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Why Is My Office Wi-Fi Slow at 9am? Common Causes & Solutions

Does your SME office Wi-Fi grind to a halt every morning? Discover the most common causes of slow business Wi-Fi at peak times and how to fix them.

If you’re an IT Manager who faces a team of colleagues all asking “Has the Wi-Fi gone slow again?” Every Single Morning, then you’re in the right place. 

Your internet connection might actually not be the problem. When we get called out to clients, the internet connection is often not the issue. It’s more likely to be the fact that your SME business network wasn’t designed for everyone using it simultaneously. 

So what can your internal IT Team or Facilities Manager do about it? Let’s find out. 

‘I think the Wi-Fi is down!’ – A familiar scenario in your office?

Picture this. You’re a SME business owner. You get in the office at 7.30am and everything seems fine. The morning creeps on, and anything from 20 to 500 employees start making their way into the office. By 9.15am the problems start – 

  • Teams calls are starting to freeze. 
  • Web pages are taking ages to load. 

Staff members are starting to complain that the Wi-Fi is down. Already? Some bright spark reboots the router for the nth day in a row. Things seem to improve, but it’s only temporary. 

And the cycle repeats. Every day. 

No wonder the Office Manager is tearing their hair out and the Operations Director is more stressed than necessary. 

If this scenario sounds all too familiar, then your Wi-Fi is probably suffering from capacity problems rather than broadband issues. 

Your Internet Connection Probably Isn’t the Bottleneck

Businesses and Office Managers often blame poor Wi-Fi on:

  • ISP
  • Fibre connection
  • Router

When in reality, the broadband may actually only be using 40–50% of its available bandwidth. With client call-outs, we often see that the congestion is inside the office Wi-Fi.

Internet Speed and Wireless Capacity are two different things. Internet speed and wireless capacity (bandwidth) are different parts of your business network. Internet speed is how fast data travels from the outside world to your home, while wireless capacity is how much total data your Wi-Fi network can handle at once.

Everyone Starts Working at the Same Time

Even with flexible working, everyone coming into the office tends to come in at the same time and start their working day. At 9am, mots of your team arrives and starts work. The typical employee will have multiple devices on them all trying to connect to the office network:

  • Laptop
  • Smartphone
  • Smartwatch
  • Tablet
  • Wireless headset

Depending on the size of your SME, that’s anywhere from 10 to 500 people arriving for work – And with 1 employee representing 4 0r 5 connected devices, that’s a lot of Wi-Fi clients accessing your network (we’ll let you do the maths). 

Teams and Zoom Change Everything

So let’s say we’ve got 60 employees in the office, each with 4 connected devices, and the majority of them are all hopping on a video call. This generates:

  • Continuous traffic
  • Low latency requirements
  • High airtime usage

Why is video traffic different from web browsing?

When your staff members are trying to use video conferencing (whether that’s Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet), they’re needing a lot more from your network than if they were just browsing the web or answering emails. 

Video traffic is different from web browsing because it uses much more data volume, stays active for longer periods, and sends data in sudden bursts to fill a buffer, whereas web browsing sends short, intermittent requests for small text and image files.

Too Many Devices Can Share One Access Point

You have Access Points throughout your office. And this is where many businesses struggle. Because each Access Point has its own practical capacity. Think of it like a motorway – Everything works well when there’s not too much traffic and everything flows, but as soon as there are too many cars getting on or one really slow driver, everything starts to slow down and cause bottlenecks. 

Access Points work on the same premise. If too many devices are connecting to the same Access Point, then performance can collapse rapidly, affecting Airtime, Contention and Retransmissions. 

  • Airtime – The total duration your wireless gadgets spend sending and receiving data over the router’s radio waves. In the analogy we used above, think of it as a shared motorway lane where only one device can “speak” or drive at a time. Because the total amount of time available is limited, how it gets used dictates your network’s speed. All devices on the same channel must take turns using the airtime.
  • Contention – When multiple devices compete to use the same wireless radio channel at the same time. Key parts of this process include listen before talk (a device checks the airtime first, and waits if another device is sending data), collisions (when 2 devices send data at the same time, the signals crash), and back-off timers (After a collision or a busy channel, each device waits for a random extra period before trying again to avoid a repeat crash).
  • Retransmissions – The resending of data packets that fail to reach their destination or get damaged during wireless air travel.

