What to Do When You Have Too Many Devices on WiFi?

When too many devices are connected to WiFi, there is no way the WiFi will not run slowly.  There are different WiFi routers and they have different capacities.

This means that the number of devices you can connect to one WiFi router differs from what you can connect to another, depending on the capacity of the individual router.

Does Having too many devices on wifi slow it down?

Yes. If you attempt to connect too many devices to the WiFi router, it will end up affecting the operation of the router and the WiFi connection will be very slow.

So, before you attempt to connect many devices to your WiFi router, it is very important to first find out how many devices that particular router can take.

Once you know this, you should make sure that the WiFi router is not made to bear too many loads.

How do I fix Too Many Devices on My WIFI – 8 Easy Steps!

Now that you can confirm that you have a lot of devices connected to the internet via your WiFi, chances are your home WiFi network is starting to feel the strain.

Too many devices can slow down your network, and make it difficult for you to get online when you need to.

Follow these 8 quick solutions to improve your connection:

1.      Get a router that can handle more devices.

If your router is more than a few years old, it might not be able to handle the number of gadgets you have on your network.

A newer, more powerful router will make a big difference in terms of speed and reliability. Check out some of the best routers that work like magic.

Best Wifi Router on Amazon:

2.      Connect some devices directly to your modem.

If you have a desktop computer or another device that doesn’t need to be portable, you can connect it directly to your modem using your ethernet cable.

This will take some of the strain off of your WiFi network.

3.      Use a WiFi extender.

If your home is large or has a lot of walls, your WiFi signal might not reach all of the areas where you need it. A WiFi extender can help boost your signal and reach those dead zones.

Best Wifi Extender on Amazon:

4.      Limit the number of gadgets that are using bandwidth-intensive activities simultaneously.

If you have so many devices downloading large files or streaming video online, it can slow down everyone’s connection.

Try to limit these activities to one or two devices at a time during peak usage periods.

5.      Turn off unused devices.

Any device that’s connected to your WiFi network is using up some of your bandwidth, even if it’s not in use.

If you have any devices that you’re not using, disconnect them from your network to free up some resources.

6.      Reboot your router regularly.

Just like any other piece of technology, routers can start to act up after a while. If your connection is slow or spotty, try rebooting your router to see if that helps.

7.      Check for interference.

If there are a lot of devices in your home using the same frequency as your WiFi network (such as baby monitors, microwaves, and cordless phones), it can cause interference and slow down your connection.

Try changing the channel your router is using to see if that helps.

8.      Upgrade your internet subscription.

If you’re constantly running into issues with your home WiFi network, it might be time to upgrade your internet subscription to a higher speed.

This will give you the extra bandwidth you need to keep all of your devices connected without any problems.

Check below for helpful tips on how to know the number of devices that are connected to your WiFi router.

How to Check the Number of Devices Connected to Your WiFi

Check With The Google Home App

One of the best ways to know the number of devices connected to your WiFi is by using the Google Home app.  The app will show you the number of devices connected to the router.

It will also tell you the number of devices that your routers are uploading and downloading currently.

However, the app can only show you the number of devices that are connected to your WiFi within 30 days. It will also show you the ones that are connected currently.

This means that any device connected more than 30 days ago will not be shown by the app.

If you do not mind this limitation, you can simply go for this app and it will serve you accordingly.

Check below for how to use the Google Home app:

• First, open the Google Home app. You will see its icon on your Google home page
• Click on WiFi
• After that, look at the top of the WiFi and click on Devices.

It will then show you the connected devices and show you how recently those devices are connected.

Use The Google WiFi App

One other way to know the number of devices that are connected to your WiFi router is by using the Google WiFi app.  The app works in almost the same manner as the Google Home app.

It also only shows 30 days of historical data and any device connected more than 30 days ago will not be displayed. If you also of not mind the limitation involved in the use of this app, you can go for it and it will work as desired.

The process of using the app is also similar to the one discussed above as highlighted below:

• Open the Google WiFi app
• Then click on Network
• After that, click on Devices

It will then show you the number of devices connected to the WiFi router.  The numbers that you can see against Devices will stand for your total internet traffic to and from the network.

You can even check under each of the devices to know how much data each of these devices has uploaded and downloaded.  So, it is a pretty detailed app for showing the number of devices connected to your WiFi within the past 30 days.

The app is reliable for displaying details for virtually all devices that are connoted directly to your WiFi router or via an Ethernet cable.

What is more, the app will show you details of the devices that are connected to the WiFi router; it will show you the MAC address, IP address, and connection status of each device

Before you buy a WiFi router, you need to first find out how many devices that router can take.  You also may have to consider the number of devices that need to be connected to the WiFi.

So, make sure you determine your needs before you buy a WiFi router, and then go for one that can perfectly meet that need among the series of WiFi routers on sale out there today.

This is also one of the best ways to avoid too many devices on WiFi.

In the next section of this write-up, we will show you what to do when there are too many connections on your WiFi.

The purpose of the information is to help speed up the WiFi router so that it can deliver faster internet for connected devices.

Resolution Of Excess Device Connection (in Detail)

Studies show that the internet may lag even when you use the best high-speed WiFi connections. Things can get even worse when too many devices are connected to the WiFi.

You may not bother if the WiFi runs smoothly despite the huge number of devices connected.

