mesh system at without improvement.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if it is my internet or my WiFi?
Plug a computer into the router with an ethernet cable. If the internet works over the cable but not over WiFi, the problem is inside your house and is a WiFi problem. If it does not work over the cable either, it is your connection or your provider. Without a cable, try your phone standing next to the router: working there but not in a back room is a coverage problem, which is the same conclusion.
Should I use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi band?
5GHz is much faster but barely passes through walls, so it suits the desk, the television and anything near the router. 2.4GHz is slower and more crowded but travels further and penetrates better, so it suits the far end of the house. Many routers present both under one name and choose for you, often badly, leaving a device clinging to a weak 5GHz signal when it would be faster on 2.4GHz.
Where should I put my WiFi router?
Central, off the floor, out in the open, and away from other electronics. The three worst positions are inside a cabinet, on the floor behind the television, and in the corner of the house where the cable enters, which is where most routers end up because that is where the socket is. Test a new position with a long ethernet cable before paying to have an outlet moved.
Will a mesh WiFi system fix my problems?
It fixes coverage, so it helps if the house is large or has thick internal walls and the signal simply does not reach. It will not help if the real problem is your internet connection, a congested channel, or a router sitting in a cupboard. Buying hardware to solve a placement problem is the most common expensive mistake here, so do the free steps first.
How often should I restart my router?
There is no schedule worth keeping, but restarting is a reasonable first move when something is wrong. Unplug it from power, wait thirty seconds, and plug it back in. Avoid the reset button, which on many routers restores factory settings and wipes your network name and password, turning a five minute annoyance into an evening of reconnecting everything in the house.
Why is my WiFi fast in one room and slow in another?
Almost always distance and walls, made worse if your devices are being held on the 5GHz band, which is fast and does not travel. Brick internal walls, common in older Queensland houses, are among the worst obstacles. Try the far room on the 2.4GHz band if you can select it, and if the router is in a corner or a cabinet, move it before spending money on anything.