More Wi-Fi Bars Don’t Mean Better Wi-Fi

This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to Wi-Fi and understanding your business network. 

Strong signal ≠ good performance.

Your signal bars might be full, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the Wi-Fi your device is receiving is as strong. 

Signal strength is really only measuring how loudly the Access Point can be heard. What it doesn’t measure or show you is:

  • Congestion – Lots of devices all competing for bandwidth
  • Interference – Building infrastructure (like walls and ceilings) blocking the signal
  • Packet loss – When tiny packets of information get sent from your device but don’t reach their destination
  • Latency – How long it takes data to travel from your device to the router and back again

Wi-Fi airtime is the total amount of time wireless devices spend transmitting data over your network’s radio frequency. Because Wi-Fi is a shared medium where only one device can transmit at a time on a channel, the devices in your office must take turns. Slower devices take longer to transmit the same amount of data, consuming excessive airtime, so one older device can slow down a whole network. 

For all these reasons, a busy office network can have excellent signal, but poor performance. 

Why Adding Another Access Point Can Make Things Worse

It’s time to bust some myths. We can see why IT or Office Managers might jump to the conclusion that adding another Access Point will fix the problem. But unfortunately this isn’t necessarily the case, and here’s why. 

Your business buys another AP, but you haven’t planned for it. This can cause additional problems like:

  • Channel conflicts
  • Co-channel interference
  • Poor roaming

This is where professional design is vital. Expert Wi-Fi engineers like the ones here at Geekabit can plan your network Access Points so that there are no channel conflicts, no co-channel interference and roaming performance is optimal. And that’s if you even need another AP!

Roaming Problems

People are not sedentary. You jump on a call on your smartphone, whilst walking with your laptop to the meeting room. You nip out of the meeting to grab a coffee from the kitchen. You’re hot-desking and have to move mid-way through the morning. Unfortunately, devices don’t always switch neatly to the nearest available AP. This can results in:

  • Frozen Teams calls
  • Dropouts
  • Delays

A professional Wi-Fi expert can ensure optimum roaming between wireless access points for your office through proper coverage overlap, balanced power levels, and protocol configurations. Key steps include setting a 15% to 20% signal overlap, adjusting transmit power to prevent sticky clients, and enabling fast roaming standards.

Poor Access Point Placement

Are your Access Points located in the best places for optimum performance? 

Access Points should not be placed in the following areas:

  • Hidden above metal ceilings
  • Inside cupboards
  • Plant rooms
  • Behind steel beams
  • Mounted where convenient rather than where coverage is needed.

These locations are not conducive to decent network signal and coverage. 

Older Wi-Fi Equipment Struggles

Is the hardware in your office up to date? Do your colleagues’ devices operate on the same Wi-Fi standard as your hardware? 

If you are using hardware (e.g. routers, access points) that operate on an older Wi-Fi standard, then you’re not utilising the tech available to you. 

Conversely, if your colleagues’ devices are older and not using a newer Wi-Fi standard when your hardware is, then their device(s) could be slowing down your whole network. 

You want to be using the newest available features possible, which is currently likely to be Wi-Fi 7. All hardware and user devices should, where possible, be using the same Wi-Fi standard to ensure efficiency and capacity. 

How a Professional Wi-Fi Survey Identifies the Real Problem

Up until now, your Office Manager or Facilities Manager might have been guessing. Your internal IT Team has probably done their best to fix what they think the problem is. But here at Geekabit, we don’t guess. We measure. 

We look at all the factors that could be affecting your network performance, including:

  • Coverage
  • Capacity
  • Interference
  • Channel usage
  • Client density
  • Roaming
  • Heatmaps

Our Wi-Fi engineers don’t just fix symptoms – They identify the root cause and find the solution.

You can read more about our Wi-Fi Site Surveys here. 

Signs Your Office Has a Network Capacity Problem

  • Wi-Fi slows at the same time every day, e.g. 9.15am
  • Teams calls freeze.
  • Staff disconnect and reconnect frequently.
  • Guest Wi-Fi becomes unusable.
  • Performance improves after lunch.
  • Complaints increase when meeting rooms are busy.
  • Speed tests vary dramatically.
  • Staff move closer to access points.

