How to speed up the Internet on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the provider’s stated connection speed does not correspond to the real one. Slow loading of pages, video buffering and “hang” messages in messengers can be caused by both software limitations of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, and external factors. Understanding the reasons is the first step to solving the problem, because in modern devices, a complex set of software modules is responsible for data transfer.

In this article, we will discuss proven methods that will help stabilize the connection and increase data transfer speed. DNS-You'll learn how to properly diagnose a problem so you don't waste time on useless activities.

Before we get to the tricky side of the game, we should rule out the trivial reasons: overload by the provider or physical distance from the router. However, if the hardware is fine, then optimizing the smartphone itself can increase speeds by up to 20-30%. Let's look at the basic tools that are available to the user out of the box.

Diagnostics of current connection and identification of bottlenecks

The first thing you need to do is figure out where the problem is, whether it's in the mobile operator, in the Wi-Fi router, or in the settings of the phone itself, and use a built-in speed tester or third-party apps like Ookla Speedtest. Take ping, Download and Upload at different points in your home or office. If the results are very different from what you're looking at, the problem needs to be addressed.

If you see a 4G icon instead of 4G+ or an H+ icon instead of 4G, you can't get your phone to the high bandwidth bandwidth bandwidth. You can force the network type to be selected in your mobile network settings, but you should be careful not to lose coverage in the area of insecure reception.

⚠️ Note: Forced switching only to 4G/LTE In areas with a bad signal can lead to the complete disappearance of the Internet, as the phone will stop “rolling back” to a more stable one. 3G.

It's also worth checking if there's an app running in the background that eats up all traffic, which can be a system update, a cloud photo sync, or a torrent client. Open the Settings menu → Connection and Sharing → Traffic and analyze the list of the most active programs. Often they create a queue of queries, which makes the browser slow.

Optimization of Wi-Fi Module settings

The most common reason for low speeds on Xiaomi is the incorrect operation of the Wi-Fi adapter in conjunction with the router. Modern routers support two bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 2.4 GHz range has a long range, but is heavily noisy with neighboring networks and household appliances. For maximum speed, always try to connect to the 5 GHz network if your router and phone support this standard.

Xiaomi phones have a useful feature called Wi-Fi Assistant that automatically switches you to mobile internet if the Wi-Fi signal becomes weak. Sometimes this feature doesn't work properly and creates permanent breaks. To check and adjust settings, go to Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Assistant. Here you can turn off automatic switching or set up your sense thresholds.

📊 What Wi-Fi range do you use most often?
2.4 GHz (long-range)
5 GHz (speed)
I don't know, it's a car.
I only have wired internet.

Another important parameter is the use of encryption and protocols: make sure that the router (not the phone) has the WPA2/WPA3 security type chosen. Outdated protocols can slow handshake when connecting. On the phone side, you can try resetting network settings if there are persistent authentication errors.

For advanced users, there's a hidden section of the engineering menu where you can see detailed channel and signal level information. However, the standard means is to simply restart the module: turn on the air mode for 10 seconds and turn it off, which forces the radio module to re-enter the network and choose the least noisy channel.

Configure DNS to speed up response

Internet speeds often seem slow due to long response times. DNS-server. DNS (Domain Name System translates the user-friendly site addresses into IP-If the server of the provider is overloaded, the page will take a long time to think before you start loading. DNS from Google or Cloudflare.

In modern versions of Android and MIUI This is done through the “private” function. DNS» (Private DNS). Go to the Settings path → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select the option "Host Name of the provider" DNS» and enter the address dns.google or 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com. This action often works wonders with heavy websites loading.

💡

After changing the DNS, be sure to restart your phone or at least turn on and off In-Flight mode so that the settings apply to all apps.

It is worth noting that the use of third-party DNS This may improve privacy a bit, as the provider won’t see which domains you’re requesting (although it’s not the same as the one you’re requesting). IP-However, if you are on a corporate network with strict restrictions, change the DNS This can lead to blocking access to local resources.

