Wi-Fi questions, answered in plain English

Wi-Fi signal weakens through walls, floors and furniture. If it works well near the router but badly elsewhere, the router is probably too far away or blocked. A mesh system, a Wi-Fi extender, or moving the router to a more central spot can help.

Not always. If your router is more than five years old, handles many devices, or only supports an older Wi-Fi standard, it may be the bottleneck. Try our free checks first — then you'll know if it's the router, the line, or where the router is placed.

Broadband speed is what comes into your home through the wall. Wi-Fi speed is what reaches your phone, laptop or TV. You can have fast broadband but slow Wi-Fi if the router is old, badly placed, or crowded by neighbours' networks.

Evening dropouts usually happen when lots of people nearby are online at once. If it drops at the same time every day, it could also be a neighbour's device, an automatic backup, or a household habit like a baby monitor switching on.

Public Wi-Fi in cafés, hotels and stations is handy, but it is not always secure. Avoid logging into bank accounts or entering passwords unless you use a secure network or your mobile data. At home, make sure your router password is strong and Wi-Fi security is set to WPA2 or WPA3.

Yes. Our speed test checks the speed reaching your device. For the best result, stand near the router, close other apps, and run it a few times during the day.

A heatmap is a simple picture of your home showing where the Wi-Fi is strong and where it is weak. It helps you decide if you need to move the router, add a mesh point, or ask your provider for better equipment.

Provider routers are usually fine for average use and are supported by the provider. If you have a large home, many devices, or specific needs, a better router or mesh system can improve things — but you may have to set it up and support it yourself.

A 'fine' line only means the broadband coming into the house is okay. The Wi-Fi inside the house is separate. If the line is fine but devices are slow, the problem is usually the router, its position, or interference.

Use our Get help page. You can speak, type or send a photo or video of the problem. We'll turn it into plain-English steps and, if you want, a message you can share with your provider or a family member.