The Good News

In Wi-Fi excerpt hands, most issues can be resolved without replacing everything.

Sometimes solutions include:

  • Better AP placement
  • Channel optimisation
  • Transmit power adjustments
  • Additional correctly positioned APs
  • Modern Wi-Fi standards
  • Better switching
  • Network redesign

And in even better news – Geekabit can help with all of these things! 

Conclusion

If your Wi-Fi only struggles when everyone is in the office, that’s actually really useful information. It points towards a capacity or design issue rather than an internet problem. 

With the right analysis and optimisation, businesses can transform user experience without unnecessary hardware upgrades.

Give our friendly team at Geekabit a call and see how we can help optimise your business Wi-Fi network. 

Is your office Wi-Fi slowing down every morning?

Geekabit specialises in diagnosing and solving business Wi-Fi performance problems across London and the South of England.

Whether you need a professional Wi-Fi survey, troubleshooting, or a complete wireless redesign, our experienced engineers can identify exactly what’s causing the slowdown and recommend the most effective solution.

Get in touch today to arrange a professional Wi-Fi assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my office Wi-Fi slow down at the same time every day?

This is usually a sign of a capacity issue rather than a broadband fault. As staff arrive and connect laptops, phones, tablets and other devices, the wireless network becomes much busier. If the Wi-Fi wasn’t designed to handle that level of demand, performance can deteriorate rapidly during peak periods.

Why is my internet speed test still fast if the Wi-Fi feels slow?

A broadband speed test measures the connection between your office and your internet provider. It doesn’t measure how efficiently your Wi-Fi is delivering that connection to dozens or hundreds of devices. Your internet connection may be healthy while your wireless network is struggling with congestion or interference.

How many devices can one Wi-Fi access point support?

There’s no fixed number, as it depends on the type of applications being used, the Wi-Fi standard, and the environment. Modern business-grade access points can support many connected devices, but real-world performance depends on how much airtime each device consumes. Activities like video conferencing place far greater demands on the network than simply checking emails.

Will adding another Wi-Fi access point solve the problem?

Not necessarily. If additional access points are installed without careful planning, they can create more interference and actually reduce performance. A professional wireless survey helps determine whether more access points are needed and, just as importantly, where they should be positioned and how they should be configured.

Can Microsoft Teams and Zoom affect Wi-Fi performance?

Yes. Video conferencing applications generate continuous, real-time traffic that is more demanding than typical web browsing or email. When many employees join video calls simultaneously, the wireless network must handle significantly more traffic while maintaining low latency and minimal packet loss.

What is a Wi-Fi site survey?

A Wi-Fi site survey is a detailed assessment of your wireless network. Using specialist tools, engineers measure signal strength, coverage, interference, channel usage, roaming behaviour and capacity. The results help identify the root causes of poor performance and provide clear recommendations for improvement.

Can you fix office Wi-Fi without replacing everything?

In many cases, yes. Performance issues are often caused by poor design, incorrect configuration or unsuitable access point placement rather than faulty hardware. Optimising the existing network can frequently deliver substantial improvements without the cost of a complete replacement.

How can Geekabit help?

Geekabit specialises in business Wi-Fi design, troubleshooting and optimisation. We carry out professional Wi-Fi surveys, diagnose performance issues, and recommend practical, evidence-based solutions that improve reliability, coverage and capacity for businesses of all sizes.

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Why Does My Office Wi-Fi Keep Disconnecting Randomly? (Even Though the Signal Looks Strong)

We’ve all been there at some point. The signal looks strong, but the Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting. It’s an extremely common business complaint. 

Many companies immediately jump to blame their ISP – Surely it must be the broadband provider! But this isn’t necessarily the case every time a member of staff reports random disconnections. 

Our Wi-Fi engineers often find that the broadband is actually working perfectly – And the problem instead lies with the office wireless network. 

Modern businesses and offices now rely on cloud applications, Microsoft Teams, VoIP phones, VPNs and remote desktops. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?), this also means that Wi-Fi issues are exposed much quicker than they would if employees were only using the internet for browsing the web. 

Did you know that ‘strong signal’ and ‘good Wi-Fi’ are not the same thing? Well, now you do. 

This article is going to explain the most common causes of disconnecting Wi-Fi in the office and how professional Wi-Fi experts can go about diagnosing the problem.

