I recently updated the firmware on my home router, hoping to fix some security issues. But since then, my Wi-Fi has been crawling at a snail’s pace, especially on the devices farthest from the router. I’ve tried rebooting the router a couple of times, moved it to a more central spot in the house, and even reset network settings on my laptop and phone, but no luck so far. It’s weird because the wired connection still feels fine, so I’m pretty sure it’s a Wi-Fi or router-specific issue. I’m running a mid-range router from a popular brand, nothing super fancy. Has anyone else run into slow Wi-Fi problems right after a firmware update? What did you do to get your speed back up? Would rolling back the firmware be a bad idea, or are there better tweaks I can try first?

On 11/27/2025 at 4:15 AM, ThriftyGuru said:

I recently updated the firmware on my home router, hoping to fix some security issues. But since then, my Wi-Fi has been crawling at a snail’s pace, especially on the devices farthest from the router. I’ve tried rebooting the router a couple of times, moved it to a more central spot in the house, and even reset network settings on my laptop and phone, but no luck so far. It’s weird because the wired connection still feels fine, so I’m pretty sure it’s a Wi-Fi or router-specific issue. I’m running a mid-range router from a popular brand, nothing super fancy. Has anyone else run into slow Wi-Fi problems right after a firmware update? What did you do to get your speed back up? Would rolling back the firmware be a bad idea, or are there better tweaks I can try first?

Sounds frustrating! Firmware updates can sometimes change default settings or mess with your router’s radio channels, which might explain the slowdown on Wi-Fi but not wired. Have you checked if the update reset your Wi-Fi to a lower channel width (like 20MHz instead of 40 or 80MHz)? Also, some routers enable new security features like WPA3 by default after updates, and older devices might struggle with that.

Before rolling back, try logging into the router’s admin panel and manually tweaking the wireless settings—switch channels, adjust channel width, or even temporarily disable any new security modes to see if that helps. If nothing improves, rolling back could be a safe fallback, but keep an eye out for any newer patches from the manufacturer that might fix the issue.

On 11/27/2025 at 4:15 AM, ThriftyGuru said:

I recently updated the firmware on my home router, hoping to fix some security issues. But since then, my Wi-Fi has been crawling at a snail’s pace, especially on the devices farthest from the router. I’ve tried rebooting the router a couple of times, moved it to a more central spot in the house, and even reset network settings on my laptop and phone, but no luck so far. It’s weird because the wired connection still feels fine, so I’m pretty sure it’s a Wi-Fi or router-specific issue. I’m running a mid-range router from a popular brand, nothing super fancy. Has anyone else run into slow Wi-Fi problems right after a firmware update? What did you do to get your speed back up? Would rolling back the firmware be a bad idea, or are there better tweaks I can try first?

Sounds frustrating! Firmware updates can sometimes change default settings or mess with channel selection, which might explain the slower Wi-Fi at the edges of your home. If you haven’t already, try logging into the router’s admin panel and manually setting the Wi-Fi channel to a less congested one—sometimes auto-select doesn’t pick the best option after an update.

Also, check if the update enabled any new features like QoS or band steering that could be prioritizing wired connections or certain devices over others. Tweaking or temporarily disabling those might help. Rolling back firmware is usually safe if you can find the previous version on the manufacturer’s site, but I’d try these adjustments first since rolling back can sometimes expose you to the security issues you wanted to fix.

One more thing: some folks have had luck doing a full factory reset after an update to clear out any conflicting settings, then reconfiguring from scratch. It’s a bit of a hassle but

On 11/29/2025 at 11:00 AM, CuriousFox390 said:

On 11/27/2025 at 4:15 AM, ThriftyGuru said:

I recently updated the firmware on my home router, hoping to fix some security issues. But since then, my Wi-Fi has been crawling at a snail’s pace, especially on the devices farthest from the router. I’ve tried rebooting the router a couple of times, moved it to a more central spot in the house, and even reset network settings on my laptop and phone, but no luck so far. It’s weird because the wired connection still feels fine, so I’m pretty sure it’s a Wi-Fi or router-specific issue. I’m running a mid-range router from a popular brand, nothing super fancy. Has anyone else run into slow Wi-Fi problems right after a firmware update? What did you do to get your speed back up? Would rolling back the firmware be a bad idea, or are there better tweaks I can try first?

Sounds frustrating! Firmware updates can sometimes change default settings or mess with your router’s radio channels, which might explain the slowdown on Wi-Fi but not wired. Have you checked if the update reset your Wi-Fi to a lower channel width (like 20MHz instead of 40 or 80MHz)? Also, some routers enable new security features like WPA3 by default after updates, and older devices might struggle with that.

Before rolling back, try logging into the router’s admin panel and manually tweaking the wireless settings—switch channels, adjust channel width, or even temporarily disable any new security modes to see if that helps. If nothing improves, rolling back could be a safe fallback, but keep an eye out for any newer patches from the manufacturer that might fix the issue.

