Laptop slower than phone on Wi-Fi? What to check

Your phone gets a fast connection, but your laptop crawls on the same home Wi-Fi. That can happen even when both devices are beside each other. The laptop may be using a different Wi-Fi band, running a VPN, or connecting through a slower wireless adapter.

Compare the devices under the same conditions first. The Speed Test checks download and upload speed, ping, and jitter. The Wi-Fi Signal test can help you spot delays or dropped requests, but it does not show the Wi-Fi signal strength in dBm or identify which band the device is using.

Compare the laptop and phone fairly

1. Connect both devices to the same home network name. Check that neither is using a guest network or the phone's cellular data.
2. Put the laptop and phone beside each other, within a few feet of the router if possible. Close downloads, video streams, cloud backups, and other apps using the internet.
3. Open the Speed Test on the laptop and run it. Then run the same test on the phone, one device at a time. Repeat each test three times and compare the typical results, not just the single fastest run.
4. Open Wi-Fi Signal on the laptop and phone, if the browser supports it. Compare response time, jitter, and drops. These readings describe how the connection behaves, not the router's radio signal level.

Keep the phone awake during its test and use the same browser when practical. A battery-saving mode, an active VPN, or background updates can affect the comparison. Speed tests exchange test data with the test server, so avoid running them while someone else is using the connection heavily.

What the results mean

The laptop is slower every time, even beside the router

This points toward something specific to the laptop, such as its Wi-Fi adapter, driver, VPN, or background activity. It does not prove the wireless hardware is broken. Check the fixes below, then compare the laptop on another Wi-Fi network if you can.

The laptop is slow only in another room

Distance, walls, and interference may be affecting its connection more than the phone's. Laptop and phone antennas are different, and devices can connect to different bands even when they show the same network name.

Both devices have good download speed, but the laptop has high ping or jitter

High ping means a longer wait for a response. Jitter means that wait changes from moment to moment. A VPN, background upload, or busy router can cause this even when download speed looks fine. For more detail on how device results can differ, see why internet speeds differ across devices.

The laptop and phone are both slow

The issue may be the router, internet service, or congestion rather than the laptop. Test again at another time. If both remain slow close to the router, restart the router and check whether other devices have the same problem.

How to fix a slow laptop connection

1. Pause anything using the network. Stop downloads, cloud sync, streaming, and game updates on the laptop. Close other apps that may be uploading or downloading, then rerun the test.
2. Turn off the VPN for a quick comparison. A VPN can add delay or reduce throughput. On Windows 11, check Settings › Network & internet › VPN. On macOS, check System Settings › Network › VPN. Disconnect briefly for the test, then reconnect if you need the VPN.
3. Check which Wi-Fi band the laptop uses. A dual-band router can use 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 2.4 GHz band often reaches farther but can be crowded; 5 GHz can be faster nearby, but its signal weakens more through walls. Check the router's app or administration page for the laptop's connection details. If the router offers separate network names for each band, connect the laptop to the 5 GHz network near the router and compare. The browser test cannot identify the band for you.
4. Reconnect to the network. On Windows 11, open Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi › Manage known networks, choose your network, and forget it. Then connect again and enter the password. On macOS, open System Settings › Wi-Fi, select Details beside the network, choose Forget This Network, and reconnect.
5. Update the laptop's wireless software. On Windows 11, check Settings › Windows Update and install available updates. If the problem continues, check the laptop maker's support instructions for a Wi-Fi driver. On macOS, check System Settings › General › Software Update.
6. Restart the router and laptop. Restart the laptop first, then unplug the router's power for about 30 seconds and reconnect it. Wait until its internet connection is back before testing again.

When the laptop's Wi-Fi hardware may be at fault

If the laptop stays much slower than other devices on several Wi-Fi networks, including close to the router, the adapter or its antenna may be damaged or outdated. If it is fast on another network, your home router's settings or compatibility with the laptop are more likely causes.

To narrow it down, compare the laptop on Ethernet if it has a network port or a suitable adapter. If Ethernet is fast but Wi-Fi remains slow across networks after updates and reconnecting, ask the laptop maker or a repair shop to check the wireless adapter and antenna. A small external Wi-Fi adapter can also be a practical workaround for an older laptop.

Why the same network name can behave differently

Many routers use one network name for both bands and choose a band for each device automatically. This is often called band steering. The phone may connect to 5 GHz while the laptop stays on 2.4 GHz, or the laptop may have older Wi-Fi hardware that cannot use the router's faster options. A shared network name does not guarantee that the devices have the same wireless connection.

Repeat the comparison in the same place and at a similar time after each change. That makes it easier to tell whether a fix improved the laptop instead of simply catching a quieter moment on the network.