The popular 5 household devices slowing your Wi-Fi speed - full list

There are several common devices in modern households that make your Wi-Fi slower, according to experts. Slow Wi-Fi is incredibly frustrating, especially when you are trying to stream your favourite series or work from home. If Wi-Fi starts to slow down, many people might be tempted to call up their provider straight away, and others might even go for a more expensive plan to improve their experience.

But that is not always the answer. Instead, you should first look at how you can improve your Wi-Fi yourself by making simple changes in your home. The most important thing to consider is the placement of your router. This little device is what distributes your connection throughout your home, and a number of things can stop it from doing its job properly. For example, placing it next to thick walls or on the floor can seriously slow down your internet speeds. But it's also important to consider which devices are using up most of your Wi-Fi connection, even when they are not in use.

Tech experts at TelephoneSystems.Cloud have named the five common household items that are slowing down your Wi-Fi. "Many households don't realise that everyday gadgets from smart speakers and doorbells, to robot vacuum cleaners, can affect your internet speed," said technical director Juliet Moran.

"It's easy to overlook how many connected devices you actually have, particularly in modern homes where smart devices are becoming increasingly common."

She explained that most Wi-Fi issues are caused by having too many devices connected. Even while some of these devices are in standby mode, they can use up a huge chunk of your connection.

"It could be as easy as removing unused devices or using an ethernet cable where possible, to needing an upgrade to a modern router or a new internet plan if all else fails," she added.

These are the devices that are slowing down your Wi-Fi.

Smart TVs use up a lot of your connection when they are in use, but they also do so when they are not in use. These TVs can hold a number of apps and programmes, all of which make it easy for you to watch what you want in a matter of clicks.

Nowadays, there are more streaming services than ever, many of which you probably have on your Smart TV. These apps and programmes require frequent upgrades and downloads, often happening automatically, so the latest version is ready for you to use when you want to stream.

These constant downloads take up a lot of internet speed. The more apps you have on your smart TV, the slower your Wi-Fi can be. To combat this, consider plugging out your smart TV from your outlet when it is not in use, so it's not using your signal when you're not using it.

A similar thing happens with streaming devices such as an Amazon Fire TV or an Apple TV box, which plug into your TV and essentially make it work like a smart TV.

These devices silently eat bandwidth as they download the latest updates. Just like the above advice, consider plugging them out of outlets when they are not in use, instead of just having them on standby mode al of the time.

This might seem like more effort than it is worth, but it can be a lifesaver when you are trying to use other devices such as laptops, tablets and phones to shop, stream and work.

Online gaming takes up a huge amount of your Wi-Fi signal. When consoles like Xboxes and Playstations are in use, you might notice other things slowing down.

These consoles also make upgrades and download new software when they are in standby mode. It's best to plug these out of outlets when not in use.

When you need to prioritise other things that require the internet, it might be best to forgo the gaming for a little while until you are done using your other internet-connected devices.

Frequent updates in the background and voice queries use more bandwidth than you might realise. In fact, they require constant access to signal when they are plugged in.

These devices tend to be on most of if not all of the time. If you run into issues with your Wi-Fi speeds, consider unplugging these to see if things improve.

Plus, they should be kept away from your router because signals can clash, causing your Wi-Fi to slow down.

Collectively, these gadgets use a lot of bandwidth. Think of things like robotic vacuum cleaners, security cameras and thermostats. Individually, these all use a small bandwidth.

However, many households are introducing more and more of these items. When they are all used at once, they each chip away at your internet speeds. Consider this when choosing a Wi-Fi plan, your router placement and which devices you are using at what time.