What “Random Disconnects” Actually Look Like

What does a ‘random disconnect’ look like in real world terms in a modern office or business? Your IT Managers might be getting reports of:

  • Microsoft Teams calls freezing for a few seconds before reconnecting
  • Zoom meetings dropping unexpectedly
  • VPN connections disconnecting while working remotely
  • Cloud software logging users out unexpectedly
  • Remote Desktop sessions disconnecting
  • File uploads stopping midway through
  • Wi-Fi printing intermittently failing
  • Mobile phones switching to 4G because Wi-Fi briefly stopped responding

Of course, IT Managers might also be getting much more vague complaints that are less specific to a current issue but sound a bit like: 

  • “The internet keeps going funny.”
  • “Everything just pauses.”
  • “It’s fine most of the time.”
  • “Only happens in certain meeting rooms.”
  • “It works after I turn Wi-Fi off and back on.”

The problem with intermittent Wi-Fi faults like this is that they are often harder to identify as they don’t leave behind much evidence or any obvious problem other than “the Wi-Fi is hanging.”  

Why Signal Bars Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Your signal bars might be full, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the Wi-Fi your device is receiving is as strong. 

Imagine 5 people in the same room, all shouting. Everyone in the room can hear each other clearly, but actual communication is difficult. 

Signal strength is really only measuring how loudly the Access Point can be heard. What it doesn’t measure or show you is:

  • Congestion – Lots of devices all competing for bandwidth
  • Interference – Building infrastructure (like walls and ceilings) blocking the signal
  • Packet loss – When tiny packets of information get sent from your device but don’t reach their destination
  • Latency – How long it takes data to travel from your device to the router and back again

Wi-Fi airtime is the total amount of time wireless devices spend transmitting data over your network’s radio frequency. Because Wi-Fi is a shared medium where only one device can transmit at a time on a channel, the devices in your office must take turns. Slower devices take longer to transmit the same amount of data, consuming excessive airtime, so one older device can slow down a whole network. 

For all these reasons, a busy office network can have excellent signal, but poor performance. 

The Most Common Causes of Disconnecting Wi-Fi in an Office

Poor Wi-Fi Roaming

Devices can often cling to an Access Point for too long, instead of moving to one with a better location. This is known as a “sticky client.” This could look like a colleague walking around the office with their laptop connected to an AP at the opposite end of the building. 

Modern enterprise systems help devices to roam efficiently – But they only work if they are correctly designed and deployed. 

Poor Wi-Fi roaming can cause:

  • Delays
  • Dropped calls
  • Temporary loss of connectivity

Channel Interference

Channel Interference can happen when nearby offices use overlapping channels, or when there are multiple neighbouring Wi-Fi networks. 

Co-channel interference occurs when separate devices or networks use the identical frequency channel simultaneously. Adjacent channel interference happens when devices operate on overlapping or closely neighboring frequencies, causing signal “bleeding”. While co-channel forces devices to share airtime and wait their turn, adjacent channel is usually more disruptive as it corrupts data.

Things like the office microwave can also cause interference with Wi-Fi networks as they run on the same frequency band. 

Bluetooth congestion also causes channel interference issues. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share the crowded 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency band. When multiple devices attempt to transmit data on overlapping frequencies simultaneously, packet collisions occur. Devices then drop connection or slow down to retransmit lost data. Bluetooth mitigates this via Frequency Hopping, but heavy congestion in small areas causes interruptions.

Channel planning is a really important step when designing Wi-Fi networks, but is often overlooked.

Too Many Devices on One Access Point

Whilst one AP may technically be able to support many devices, performance does depend on the workload. If employees are heavily using video conferencing then this is going to consume significantly more airtime than, for example, email would. 

You may also find that employees congregating in a meeting room suddenly creates a spike in demand. Guest devices can also increase contention. 

Adding another AP might seem like the simple solution, but in order to work effectively it must be designed correctly. 

Incorrect Power Settings

An Access Point (AP) does not need to run at full transmit power because a loud, high-powered signal can cause client communication imbalances, creates overlapping interference, and ruins wireless roaming.

