What Causes Your WiFi Performance to Deteriorate Over Time?

Your WiFi network can lose strength and slow down over time and there can be many reasons behind it. When you buy a new router and set up your WiFi network, then at the start, everything goes smoothly but as time passes by, you start to notice a fall in the performance of your WiFi network.

Truth be told, there is not always a single culprit behind and a combination of multiple factors can cause your WiFi network to slow down. Here we have discussed some of the most common reasons behind WiFi deterioration so that you can work on these factors to prevent the WiFi network from deteriorating.

Cheap Hardware

Having cheap hardware is a very common reason why your WiFi network’s performance may start to deteriorate over time. The thing with WiFi networks is that you get what you pay and if you are paying for a high-quality, expensive WiFi router, then you will definitely be getting a good deal but if you are opting for a rather cheap or budget-friendly option, then the performance of your WiFi network will start to deteriorate.

Therefore, whenever buying a WiFi router, make sure that you choose a quality WiFi router instead of a cheap one or the one that came for free from your ISP, as a cheap router with poor components won’t stand the test of time and you will need to make an upgrade sooner or later.

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Software Problems

Since WiFi routers have to do a lot of processing, they need quality software like hardware to ensure optimal performance. Just like hardware, having sub-standard software can also be problematic for your WiFi network. Again, it depends on the quality of the WiFi router that you bought. If you buy a cheap consumer WiFi router, then it won’t have good software installed and the performance will start to deteriorate after a while.

A WiFi router with poor software can start to suffer from problems such as memory leaks and becoming less efficient. Over time, this can affect the performance of your WiFi network, causing it to slow down. Make sure that you access the web IP and install good firmware for your router, if possible.

Overheating

Overheating can also cause the performance of your WiFi network to deteriorate over time. If your router is overworking and trying to keep up with the increased demands, then just like any other IT equipment, it is going to heat up. Along with this, if it is contained in a confined space or there is insufficient clearance to provide airflow around the device it can also overheat.

To prevent your router from overheating, stop working, and your WiFi network performance to go down, ensure that it doesn’t overheat and provide a clear airflow around the device.

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Network Congestion

Although it is quite an obvious factor, nonetheless, you should only connect the number of devices to your router that it can easily accommodate. If the number of devices connected to the router is much more than it can accommodate, then obviously, it will lead to network congestion and a fall in the performance of the network. Increasing network congestion leads to increased bandwidth consumption, which will ultimately deteriorate the performance of the network over time.

To prevent network congestion, disconnect unnecessary and unused devices from the network. If devices are not accessible, then visit the device website from your web browser and manually disconnect unused or extra devices.

Poor Quality Cables

Lastly, the degradation of cabling and wire can also impact the performance of your WiFi network over time. If you are relying on old, worn-out cables to feed your entire network an internet connection, then obviously, then your network won’t perform as expected. Just like other electrical equipment, network cables can degrade over time. Instead of cost-cutting and using subpart cables, prefer using specialist cables for the network that are less susceptible to UV damage, extreme weather, and water ingress.

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