Avoiding WiFi Traffic Jams: How to Prioritize Devices on a Busy Network

With more and more devices connected to home networks, it’s no surprise that WiFi congestion is a common problem. After all, an increasing number of people are working from home, online gaming continues to gain in popularity, and home voice assistants like Alexa can’t function without enough bandwidth. Put it all together, and your wireless network can easily feel like dial-up.

While the obvious solution is to make sure you have enough network speed and bandwidth to handle all your connected devices, you also need to balance your network’s traffic. We’ll explain how to do it below.

Why Bandwidth Issues Happen

Even though you can’t actually see bandwidth, it’s very real, and it has limits.

If your Internet is slow or you're using outdated equipment, too many people online at once can cause problems. Things like video calls, streaming, or gaming use a lot of data. When everyone tries to do those things at the same time, the connection can lag or drop.

Sometimes, simply upgrading your Internet speed helps. But for the best experience, you also need equipment that lets you prioritize certain devices (like your work computer) when the network gets busy.

Bandwidth vs. Throughput

One quick note on bandwidth: Bandwidth is the theoretical measure of your network’s ability to transfer data. Throughput is the actual rate that data is successfully transferred.

In other words, it’s what your Internet service provider (ISP) says your network is doing versus what your Internet is actually doing in real-time. Curious about how fast your current Internet truly is? Try out our Internet speed test.

Ways to Prioritize Devices for Smooth Performance

When the available bandwidth can’t meet the demands of everyone on the network, here are some ways to prioritize.

Use Quality of Service (QoS) Settings

Most modern WiFi routers include QoS settings that make it possible for you to prioritize specific applications, devices, and even data packets over others. That way, when there’s a lot of competition, the prioritized applications and uses receive priority billing.

Schedule High-Bandwidth Activities

An analog way to prioritize devices and high-bandwidth activities is to simply set up a schedule for your household to follow. Let’s say someone needs more bandwidth for a work or school meeting. Schedule to have the gamer in your home log off during that time. What about updating the family laptop’s operating system? Schedule it for overnight when WiFI interference from other users is at its lowest.

Network performance can be as much about strategic disconnecting and connecting as it is about software and speed.

Separate Personal, Work, and Smart Home Devices

One way to keep your WiFi running smoothly is to split up your Internet traffic. You can do this by creating separate WiFi networks for different uses — like work, streaming, or guests — so each one doesn’t slow the others down.

Use Ethernet for Stationary High-Usage Devices

Try connecting the high-bandwidth devices in your home, like gaming consoles or streaming boxes, directly to your router with an Ethernet cable. This frees up the wireless signal for things like smart speakers and phones, which don’t need as much speed.

Channel Selection

Another way to handle network congestion is to monitor the frequency band and the WiFi channel width. In most instances, WiFi operates on either 5 GHz or 2.4 Ghz bands. If you monitor these frequencies, you can find out which one is less congested and move more important processes and devices over to that band.

Access Point (AP) Placement

Access points (also called wireless access points or WAPs) help your wireless devices connect to the Internet by extending the range of your existing WiFi. They improve the signal in areas where it's usually weak, and they let more devices connect without slowing things down. You can also plug an access point into your router with an Ethernet cable to create a new WiFi zone in your home.

Just be sure to place access points in the right spots. If they’re too close together, their signals can overlap and cause connection issues.

When It’s Time to Upgrade Your Internet Plan

Congestion issues can happen for a lot of reasons, and sometimes, it means you need to upgrade your Internet connection and/or plan. Some common signs that the problem is your type of connection or plan include:

• Routine buffering
• Dropped video chats
• Complaints from smartphone users just trying to browse
• Long load times even without a lot of simultaneous use

SmartMove can help you reevaluate your Internet plan and discover faster alternatives. Find out exactly how much Internet speed your household needs, and we’ll take it from there.

SmartMove Makes Choosing the Right Speed and Equipment Easy

SmartMove can help you compare Internet service providers, plans, connection types, and compatibility to ensure your home can handle high-demand use cases. Interested in bundling services like mobile and cable? How about cable TV services? We can do that too.

From troubleshooting your WiFi speed to improving your signal strength, SmartMove is here to help you get the online experience you and your whole household want.