Why Your Wi-Fi Slows Down in the Evening — Explained by a Wickford Tech
It’s 7pm. You’ve settled down to stream something, your kids are on Roblox, and suddenly the Wi-Fi feels like it’s running through treacle. Sound familiar? You’re not alone — it’s one of the most common complaints I hear from customers in Wickford, Basildon and Rayleigh.
With a background in the telecoms industry as well as years of local IT repairs, I see the same patterns over and over. The good news? A lot of them can be fixed.
Peak-time congestion
Think of broadband like a motorway. At 2pm it’s clear, but at 7pm everyone’s piling on at once. Streaming, gaming, Zoom calls, smart TVs, tablets… the more households using the network, the busier it gets.
In Wickford, where many homes share the same street cabinet or exchange, that demand shows up as slower speeds for everyone.
Hub placement mistakes
Here’s where my telco experience really comes in. I’ve seen countless homes where the broadband hub is shoved behind a TV, under a desk, or even in a cupboard. Wi-Fi signals hate that. Thick walls, fish tanks, even Christmas lights can block or weaken the signal.
Simple fix: keep your hub out in the open, raised up, and central in the home.
Household overload
It’s not just the neighbourhood — it’s your devices, too. If three people are streaming, one’s gaming, and another is downloading updates, the hub has to juggle it all. Older hubs especially struggle.
Evening interference
Evening is when microwaves are on, neighbours are home, and smart gadgets kick in. All those signals compete, especially on the common 2.4GHz band.
What you can do
Reposition the hub: central, raised, away from TVs or thick walls.
Check connected devices: old phones and forgotten smart plugs eat bandwidth.
Consider mesh Wi-Fi: if coverage is patchy, adding mesh points can transform it.
Review your package: sometimes the issue is simply not enough bandwidth for the household.
When to get help
If your Wi-Fi crawls every evening no matter what you try, it could be more than congestion. Faulty hubs, outdated firmware, or line issues may be at play.
Local support in Wickford
At LaunchLayer, I combine telco experience with local IT repair to help households and small businesses get stable, fast Wi-Fi. From better hub placement to diagnosing line faults, I’ll give you clear, no-nonsense advice before you spend a penny.
