I live in a large rental house with my partner, and several Wi‑Fi boosters are installed throughout the property. One booster is located near our bedroom and worked reasonably well until about two months ago. Since then, the connection has become extremely inconsistent, and recently the download speed dropped below 1 Mbps even though the internet plan is rated at 1.5 Gbps.
The landlord has tested the booster and believes it is working properly, suggesting that one of my devices might be causing the slowdown. However, I have not changed my devices, I do not use a VPN, and the connection actually becomes faster and has a stronger signal when I unplug the nearby booster completely.
What could cause a booster to suddenly reduce performance after working acceptably before? How can I determine whether the problem is with my devices, the booster, its placement, or the main internet connection?
4 Answers
If these are basic single-radio repeaters, they can cut available bandwidth dramatically because they have to receive traffic from the main router and then retransmit it to your devices using the same radio. They can also create interference and unstable connections. Check whether the units support a dedicated backhaul or multiple radios. A properly configured mesh system, preferably with wired connections between access points, is usually much more reliable.
A wireless device will rarely reach the full speed of a 1.5 Gbps plan, but under 1 Mbps is still a serious issue. Test several locations and confirm which access point your device is actually using. If the connection is consistently better when the booster is unplugged, the booster, its placement, or radio interference is the likely culprit rather than all of your devices.
The internet is shared with other tenants, and the landlord owns the equipment and pays for the service. I’m mainly trying to give him useful evidence. I understand Wi‑Fi won’t reach the full plan speed, but less than 1 Mbps is clearly abnormal.
First test the connection directly beside the main gateway, with the booster turned off. Then compare that result with tests in the same location while connected through the booster. This separates an internet-service problem from a Wi‑Fi problem. The landlord should also verify the wired speed at the gateway, since the advertised plan speed cannot be assumed to reach every wireless device.
If the extender remains inconsistent after testing it at different distances from the gateway, try replacing it temporarily with a known-good unit. Placement matters: it needs a strong connection to the main router, not just a strong signal at the far end. Wired access points or a mesh system with a separate backhaul are better long-term solutions than inexpensive repeaters.
That makes sense. I’ll check whether the installed units are single-radio repeaters or something with a dedicated backhaul. Do you know why one might suddenly become so much worse if it seemed fine before?