This article is for anyone joining or hosting Zoom meetings over home Wi-Fi. Every wireless setup is different, so there's no single fix, but the tips below solve most choppy-audio and frozen-video problems, roughly in order of how much they help.
Quick wins during a meeting
- Plug in: if your laptop can connect with an Ethernet cable, that's more reliable than any Wi-Fi fix.
- Turn off your video. If you're the host helping a struggling participant, ask them to turn theirs off.
- Close every application you don't need for the meeting, including music apps, videos, and games.
- Ask others in your household to pause streaming (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and the like) while you're on Zoom.
- If your device is downloading apps or updates, wait for the downloads to finish before joining.
Check your device
- Keep your apps and operating system up to date — check your device settings, the iOS App Store, or Google Play for updates.
- Sit where your Wi-Fi is strongest, with a clear line of sight to the router. The fewer walls and obstacles between you and the router, the better.
- Check your upload and download speed at a site like fast.com or speedtest.net.
Check your router
- Place the router in an open area — not on the floor, not boxed in by walls and furniture. If possible, host your meeting in the same room as the router.
- Keep the router away from devices that interfere with Wi-Fi: baby monitors, Bluetooth speakers, microwaves, game console controllers, and your neighbors' equipment.
- Disconnect or turn off devices that don't need to be on the network — TVs, phones, tablets, smartwatches — when they're not in use.
- Restart your router once a week.
A phone hotspot is not enough for Zoom on a laptop. If your only internet is a mobile hotspot, join the meeting directly from your phone or tablet instead — the Zoom mobile app handles a cellular connection far better than a laptop tethered through one.
Get help
ETS can't troubleshoot home networks or personally owned equipment, but if Zoom problems follow you to a district computer on campus, submit a ticket at helpdesk.fhda.edu or call the ETS Call Center at (408) 864-8324 (x8324). Leave a callback number.