Technology · Advice & Questions · Oct 16

Will a faster internet plan fix the Wi-Fi in our back bedroom?

Technology

My housemate sent me a screenshot of a broadband upgrade: another $18 a month. “Worth it if your calls stop freezing,” she wrote.

My calls freeze in the back bedroom. Her laptop plays video in the front room without trouble. Yesterday I plugged mine into the router with an Ethernet cable and the same call stayed clear. That was one afternoon, not a diagnosis, but it made me hesitate over the upgrade.

Our Google Wifi router is near the front door because that is where the connection arrives. Moving it would put a cable across part of the room unless we found a better route. My housemate dislikes the cable idea and would rather pay more.

How would you check whether the problem is the plan or the connection to my room? I do not want to win an argument about eighteen dollars and still be the frozen square in every meeting.

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3 community replies

@MorganSays

The wired call is a useful clue. Try the same laptop on Wi-Fi beside the router and then in the bedroom, at similar times. Repeat before choosing a purchase. You would be comparing the part of the setup that changes, rather than comparing your calls with your housemate's video.

@TheoInTransit

Google's guidance lists distance, walls, interference and the connected device among factors affecting Wi-Fi speed. It also distinguishes provider slowdowns and bandwidth demand. A larger plan might help some problems, but this bedroom pattern does not establish one of those. [Google Wifi troubleshooting](https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/6246489?hl=en).

@maren17

Your housemate may value keeping the room tidy as much as you value avoiding another bill. Price a workable cable route or other confirmed remedy only after the tests. “The current cable is ugly” need not become “we must upgrade the plan.”

Will a faster internet plan fix the Wi-Fi in our back bedroom?

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