If the automatic configuration through the host name does not work (this happens on older routers or specific providers), you can try to manually prescribe DNS in the Wi-Fi settings of the network. Click on the arrow next to your network name, select IP → Static Settings and in the fields “DNS 1” and “DNS 2” specify the addresses 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 respectively.

Resetting network settings and mobile internet

When problems are related to mobile Internet (LTE/4G/5G), a complete reset of network settings often helps, which will not delete your personal photos or contacts, but will forget all saved passwords from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairs.

To perform the reset, go to Settings → Connection & Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. Confirm and wait for the device to restart. After that, the phone will search the networks again, as if it had just left the factory. This is especially useful after a firmware update, when old configuration files may conflict with new drivers.

☑️ Checklist before network reset

Done: 0 / 4

Special attention should be paid to the settings of the access point (APN). Sometimes the providers change the access settings, and the phone is left with the old ones. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Choose. SIM → Access points (APN). Click Reset at the bottom of the screen to return your operator's standard settings. Don't create a new access point manually if you're not sure about the settings - it's better to use factory presets.

⚠️ Warning: Once you reset your network settings, you'll have to re-enter passwords from all Wi-Fi networks and re-connect your smartwatch or headphones. Be prepared to spend the time. 5-10 minutes to restore the surroundings.

Impact of energy saving and background processes

MIUI and HyperOS shells are known for their aggressive energy saving, which can kill the background processes that maintain a stable connection to save battery power, causing the loads to stop when the screen is locked, and when unlocked, it takes time to restore communication.

To fix this, find your browser or messenger in the list of applications, click Advanced Settings → Autostart and turn it on. Also in the charge saving section, select the option “No restrictions” This will give the application priority in using network resources even when the screen is off.

Another hidden feature is Traffic Saving Mode. If it's on, the system will compress images in the browser and limit background synchronization. Check if this mode is activated accidentally: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Traffic Saving. To speed up the Internet, this mode must be turned off.

The hidden developer setting
In the Developer Menu (on 7x tap on MIUI), you can find the option “Wi-Fi Channel Aggregation.” Enabling this feature allows the phone to use both Wi-Fi and mobile internet for speed, but this can increase battery consumption.

Comparison of optimization methods

Not all methods are equally effective in different situations. Below is a table that will help you choose the best way to solve the problem depending on your symptoms. Remember that a comprehensive approach often gives you a better result than using a single tweak.

Problem.The most effective methodDifficultyRisk
Long loading of pagesChange DNS to Google/CloudflareLow.Minimum
Communications breaks in the roomsSwitching to 2.4 GHz or resetting the networkMediumLow.
Low download speedDisabling traffic savings and background downloadsLow.Absent.
Continuous reconnectionNetwork Reset (Network Reset)Tall.Loss of Wi-Fi passwords

If your phone is over 5 years old, the antenna module may have degraded or oxidized the contacts, in which case software methods only give a temporary effect, and the only solution is to replace the device or professionally repair the antenna path.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why is the Internet running slowly on Xiaomi in some applications?
The problem is probably in the energy saving settings for a particular application or in the cache. Try clearing the cache of the problem application through Settings → Apps and allowing it to autorun. Also check if the background activity restriction is worth it.
Does enabling Developer Mode help speed up the internet?
Developer mode itself doesn't speed up the Internet, but it does have some settings inside it, like "Wi-Fi Aggregation" or a back-end limit, which can indirectly affect connection stability. Be careful when you change unknown settings.
Should you use the Internet accelerator apps from the Play Market?
Most of the time, no. Applications like Internet Booster are more likely to simply clear the DNS cache or display ads without actually generating any real gains, and Android and Xiaomi's built-in tools are more efficient and safer at doing this.
How do I know if the provider is cutting speed?
Connect your phone to your computer through USB-modem or use the same cable (if you have an adapter) to measure the speed on your PC, if you have a high speed on your PC and a low speed on your phone, you have a problem with your phone.
Does a phone’s overcrowded memory affect internet speed?
Yes, it does. If there is less than 1 GB of free memory, the system has nowhere to place temporary files and browser cache, which leads to slow processing of network packets and general sluggishness of the interface.