Need to boost wifi and no idea how

[mookiemoo]

We have sky broadband and get about 35MBS at the computers wired in.



We do have a lot of wifi load.



1. Sky Q with 4 mini boxes

2. Six alexa pods

3. Three TV's linked

4. mihome hub with about 20 switches

5. 30+ smart sockets

6. Smart phones and tablets



I know when I do a net work analyser the list is endless.



The point is, we only get at most 2MPS over wifi - downloading something from catch up or a box set used to take seconds and now takes hours. Its not the main broad band load as whilst it is slow downloading, the speed at the cabled PC's is high.



Is there anything we can do to get more WIF bandwidth?

[WTFH]

When did you last restart your router?

Failing that, if you don't want to restart it, then if it has a WPS refresh button, hit that.

[northernladuk]

What router are you using?

While answering a previous thread I stumbled on a very useful looking tool for mapping wifi strength around the house. Haven't used it yet but it looks like it should be a godsend when trying to identify deadzones etc.

https://www.netspotapp.com/

[WTFH]

+1 for Netspot although when I had PCs my preference was Inssider (there is a "Lite" version which is free)

[Lance]

Disconnect everything except one test laptop/phone. Then run speed tests at various places round the house.
Reboot the router and repeat the tests.
Connect to wired, and repeat the test (not in various places.... duh)

That will tell you a lot more than we can with insufficient information.

[sal]

Disconnect everything except one test laptop/phone. Then run speed tests at various places round the house.
Reboot the router and repeat the tests.
Connect to wired, and repeat the test (not in various places.... duh)

That will tell you a lot more than we can with insufficient information.

^This, Most likely your AP/router is crapping it's pants with 50+ devices to juggle and enormous interference.

Does your router/AP support 5GHz? If so how is the speed there? Most "smart" things like your plugs are likely on the overcrowded 2.4GHz spectrum.

Most SOHO gear will heave issues with such a large number of devices, If you are that deep into "smart" home you will have to invest some in suitable WiFi infrastructure. Ubiquiti offers enterprise grade gear at SOHO budget.

[Hobosapien]

See if you can reduce the reliance on wifi by using homeplug style ethernet over power lines where possible. Particularly if your many 'smart' plugs don't already offer that capability.

Anything not portable is better off hard wired where practical, if the device offers that option.