HD video stutters, red-packet grabs arrive late, games lag—blame the link, not the luck. Use the checklist below; most fixes are free and faster than calling the ISP.

1. Make the Pipe Match the Promise  

– Run an online speed test on a wired PC. If the number is <80 % of the plan you pay for, keep reading.  

– Gigabit chain rule: every hop from the street to your device must be gigabit-rated.  

  – Router: look for “1000 Mbps” or “1 Gbps” WAN+LAN ports.  

  – Cable: use at least Cat 5e (Cat 6 is better for new runs).  

  – Optical modem: if it’s only 100 Mbps, ring the provider for a swap.

2. Kill the Dead Zone  

– One router can’t hide from masonry. Add a $20 Wi-Fi 6 extender or an old router in repeater mode halfway to the weak room.  

– Place the main box high, central, and in the open—never on the floor, inside a cabinet, or behind the TV.

3. Reboot & Refresh  

– Power-cycle the router once a month; it flushes cached garbage and renegotiates the cleanest channel.  

– While it’s off, do the same with the phone/tablet—toggle airplane mode for 15 s or simply restart.

4. Pick a Quiet Channel  

Install “WiFi Analyzer” (Android/iOS). If neighbours crowd channel 6, move to 1 or 11 on 2.4 GHz; on 5 GHz choose any channel that shows <20 % utilisation. One setting, instant peace.

5. Strip the Load  

– Kick off bandwidth hogs: pause cloud backups or torrents while you game.  

– Use guest network for visitors so their phones can’t sniff your shared folders or choke your console.

Do the five, then test again. Most users see a 30–100 % jump without spending more than the price of a new cable.