Xfinity Troubleshooting: Why Is My Wi-Fi Slow?

Xfinity subscribers can take certain steps to determine what is causing your slow Wi-Fi connection and how to fix it.  We'll walk you through how to restart your Xfinity Gateway, check for outages on the app, and how to use a top ad blocker.

Read on for all nine Xfinity Wi-Fi connection troubleshooting tips.

9 Xfinity troubleshooting tips

To troubleshoot your slow Xfinity Wi-Fi, work your way through this list of tips.

1. Check your network connection

To check your Xfinity connection, use the Xfinity app to perform the following steps:

1. Select Connect.
2. Go to Test your Internet.
3. Select Run a Test.

Alternatively:

1. Select your network on Connect.
2. Select Internet Health.
3. Select Run a Test on the Full Network Test tile.

These tests will check for Xfinity outages and will indicate if you have a connection. If there is no Xfinity outage, proceed to the next step.

2. Reboot your Xfinity Gateway

If you choose to restart your Gateway online, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Xfinity account.
2. Select Manage Internet.
3. Select Restart Modem.
4. Select Start Troubleshooting to begin the modem restart process.

If you have the xFi Gateway, you can also use the Xfinity My Account app to restart it using the following steps:

1. Open the app.
2. Scroll to the bottom and select the Internet tile.
3. Select your modem, then select Restart this device.

3. Disconnect and reconnect to your network manually

On your router, locate the reset button and use a non-metallic, pointed object, such as a toothpick, to hold it down for 30 seconds until all the lights go off. If your router does not have a reset button, locate the WPS button and perform the same motion.

You can also perform a manual reset by simply unplugging your router, waiting a full minute, and then plugging it back in. This power cycling process can fix many connection issues.

4. Perform an internet speed test

Comcast Xfinity offers a free service online to measure the internet speed from their servers to your computer — showing you how fast your connection is.

5. Restart devices that are on the network

Make sure to reboot any and all devices that connect to your Wi-Fi, including mobile devices, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, smartwatches, gaming consoles, internet of things (IoT) devices, and smart TVs.

6. Review the Xfinity Status Center for outages

The Xfinity Status Center requires that you log in and provides information on potential outages in your local area, in addition to tips in case of an outage and other tools to check your connection.

7. Reevaluate your Xfinity equipment

There is always the possibility that your slow Wi-Fi is the result of aging equipment. Consider looking into more advanced routers from Xfinity — dubbed xFi Gateways — that are all-in-one devices for internet, voice connectivity, whole-home Wi-Fi, and security.

The xFi Advanced Gateways include features like secondary Xfinity Hotspot networks, up to 1-gigabit speeds, connection for one to two phone lines, and more. You could also consider purchasing xFi Pods — Wi-Fi extenders that work with xFi Gateways to eliminate dead spots in your home coverage and enhance your Wi-Fi’s performance.

8. Contact Xfinity customer support

If none of your efforts have resulted in an improved connection, there are two ways to get in touch with Xfinity’s customer support:

• Call 1-800-XFINITY.
• Visit the Xfinity Customer Service site. From there, you can engage with the Xfinity Assistant chatbot.

9. Improve your browsing speed with ad blockers

If your internet seems slow while browsing, consider whether you visit many websites that have a lot of ads. Too many ads can increase loading times, which might give the appearance of slow Wi-Fi.

To help block annoying ads, consider a recommended ad blocker:

• Total Adblock: From the creators of TotalAV antivirus, Total Adblock was successful at blocking multiple types of ads during our testing. That included banner advertising, YouTube ads, and contextual advertising.

  Get Total Adblock | Read Our Total Adblock Review

• NordVPN Threat Protection: Included with NordVPN, Threat Protection is an integrated ad and malware blocker that can protect you from cyberthreats and save bandwidth as you browse the web.

  Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Read Our NordVPN Threat Protection Review

• uBlock Origin: UBlock Origin is a popular open-source ad blocker that did well in our tests, successfully blocking YouTube and other types of ads. You can also take advantage of advanced customizations and options, including using filter options to remove trackers and block data collection.

  Read Our uBlock Origin Review

Reasons for a slow Wi-Fi connection

There are a few common issues that could be making your Xfinity internet performance may be sub-par.

You have too many high-bandwidth devices connected to your home network

Professional services network Deloitte found that the number of connected devices in the average household is 21.[1] That number can tax your network performance depending on how many devices in your home are bandwidth hogs.

A bandwidth hog is typically a device like a gaming console, a desktop computer used for video games, or a TV that streams videos. It’s best to hook up these devices to your router directly using an Ethernet cable so they don’t drain the Wi-Fi connection.

Your Xfinity Gateway is not in the ideal location

It might seem intuitive to put your router on the floor, out of sight, in a corner of the basement to keep it out of the way, but that’s probably the worst place for it. The location of your Xfinity Gateway could be the reason your Wi-Fi is slow if it’s not placed in an area from which it can send an adequate signal to all your devices.

Putting your router in the center of your home — preferably on the first floor — is where you should start. Also, keep it away from other home appliances like microwaves as well as fish tanks. (Appliances can affect performance, and wireless signals don’t travel well through water.)

Neighboring Wi-Fi networks could be interfering with yours

Wi-Fi is more susceptible to interference than wired networks, and Wi-Fi signals are divided into channels. Just because you and your neighbor have different Wi-Fi networks doesn’t mean you’re on different channels. Your network could be sharing its connection with devices in the area, trying to use the same channel your Wi-Fi network is using.

FAQs

Bottom line

You can typically diagnose and fix your slow Xfinity Wi-Fi connection by restarting your equipment, testing your connection, checking for outages, and other steps mentioned above. In some cases, using certain types of software could also help improve your experience using the internet. For example, the best ad blockers could help you load websites faster.