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.