A lower power setting often yields better Wi-Fi performance because:

  • Two-Way Communication Balance – The receiving device needs to be able to transmit back to the AP, so if the AP is transmitting at full power and reaching a device that’s too far away to return the signal, it can cause dropped packets, high retry rates and lag.  
  • Preventing “Sticky” Clients: Devices like phones tend to latch onto the strongest Wi-Fi signal they can hear. If an AP broadcasts at full power, a client will stay connected to a distant AP even when walking right past a closer one, resulting in terrible performance and inefficient roaming.
  • Minimizing Interference: Powerful signals bleed through walls. In multi-AP environments, high power leads to overlapping coverage and Co-Channel Interference (CCI), effectively clogging up the available airtime.

So whilst IT Managers might respond to “poor Wi-Fi” by turning up the power on AP’s, that might actually cause more problems. Professional tuning helps to provide a better balance and thus, better Wi-Fi performance for the office. 

Consumer Wi-Fi in Business Environments

Many SME’s (and even some bigger companies!) think they can get away with consumer Wi-Fi with ISP-provided routers and domestic mesh systems. But these are designed for homes, not offices. 

Just sticking in a plug-in Wi-Fi extender and powerline adapter is not going to work in an office with dozens or even hundreds of users moving around throughout the day. 

An office needs business Wi-Fi, designed for a business environment. 

Firmware or Controller Issues

9 times out of 10, Wi-Fi problems come down to configuration issues. However, occasionally our Wi-Fi engineers see problems arise from:  

  • Firmware bugs
  • Failed updates
  • Incompatible client devices
  • Controller software problems
  • Hardware faults

It is very important to keep up with updates, but in a controlled manner where firmware updates are monitored and checked rather than just automatically installing every new release straight away. 

How Wi-Fi Professionals Diagnose These Office Internet Problems

How do us Wi-Fi professionals identify the problems in a troublesome office wireless network? We have a lot of tools at our disposal to diagnose Wi-Fi problems and lead network design. 

Here are some of the tools we use as Wi-Fi engineers to help fix your wireless network. 

Wi-Fi Heatmaps

Used to:

  • Measure coverage.
  • Identify dead zones.
  • Detect excessive overlap.

Spectrum Analysis

  • Finding non-Wi-Fi interference.
  • Identifying hidden RF noise.

Client Analysis

  • Looking at roaming behaviour.
  • Retry rates.
  • Disconnect events.

Packet Captures

  • Understanding authentication failures.
  • DHCP problems.
  • DNS delays.
  • Application behaviour.

Channel Planning

  • Selecting optimal channels.
  • Reducing interference.
  • Balancing utilisation.

Whilst your IT department might tell you to turn it off and on, diagnosing Wi-Fi is rarely about guessing. It relies on precise measurement and knowing what to do with that data in order to design and deploy the most efficient network possible for your business or office. 

Why Rebooting Often “Fixes” Things

It’s the age old joke, isn’t it – Just turn it off and on again! Ta-dah! It’s miraculously fixed. But is it, really? Let’s take a look at why rebooting often looks like it’s solved the problem. 

When we reboot something, or turn it off and on again, here’s what’s actually happening:

  • Temporary memory is cleared
  • Clients are disconnected and then reconnected
  • Radio utilisation is reset
  • Congestion is temporarily reduced
  • Stuck processes are cleared

In the short term, great, it seems to get things back on track. But underneath the surface…

  • Poor coverage remains
  • Interference remains
  • Incorrect design remains
  • Roaming problems remain

And that’s exactly why the problem usually returns a few days later, if not sooner!

Can You Troubleshoot It Yourself?

Sometimes your IT team will be able to fix it. Sometimes even a well-versed-in-Wi-Fi colleague will manage to get things working better. Things that members of your team can very much keep on top of are:

  • Occasionally rebooting your networking equipment
  • Carefully updating firmware
  • Considering careful placement of hardware (e.g. not putting AP’s in cupboards or above metal ceilings)
  • Separating guest traffic from the main network
  • Using a wired connection wherever it’s practical to do so
  • Not relying solely on signal bars or internet speed tests

If problems remain, then it may be time to dig a little deeper. 

  • Exactly where are issues occurring? 
  • Are particular issues happening at certain times of day?

When things don’t improve with the obvious fixes and troubleshooting ideas, then it may be time to call in the professionals to help you get to the bottom of your office Wi-Fi problem.

