Home Wi-Fi: setting up your router and fixing a slow connection

In a shared flat the Wi-Fi is often the first thing that breaks and the last thing anyone knows how to fix. Ten minutes of setup and a calm troubleshooting routine will make you the person who can sort it out.

Setting up a new router safely

• Log in to the router's admin page (the address and default login are usually printed on a label on the router) and change both the admin password and the Wi-Fi password from the defaults (FTC).
• Choose WPA3 Personal or WPA2 Personal encryption; if the router only offers WPA or WEP, update its software or ask for a replacement (FTC).
• Rename the network to something that does not reveal your name, flat number or router brand (FTC).
• Turn off remote management, WPS and UPnP if you do not need them, because these convenience features can weaken security (FTC).
• Keep the router's firmware updated: check whether your provider pushes updates automatically or find them on the manufacturer's site (FTC, NCSC).
• Log out of the admin page when you finish so nobody else can change settings from your device (FTC).

Guests and flatmates

• Set up a guest network with its own name and password for visitors, so fewer people know the main password (FTC).
• Share the main Wi-Fi password only with people who live in the flat, and change it when someone moves out.
• Agree as a flat who holds the admin login; write it in your shared house notes, not on the router itself.
• In the UK, a law that came into force on 29 April 2024 stops manufacturers selling smart devices with universal default passwords, but older equipment may still have them, so always check (NCSC).

Where to put the router

• Place it in a central, open spot, raised off the floor (the Worcestershire guide suggests at least 1 to 1.5 feet up) and close to where you use your devices most.
• Keep it out of cupboards and away from behind furniture, outside walls, heat sources and direct sunlight (Worcestershire; Ooredoo).
• Keep it away from large electronics such as TVs, speakers and games consoles, at least 1 metre from big mirrors, and away from fish tanks (Worcestershire; Ooredoo).
• If your provider installed it, ask them before moving it; Ooredoo advises keeping it where the technician placed it unless you follow its placement tips.

The restart routine (power cycling)

• Step 1: switch the router off and unplug it at the wall.
• Step 2: wait. Ooredoo says at least 60 seconds; the Worcestershire guide says two minutes or more. Waiting two minutes covers both.
• Step 3: plug it back in, switch on and wait for the lights to settle while it completes its start-up checks.
• Step 4: restart the device that is struggling (laptop or phone) as well.
• The Worcestershire guide suggests restarting the router about once a month but not switching it off every night, because updates are often scheduled overnight.

Is it the Wi-Fi or the provider?

• Connect a laptop to the router with an Ethernet cable, close other apps and run a speed test (Worcestershire).
• If the speed is poor even on the cable, the problem is probably your provider's line; if it is fine on the cable but poor elsewhere, the problem is your home Wi-Fi setup.
• Test at different times of day; evening slowdowns may be network congestion.
• Check whether a flatmate is downloading a game, streaming or syncing a large backup (Ooredoo).
• Try the 5 GHz band for speed near the router and 2.4 GHz for range further away (Worcestershire).
• If problems continue, contact your provider with your speed test results and the times you tested; ask whether a replacement router is available.