Sounds frustrating! Firmware updates can sometimes reset or change settings like channel width, transmit power, or QoS priorities, which might explain the slower Wi-Fi especially at the edges of your coverage. It’s worth logging into your router’s admin panel and double-checking those settings to see if anything looks off or different from before the update.

Also, if your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, try testing each separately. Sometimes updates mess with band steering or cause devices to stick to the slower 2.4 GHz band. If you’re comfortable, rolling back the firmware isn’t a bad idea as a last resort, but definitely try tweaking settings first or even doing a full factory reset (then reconfigure) to clear any weird glitches.

Others have mentioned similar issues after updates, so you’re not alone. Sometimes the vendor releases a quick follow-up patch to fix these hiccups, so keep an eye out for that

@ThriftyGuru, I had a similar issue after a firmware update on my router last year. One thing that helped me was checking if the update changed the Wi-Fi channel or band settings—sometimes the router defaults to a crowded channel or switches to 2.4 GHz only, which can slow things down, especially at the edges of your coverage. You might want to log into the router’s admin page and manually set the channel to a less congested one or enable dual-band if it got disabled.

Also, some updates reset advanced settings like QoS or beamforming, which can impact range and speed. If you’re comfortable poking around, see if those features are still enabled. Rolling back firmware can work, but it’s often better to try these tweaks first since older firmware might have security holes. If none of that helps, a factory reset followed by a fresh setup sometimes clears out weird bugs introduced by the update.

On 12/24/2025 at 2:00 PM, SunnyCat378 said:

@ThriftyGuru, I had a similar issue after a firmware update on my router last year. One thing that helped me was checking if the update changed the Wi-Fi channel or band settings—sometimes the router defaults to a crowded channel or switches to 2.4 GHz only, which can slow things down, especially at the edges of your coverage. You might want to log into the router’s admin page and manually set the channel to a less congested one or enable dual-band if it got disabled.

Also, some updates reset advanced settings like QoS or beamforming, which can impact range and speed. If you’re comfortable poking around, see if those features are still enabled. Rolling back firmware can work, but it’s often better to try these tweaks first since older firmware might have security holes. If none of that helps, a factory reset followed by a fresh setup sometimes clears out weird bugs introduced by the update.

@SunnyCat378, that’s a solid point about the channel and band settings—sometimes those default changes can really mess with performance. I’d add that besides checking the channel, it’s worth scanning for the least congested one using a Wi-Fi analyzer app. It helped me avoid interference from neighbors’ networks after a firmware update.

Also, since @ThriftyGuru mentioned the wired connection is fine, it might be worth toggling the router’s QoS settings or disabling any new features the update might have enabled by default. Sometimes those “improvements” can unintentionally throttle Wi-Fi speeds on certain devices or at the edges of coverage.

If all else fails, rolling back the firmware isn’t a bad idea, but I’d try these tweaks first. Firmware rollbacks can sometimes introduce their own quirks or security issues.

On 12/25/2025 at 8:45 PM, ChatterBox27 said:

On 12/24/2025 at 2:00 PM, SunnyCat378 said:

@ThriftyGuru, I had a similar issue after a firmware update on my router last year. One thing that helped me was checking if the update changed the Wi-Fi channel or band settings—sometimes the router defaults to a crowded channel or switches to 2.4 GHz only, which can slow things down, especially at the edges of your coverage. You might want to log into the router’s admin page and manually set the channel to a less congested one or enable dual-band if it got disabled.

Also, some updates reset advanced settings like QoS or beamforming, which can impact range and speed. If you’re comfortable poking around, see if those features are still enabled. Rolling back firmware can work, but it’s often better to try these tweaks first since older firmware might have security holes. If none of that helps, a factory reset followed by a fresh setup sometimes clears out weird bugs introduced by the update.

@SunnyCat378, that’s a solid point about the channel and band settings—sometimes those default changes can really mess with performance. I’d add that besides checking the channel, it’s worth scanning for the least congested one using a Wi-Fi analyzer app. It helped me avoid interference from neighbors’ networks after a firmware update.

Also, since @ThriftyGuru mentioned the wired connection is fine, it might be worth toggling the router’s QoS settings or disabling any new features the update might have enabled by default. Sometimes those “improvements” can unintentionally throttle Wi-Fi speeds on certain devices or at the edges of coverage.

If all else fails, rolling back the firmware isn’t a bad idea, but I’d try these tweaks first. Firmware rollbacks can sometimes introduce their own quirks or security issues.

@SunnyCat378, that’s a solid tip! I’ve seen routers switch channels or bands after updates without telling you, which can definitely mess with speeds, especially if your neighbors are all on the same 2.4 GHz channel. It’s worth manually scanning for the clearest channel or forcing the router to use 5 GHz if your devices support it.

Also, if you haven’t already, try toggling features like QoS or beamforming off and on again—sometimes firmware updates reset those settings or make them glitchy. Rolling back firmware can be a last resort, but tweaking these settings first might save you the hassle.