Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face situations where the provider’s stated mobile or Wi-Fi connection speeds are not the same as real speeds. The device can slowly load pages, clips in buffering, and games suffer from high ping. This is especially annoying when the plan allows for much more than the screen shows. The problem is not always a bad tower or router signal, but the software limitations of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
There are a number of hidden settings and system settings that are conservatively set by default to save battery power, but limit channel bandwidth. Competent network optimization can do wonders by squeezing the maximum possible from the communication module. In this article, we will discuss non-obvious methods that will help you significantly improve download speed and connection stability without using third-party software.
Diagnostics of the current state of the network
Before making changes to system files and hidden menus, you need to get objective data about the current situation. The standard indicator in the status bar shows only the presence of a signal, but not its quality or real bandwidth. For accurate diagnosis, it is recommended to use specialized tools such as Speedtest by Ookla or the built-in tester in the Xiaomi security settings.
Pay attention to Ping (latency) and Jitter (instability). High ping is critical for online gaming and video calls, even if download speeds are high. Low signal strength (less than two divisions) is often a physical barrier that is software-intensive to get around, but you can improve reception by changing the frequency range.
- 📡 Check the signal level in dBm: the closer the value to -50, the better (norm to) -90 dB).
- ⚡ Measure the speed at different Wi-Fi frequencies: 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz.
- 📉 Compare day and night to avoid overloading the provider’s network.
If the rates are significantly lower than the rates stated in the tariff, it is worth checking whether the mode is not turned on traffic or energy saving, which aggressively limits the background activity of applications, and it is also important to exclude physical interference, such as thick walls or a running microwave near the router.
Shift. DNS-servers to speed up response
One of the most effective and safest ways to increase page opening speed is to change your page. DNS-Servers: Providers default to their domain name servers, which can be overloaded or slow to respond to queries. DNS Google or Cloudflare often reduces server response time.
In modern versions of Android and shells MIUI / HyperOS can be done without root rights through settings DNS. This method works for both Wi-Fi and mobile internet, providing faster search. IP-site addresses.
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Use the address dns.google or 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com for maximum speed and security connections.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the option “Private DNS Provider Host Name” and enter the address manually. After saving, restart your smartphone to apply the changes.
⚠️ Note: Incorrectly entered host address DNS If you've lost your network after you've entered the settings, return the value to Auto or Disconnected».
Engineering menu and priority network selection
Android’s hidden engineering menu allows access to deep radio settings, where you can force your smartphone to work only on 4G/LTE networks, preventing it from rolling into slower 3G or 2G signals when the signal is unstable, especially in areas of uncertain reception.
To log in to the menu, use the code ##4636## in the call app. If the code is not working (some firmwares have closed access), you can use the Activity Launcher app to search for Testing or Phone Info activity.
What if the code doesn't work?
In the menu that opens, select Phone Information and find “Configure preferred network type.” Select LTE only or NR/LTE/GSM for high-speed enforcement. However, remember that LTE only may not be running incoming calls unless VoLTE is enabled.
☑️ Checking the radio module settings
Reset network settings and APN access points
Accumulation of APN configuration errors can significantly slow the Internet. Providers periodically change gateway parameters, and old phone records can conflict with new ones. Resetting network settings to factory values often solves the Internet's "dumb" problem after a system update.
Resets can be done via Settings menu → Connection and Sharing → Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth → Reset your Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth settings. This operation will not delete your personal data, photos or contacts, but will forget passwords from Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices.
| Parameter APN | Value for most operators | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Internet (anything) | Name of the point |
| APN | internet | Basic parameter |
| Proxy | (empty) | Don't fill it! |
| Port | (empty) | Don't fill it! |
| Protocol | IPv4/IPv6 | Recommended type |
Once reset, it is recommended to recreate the access point, making sure that the Proxy and Port fields are empty. Often it is the presence of old proxy servers in these fields that inhibits the connection. For mobile operators (MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele2), the settings are usually loaded automatically via SMS, but manual verification will not hurt.
Optimizing Wi-Fi: Frequency and Channels
In apartment buildings, the 2.4 GHz band is often very noisy with neighbouring routers. If your router is dual-band, be sure to connect your smartphone to a 5 GHz network. This will ensure not only speed, but also stability of the connection, since the 5 GHz channel is less crowded.
It’s also worth checking whether the Wi-Fi Assistant or Mobile Internet Switch feature is enabled on the smartphone. In some cases, Xiaomi’s algorithms may mistakenly think the network is slow and constantly try to switch to mobile data, creating connection breaks.
For advanced users, the option of using random MAC-While this increases privacy, in rare cases, older routers may not work properly with this feature, limiting speed. MAC-Addresses on the Wi-Fi menu «MAC-address of the device.
Hidden Developer Flags
There are hidden parameters in the developer menu that affect network protocols, and activating some of them can improve network performance, although the effect depends on the processor model and the Android version. To access the menu, you need to click 7 times on the build number in the About Phone section.
Find Wi-Fi Aggressive Switching, which allows the phone to switch faster between cell towers or Wi-Fi hotspots if the signal becomes weak, and note “Mobile is always active” – this option speeds up push notifications, but consumes more battery.
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Turning on channel aggregation allows you to combine signals of different frequencies, which theoretically increases the speed, but can more drain the battery.
⚠️ Warning: Be careful when changing the settings in the developer menu. Enabling the option "Always keep mobile network active" can lead to increased battery consumption up to the time of the change. 15-20% day-to-day.
The Impact of Background Processes and VPN
A common cause of low speed is background apps that are actively consuming traffic. Torrents, cloud storage, photo syncing, or game updates in the background can completely clog the channel. Check traffic usage statistics in settings and limit background activity for heavy applications.
Special attention deserves VPN-services. Free of charge. VPN They're often overcrowded and have low bandwidth. VPN, Try to turn it off and check the speed. To encrypt traffic, you better use paid, verified services or the Turbo mode built into the browser».
It is also worth checking for malware. Some viruses can use your internet to mine or send spam, which steals speed without the user's notice. An antivirus scanner built into Xiaomi's Security will help identify threats.