How to Increase Wi-Fi Speed on Xiaomi Phone: A Complete Guide to Tests and Settings

Slow internet on Xiaomi is annoying, especially when the speed on other devices is stable. The problem is not just the router — often the settings of the smartphone itself, the MIUI version, background processes or hardware limitations are to blame. In this article, we will discuss 10 proven ways to speed up Wi-Fi, including hidden firmware features, DNS optimization and even hardware tricks for older models.

We tested each method on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra with different routers (from budget TP-Link to top-end ASUS RT-AX88U), the results are in the comparison table below. Importantly, some settings require unlocking the bootloader or ADB, but most of the ways work out of the box. Let's start with the simplest.

1.Diagnostics: why Wi-Fi is slowing down on Xiaomi

Before optimizing, you need to identify the bottleneck. On Xiaomi, the typical causes of the speed drop are:

• 🔄 Automatic channel selection in the router – the smartphone clings to an overloaded 2.4 GHz instead of a free 5 GHz.
• 📶 Restriction on MAC-Some routers artificially “smother” the speed for unknown devices.
• 🔋 Energy conservation MIUI — aggressive Wi-Fi shutdown in the background (even when connected to charging!).
• 🛠️ Outdated firmware Wi-Fi module – relevant for models 2020–2022 years (Redmi Note) 9/10, POCO X3).

How do you check? Run the settings. → Wi-Fi → ⚙️ (network setting) → If the real speed is below 50% of the ISP's tariff, the problem is with the phone or router. If it's higher, it's the ISP's fault (call for support).

Critical test: connect Xiaomi to a mobile hotspot on another phone (like an iPhone). If the speed has increased, it's a problem in your router. If it's not, it's the smartphone's fault.

2. Forced 5GHz connection: bypassing MIUI restrictions

By default, Xiaomi (like other Android devices) chooses a 2.4GHz network, which is more stable but slower, to force the switch to 5GHz:

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Tap your network name and hold for 2 seconds → select Change Network.
3. In the Frequency (or Range) field, select 5 GHz (if you don’t have an option, see spoiler below).
4. Save and reconnect.

Important: on some firmware MIUI The option is hidden – it can only be turned on through ADB-team:

adb shell settings put global wifi_frequency_band 1

Where 1 is 5 GHz priority, 0 is automatic choice.

⚠️ Warning: After a forced 5GHz switch, the smartphone may lose connection in distant rooms. If the signal is weak, return the automatic mode.

DNS Optimization: How to Speed Up Site Loading by 30-40%

DNS-ISP servers are often slowed down, replaced by Cloudflare or Google. DNS It speeds up the opening of pages (but does not affect the speed of downloading files:

• 🌐 Open the Settings. → Connections → Private DNS.
• 🔧 Select the host name of a private DNS and type in dns.google (Google) 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com (Cloudflare)
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

You can check the DNS speed in the DNS Benchmark app (available on Google Play). On the POCO F4 GT, replacing the DNS from ISP to Cloudflare reduced the ping from 42 ms to 18 ms.

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If some websites (e.g. banking) are no longer open after the DNS change, return the provider’s settings or try AdGuard DNS (dns.adguard.com).

4. Wi-Fi power saving shutdown (hidden setting)

MIUI aggressively saves charge by turning off Wi-Fi in the background, causing permanent connection breaks and speed drops, to turn off the restrictions:

• 🔋 Go to Settings. → Battery → Performance mode.
• 🔄 Choose High Performance (instead of Balanced or Energy Saving).
• 📱 For individual applications (such as YouTube or Steam Link), set exceptions: Open Settings → Annexes → Battery management. Select the application. → No restrictions.