But you need to do something fast if the connected devices are causing the WiFi router to run slowly.  Check below for steps on how to reverse the slow network caused by too many devices.

Upgrade the Connection Speeds

You may think the quick fix to the problem is to simply disconnect some of the devices that are connected to the WiFi to reduce the load and make the WiFi connection to the internet faster.

However, this is not the only solution.

You can simply upgrade the contention speed without having to disconnect any of the devices connected to the WiFi router.

If you want to venture into online gaming, for example, and you also do not want to disconnect other devices that are connected to the WiFi router, you can simply upgrade the speed to something more than 20 Mbps since the minimum internet speed is just sufficient for online gaming is between 15 and 20 Mbps.

If the WiFi router is also used for several other purposes aside from online gaming, like streaming music, watching movies, and so on, the router can produce adequate internet speed for all these purposes simultaneously with an internet speed above 20 Mbps.

You can benefit a great deal from this hint: fiber broadband can give you better value for money for online gaming in place of WiFi.

Move Close To The Wireless Source

One other thing you can do to speed up the internet speed on your device when you are connected to a WiFi router that has too many devices connected is to move some steps closer to the WiFi router.

Even if the signal from the WiFi router is very strong, too many devices on WiFi can cause it to run slowly. So, moving some steps closer to the WiFi can turn things around in your favor and help you to get a better internet connection on your device.

Studies show that distance from the WiFi router can go a long way in determining how much speed you are going to get from it.

You can get a good internet connection between 100 and 150 ft if you are using a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi router.

If you move out of this radius or closer to the outer edge of the radius, the network tends to be slower.

Check For Bandwidth-Hogging

One other way to put an end to the problem occurring as a result of slow internet connection due to too many devices is the problem of bandwidth hogging.

You need to test the internet speed of your WiFi to know if this is the case or not.

Studies show that bandwidth-hogging can negatively affect your internet speed and dampen the excitement of online gaming, for example.

It is in your best interest to carry out this test at least three times and this will give you a decent estimation of your download and upload.

If you are using a WiFi internet connection to play an online game, bear in mind that the download speed is more important than the upload speed.

There is a problem if the bandwidth-hogging test shows that the download speed is less than 10 Mbps.

Interference Can Also Have An Effect

One other way to successfully speed up your WiFi router speed without removing any of the devices connected is by checking for interference from external sources.

Even if the number of devices connected seems too many, the internet speed may not be affected if such external interference is not in place.

So, the focus will not be on the issue of too many devices on WiFi, but on the issue of external interference.

Bear in mind that WiFi routers function using radio waves. Studies show that radio waves do interfere with each other just like FM and AM radio signals do.

Some of the sources of external interference are highlighted below:

• Microwave oven
• Cordless telephones
• External monitors and LCDs
• Wireless speakers
• Direct satellite services
• Other wireless routers.

What can you do to fix this particular problem?  You can consider any of the solutions highlighted below:

• Change the channel of the wireless network when online gaming is going on.
• You can also connect to a 5GHz wireless network to prevent interference. Such a connection will equally help to put paid to the possible problems caused by too many devices on WiFi.
• Bring your computer closer to the WiFi router
• Reduce the number of active Bluetooth devices that are connected to your computer.

Line Connectivity Improvement

This can also help you to speed up your internet speed and ensure that all devices connected can receive an adequate network from the WiFi router.

This method can be helpful for those who do not have an internet contention on a fiber network.  The tips we provide below can help to boost your line connectivity a great deal:

• You can use a micro-filter on the line running from the wall jacket to the modem and device. It can help a great deal to reduce any noise caused by the external interference sources on the phone line
• It may also be time to replace your router if it is ancient. Outdated routers can fall victim to these problems more than new ones.
• You can simply move the modem away from the items that can cause interference, like wireless speakers, microwave ovens, mobile chargers, and so on.
• Do not also forget to keep a tab on the ADSL light showing on the modem the ADSL line configuration is unstable if you see that the light blinks from time to time. In such a situation, it is time to connect with your Internet Service Provider to resolve the problem.

Test connection latency

You can equally boost the speed of your WiFi router by testing the connection latency.  This can be done by running a ping test and which will help to detect the quality of the broadband connection.

You can follow the steps below to get this done:

• Click on Start and look for Search, which is located at the bottom left corner of the desktop; it has the symbol of a magnifying glass
• Next, type Run and type Ping. Then press the Enter key.
• It will bring up a menu to help with the test.

If the latency is between 1 and 30ms, then it is OK and can work perfectly with all the devices connected to the WiFi. Such a latency range will enable the connected devices to run smoothly even if there are too many devices on WiFi.

The latency is considered to still be decent if the latency is between 31 and 60ms.  In such a situation, however, there may still be some lag; the lag may, however, not be that noticeable.

You will surely experience a series of issues if the latency is from 61 to 100 ms; the lag can become more frequent and the devices will run more slowly.  Things get completely bad when the latency is up to 100ms.

In case you do not have the time to carry out any of the tips we have given above toward resolving a slow internet connection, you can simply disconnect some of the devices connected to the WiFi so that you can boost the internet connection.

This is about the simplest of all the solutions we have proffered above.  All you need to do is to reduce the connected devices below the maximum number of devices that the WiFi router is designed to accept.