Did you know that your smartphone also has a Wi-Fi chip? Many people don’t, because it’s not something that manufacturers tend to advertise. However, this little chip is what enables all those nifty features in your phone that make it so much more than just a telephone. There are many benefits to having Wi-Fi on your phone; for example, you can reduce data usage and stream music or videos over an internet connection with less of an impact on your data plan. There are numerous potential reasons why the Wi-Fi on your phone is slow and difficult to connect to networks. Before diving into individual fixes, let’s take a look at some general issues that may be affecting the performance of your device’s Wi-Fi capabilities.
Read more: Wi-Fi Slow On Phone Only: 7 Main Reasons Behind It
Network Congestion
If you’re logged on to a public Wi-Fi network, it can sometimes happen that there’s too much demand for that network. When this happens, most public networks will put everyone on a “waiting list,” and then will allow them to connect to the network in order of who has been waiting longest. When the network is at capacity, your phone will struggle to connect to it even if the signal is decent. When you’re at home, there’s usually no issue with network congestion because you’re connected directly to your modem. However, network congestion can sometimes happen when multiple devices are connected to the same network. If you notice that your Wi-Fi is slow, you may want to check out your other devices to see if they are connected. You may have to disconnect one device or a group of devices in order to free up bandwidth for your phone.
Wi-Fi Frequency Issues
Your smartphone and router may support different Wi-Fi frequencies, which can cause connection issues between the two devices. Most modern routers and computers support 2.4 or 5 GHz frequencies, but the hardware on your smartphone may not support the same one that your router does. If your router is set to 2.4 GHz and your phone is only able to connect to the 5 GHz band, then you’ll need to switch the router to a frequency that matches your phone. Alternatively, you can manually connect your phone to the less-common 2.4 GHz frequency. You can usually find the frequency your device supports in the device’s settings menu or online in the device’s manual. To manually connect your phone to the less-common 2.4 GHz frequency, you’ll need to disable Wi-Fi on your device, then flip your router’s Wi-Fi switch to “Off.” Once both devices are powered off, press the “WPS” button on your router and then press “WPS” on your phone.
Network Encryption Problems
Most routers have the option of using one of several different encryption types when connecting to a network. If your router’s encryption setting is incorrect or incompatible with your phone, it can cause connection issues. When you connect to a network, you should see information about its encryption type. If the network uses WEP, WPA, or WPA2 encryption, you should be able to connect by manually entering the network key. If the network uses an unsupported encryption type, you won’t be able to connect.
Software Confliction
Another potential issue with your phone’s Wi-Fi connection is software conflict. When you turn on your phone’s Wi-Fi, it will automatically try to connect to the first network it finds. This can sometimes cause your phone to connect to a nearby wireless network even when you’re intending to connect to your own network. When this happens, you’ll have difficulty connecting to your network. The best way to fix this problem is to try connecting to your network again by turning off your device’s Wi-Fi and then turning it back on again. If you still can’t connect, there’s a chance that you’re connecting to another network that is producing Wi-Fi interference. The best way to fix this problem is to move to a different location.
Poor Signal Strength
Your phone’s Wi-Fi signal strength is measured in decibels. If your phone is receiving a weak signal, it will transfer data slowly and will have difficulty connecting to networks. To test the strength of your phone’s Wi-Fi signal, start a Wi-Fi connection and then open a web browser. If you see “No Internet” at the top of the browser window, it means that you’re not currently connected to a network. In order to see which Wi-Fi networks are available, click the Wi-Fi icon in the top-right corner of your browser window. The browser will then display all nearby Wi-Fi networks and their signal strengths.
Wi-Fi is Still In Constant Beta
Wi-Fi is not a mature technology. It’s actually in continuous development and beta testing. As such, it can occasionally produce unreliable or inconsistent results. There are many factors that affect the performance and reliability of your phone’s Wi-Fi connection. And when you combine these factors, it can be difficult to know exactly what is causing your slow Wi-Fi. For example, your phone might be connecting to 5 GHz networks instead of 2.4 GHz networks because it is unable to detect the signal strength of nearby 2.4 GHz networks. Alternatively, the signal strength of nearby 2.4 GHz networks may be sufficient, but your phone may be connecting to the wrong network because of software conflict.
Conclusion
Your phone’s Wi-Fi chip can be affected by the same issues that affect computers. If you’ve ruled out the above issues, there are a few other things you can try. First, you should check to see if your phone has been updated to the latest version of the operating system. Newer operating systems may have improved Wi-Fi functionality. Next, you should check to make sure that your phone’s antennas are not blocked or covered up by anything. Many smartphones have removable antennas, so you may want to remove the back panel and check to see if any antennas are squished or obstructed by something. Lastly, you can try rebooting your phone, router, and modem. This will reset all devices and may solve any issues that have been caused by a software conflict or other technical issue.