When It’s Time for a Professional Wi-Fi Survey

Signs that you should call the Wi-Fi experts and arrange a Wi-Fi Survey are:

  • Staff that complain every week about the Wi-Fi
  • Video meetings regularly failing
  • Phones disconnecting when moving around the office
  • Warehouse scanners losing connection
  • Barcode scanners pausing
  • VoIP calls breaking up
  • Worsening Wi-Fi as the business has grown
  • Multiple DIY fixes not helping
  • You’re moving office
  • You’re refurbishing existing premises

A Wi-Fi Survey might be viewed as an unnecessary expense, however, the price of a Wi-Fi Survey is significantly less than the hidden productivity losses caused by unreliable Wi-Fi. 

Conclusion

Reliable Wi-Fi is rarely about simply buying expensive hardware, but more about intelligent network design. 

A strong signal does not guarantee reliable performance, and there are many factors to consider when designing and deploying a wireless network for an office or business. 

Employees shouldn’t need to even think about the Wi-Fi – They should be able to simply get on with their jobs with a wireless network that supports their productivity. 

Investing in the right Wi-Fi design from the outset can save significant time and frustration in the future. 

If your office is experiencing persistent wireless issues, then please do contact our expert Wi-Fi engineers here at Geekabit to arrange an independent assessment of your network. 

FAQ Answers

Why does my Wi-Fi disconnect even when I have full signal?

Signal strength only indicates how well your device can hear the access point. It doesn’t reflect interference, congestion, packet loss or roaming issues. It’s entirely possible to have full signal while experiencing unreliable connectivity.

Can too many devices cause Wi-Fi to disconnect?

Yes. Every device shares the available wireless airtime. As more devices compete for access—particularly those using video conferencing or large file transfers—performance can suffer, leading to delays or temporary disconnections.

Why do Microsoft Teams calls keep dropping on Wi-Fi?

Video calls are sensitive to even brief interruptions. Roaming issues, interference, congestion or packet loss that go unnoticed during web browsing can quickly disrupt Teams calls, causing freezing, poor audio or dropped meetings.

Should I buy more wireless access points?

Not necessarily. More access points can improve coverage, but if they’re positioned or configured incorrectly they can actually increase interference and make performance worse. Network design is just as important as the number of access points.

Can my broadband be fine but my Wi-Fi still be the problem?

Absolutely. Many businesses have fast broadband connections but experience poor wireless performance because of interference, poor coverage, outdated equipment or incorrect configuration inside the office.

Does rebooting my Wi-Fi actually solve the issue?

Rebooting can temporarily improve performance by reconnecting devices and clearing temporary faults, but it rarely addresses the underlying cause. If problems return regularly, further investigation is usually needed.

How do professionals diagnose Wi-Fi problems?

Professional engineers use specialist tools to create coverage heatmaps, analyse radio frequency interference, review client behaviour, capture network traffic and assess channel usage. This allows them to identify the root cause rather than relying on guesswork.

What’s the difference between interference and weak signal?

Weak signal means your device struggles to hear the access point. Interference occurs when other devices or nearby networks compete for the same radio frequencies, disrupting communication even if the signal itself appears strong.

How long does a business Wi-Fi survey take?

The duration depends on the size and complexity of the premises. Small offices may take a couple of hours, while larger buildings or warehouses can require a full day or more. The survey includes detailed measurements and recommendations.

Can older laptops or phones cause Wi-Fi problems?

Older devices can struggle with modern wireless standards or remain connected to distant access points for longer than they should. While they’re not always the root cause, a mixture of old and new devices can highlight weaknesses in a poorly designed network.

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“Why is my office Wi-Fi slow when internet speed tests are fine?”

As an IT Manager or Director, you’d probably expect a Wi-Fi failure to look catastrophically obvious. Like sirens wailing and offline-related casualties strewn throughout the office. 

But most Wi-Fi failures don’t look like failures. Office Wi-Fi problems in London can really fly under the radar.

  • Access points? Online
  • Internet connection – Fast
  • No major outages on monitoring tools

And yet, your Teams calls drop, Zoom freezes and perhaps most importantly – Staff are complaining about slow Wi-Fi on a daily basis. What is going on? 

It’s at this point most of our clients contact us for help. Persistent Wi-Fi problems when the obvious vital signs look okay are one of the most common reasons organisations in London contact Geekabit for a Wi-Fi survey or investigation into the cause of the problem. 

