Slow internet is a frustrating experience and it can be caused by various things, including your router. The best way to tell if your router is the culprit is to connect a device directly with an Ethernet cable. If this gives you fast speeds, your Wi-Fi router is likely the problem. Before you toss your router, it might be worth taking some time to upgrade its firmware.
Updating the firmware (a process often called “flashing the firmware”) can help a router work better, and it can sometimes even repair an annoying bug or add support for faster internet speed. This is especially pertinent when a router reset doesn’t help.
How to update router firmware
Most routers require you to use a desktop or mobile app to perform the update, but some will use a web-based interface, and the procedure will go something like this:
- Download the firmware from the vendor’s support website, which is often contained inside a .zip file. In this case, open this zip file and copy the firmware file out.
- Log into the router’s web interface, which is similar to when you first set it up, then navigate to the section where you can update the firmware. This is normally in the Administration, System, Setup, Advance or Tools area.
- Click on the button to browse for the new firmware file
- Click on Update (or Upload) then wait for a few minutes for the process to complete.
Note that the update process needs to run without interruption. If you unplug/turn off the router during this time, that can render the device unusable. Networking vendors generally have clear instructions on how to flash a particular router. It’s recommended that you follow them. Also, flashing the firmware might reset the router’s settings to default, so you might want to save the settings to a file before the upgrade in case this happens.
Many routers have the automatic firmware update function within the web interface. In this case just run this function, let the router download the firmware and update by itself.