“What is wrong with my office Wi-Fi? Everything Looks Fine!”

When your colleagues or staff members are constantly complaining about the office Wi-Fi it’s no fun for IT Managers at all. Especially when the IT Team are seeing:

  • Strong signal strength
  • Healthy internet bandwidth
  • No hardware faults
  • No ISP issues

On the surface, everything looks like the Wi-Fi should be performing well. But in reality, you’ve got users experiencing:

  • Poor Microsoft Teams calls
  • Random disconnects
  • Slow Wi-Fi roaming between areas
  • Applications pausing unexpectedly
  • Complaints concentrated in specific locations

So what is actually going on in these woeful Wi-Fi scenarios?

Five Hidden Causes of Poor Office Wi-Fi

1. Too Many Devices Sharing Airtime

Modern London offices tend to have:

  • Users with multiple devices all connected to the office Wi-Fi including Laptops, Smartphones and Tablets
  • Meeting room systems
  • Wireless displays
  • IoT devices

Imagine all of these devices and systems all trying to connect to the office Wi-Fi at the same time. The problem is often contention rather than coverage. Hence why the Wi-Fi monitoring systems and the user experience can differ so much. 

2. Co-Channel Interference

Many busy London offices and modern office buildings accidentally create their own interference.

Typical causes of Wi-Fi interference in office environments include:

  • Too many access points
  • Poor channel planning
  • Legacy configurations
  • Neighbouring office networks

3. Office Roaming

In many office environments, users can be constantly on the move. Replying to emails whilst making a coffee. Checking files on the network from meetings. Roaming from floor to floor meeting with colleagues. Connecting to a Teams meeting on your way back to your desk. 

Wi-Fi problems like Teams calls dropping whilst roaming can be due to:

  • Devices sticking to distant APs instead of moving with the user and connecting to the nearest 
  • Poor handoffs between floors

4. Meeting Room Wi-Fi Congestion

One meeting room can generate more demand than an entire office area. Now imagine multiple meeting rooms all trying to function at the same time.

Common symptoms of meeting room Wi-Fi congestion can be:

  • Teams issues
  • Wireless presentation failures
  • Slow guest access

5. The Building Itself

Many of our clients are London-based. Offices in the capital often have specific challenges to overcome when it comes to identifying hidden causes of Wi-Fi problems at work. 

London offices tend to consist of many potential network disruptors, including:

  • Multi-floor buildings
  • Dense neighbouring Wi-Fi networks
  • Glass partitions
  • Concrete cores
  • Users who hot-desk (and flexible working)
  • High user density in relatively small spaces

The signal bars on your monitoring systems aren’t telling IT Managers the whole story. 

Why Speed Tests Often Mislead

As an IT Manager, you might look at a speed test and see that internet speeds are good, so assume all must be well with the Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, internet speed tests can often mislead people into thinking there isn’t a problem. Here are a few reasons why Wi-Fi speed tests don’t show the whole picture. 

Internet speed ≠ Wi-Fi Performance

You might also be asking why is my internet speed, but my Wi-Fi still slow? It’s because the internet speed shown in a speed test is only the capacity of the wired connection – That is the speed of the internet coming into your office via fibre or cable. The Wi-Fi performance depends on what happens to the internet after it enters your office and goes through your router – How the Wi-Fi performs depends on the local, wireless distribution of that initial speed. 

So the speed might look fine, but how the wireless signal is distributed could be affected by:

  • Physical interference (e.g. building materials)
  • The distance the signal is travelling (are there enough AP’s and are they deployed in the right places?)
  • Hardware limitations (is the hardware up to date and still in good working order?)
  • Having to share with lots of other devices (which might be older and slower)

These things can all degrade the speed that is delivered to your devices. Your network is only as fast as your slowest link, regardless of the speed coming into your building. 

“Why am I not getting the 1Gb connection I pay for?”

You may be paying for 1Gb internet, but that may not be translating into user experience. 

This goes back to what we said above – Your network is only as fast as your slowest link. So you might well be getting 1Gb internet speeds into your building, but what is happening after the wireless signal is distributed by your router? 

There is little point in paying for 1Gb internet speeds if you don’t have the hardware capabilities to match it. It’s important that your router and AP’s have the capabilities to effectively transmit that Wi-Fi signal and speed. Older phones, laptops, tablets and other devices that use older wireless standards are also going to cap your maximum speed lower than what you’re paying for. 

What matters more than raw bandwidth when it comes to internet speeds? 

Whilst bandwidth is important, there are other factors at play when it comes to how fast an internet connection feels. 

Bandwidth is the capacity to move a high volume of data. How fast and responsively that data is delivered is influenced by:

  • Latency
  • Airtime
  • Roaming

There are many interactive applications that only need a little bandwidth, but demand instant, unhindered transmission in order to feel fast.

How Can Wi-Fi Speed Problems Be Investigated? 

Here at Geekabit, our expert  Wi-Fi engineers have a number of tools at their disposal in order to help investigate Wi-Fi problems and identify solutions.

Spectrum Analysis for Wi-Fi 

Wi-Fi spectrum analysis is the process of scanning and visualizing the invisible radio frequencies (RF) used by your wireless network. It helps network administrators, IT Managers and our expert Wi-Fi engineers to identify, locate, and mitigate interference from both Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi devices. This allows us to optimize network channels and improve speeds.

Why might spectrum analysis be necessary? The frequency bands used by Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) are unlicensed, meaning anyone can transmit signals there. While standard network scanners only see other routers, a spectrum analyzer sees all the energy in the air. This can then help inform decisions about Wi-Fi deployment in order to minimise interference. 

Wi-Fi Client Behaviour Analysis

Wi-Fi client behaviour analysis evaluates how connected devices (clients) interact with a wireless network or how people move through a physical space using their devices. 

It can be split into two main categories: Business Analytics (consumer tracking, i.e. seeing how a customer moves through a retail space) and Network Troubleshooting (looking at the technical performance in a workspace). 

Network troubleshooting is going to be most helpful in an office environment, enabling Network Administrators and IT Managers to understand device performance throughout the office, identify problem areas and thus improve network health and performance.

Client Behaviour Analysis in Network Troubleshooting would likely look at:

  • Roaming behaviour – How are devices transitioning between Access Points? Are there any ‘sticky’ clients that refuse to disconnect from weak, distant AP’s? Are there any dead spots?
  • Device capabilities – Are there any legacy devices that are slowing things down? Which clients support modern protocols (which Wi-Fi standard or frequency band are they utilising?)

Professional Wi-Fi Site Surveys

Wi-Fi Site Surveys are a key tool in analysing the performance of your network, helping to diagnose your Wi-Fi problems as well as measure our success fixing your Wi-Fi issues. 

A Wi-Fi site survey is the most effective way to design, troubleshoot, or optimise a wireless network for homes, offices, warehouses, schools, and commercial environments.

Our expert Wi-Fi engineers work out of London, Hampshire and Cardiff. An on-site survey always provides the most accurate results, however for circumstances where this is not possible, we also offer predictive Wi-Fi site surveys using industry-standard modelling software.

You can find out more about our Wi-Fi Site Surveys here. 

Wi-Fi Capacity Planning

Analysing the Wi-Fi Site Survey, spectrum and client behaviour mean that our expert Wi-Fi engineers can effectively plan for your Wi-Fi capacity, making sure your wireless network fits your bespoke office needs. 

Wi-Fi capacity planning is the process of designing a wireless network to support the concurrent demands of users, devices, and applications, rather than just ensuring basic signal reach. It calculates the network’s ability to handle traffic without congestion, ensuring seamless performance even during peak usage. 

A robust capacity plan goes beyond simple coverage and translates real-world traffic demands into specific hardware and configuration requirements. 

“Why does my office Wi-Fi look fine but still feel slow?”

In conclusion, the biggest Wi-Fi problems are often invisible.

If users in your office or workspace  are complaining about slow Wi-Fi despite healthy-looking dashboards, the issue may not be with your internet connection, access points or ISP.

As we’ve outlined above, it may be the way the wireless environment behaves in the real world. And this can be affected by various factors. 

If you have tried everything you can think of to improve your slow office Wi-Fi but things still aren’t improving, then call in the experts. Geekabit helps organisations across Central London, Canary Wharf and the City identify and solve complex Wi-Fi problems through professional site surveys, troubleshooting and wireless network optimisation. Get in touch with our friendly team today.

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