6 Tips that Make Your Wi-Fi Connection Better
Wi-Fi connection can be quite tricky and capricious. One moment you enjoy a fantastic connection and a moment later your stream will linger. Recognizable things we have all had before. Fortunately, there are also plenty of solutions that can tackle most of your problems. With these 7 tips you go a long way when you want to improve your wireless connection in and around your home.
What you should take into account
Before we start the solutions, it is important to know what factors you are dealing with. Things to consider when optimizing your connection. A list of factors that you probably knew, but good to remember.
Distance from router to device - most people use the wifi router they got from the internet provider. These are often simple devices with the simplest hardware. This also means that antennas are used that are not high-tech and cannot bridge large distances. Distance is a factor that annoys many people with a Wi-Fi connection.
Wi-Fi obstacles - Wireless connections can be partially or even blocked completely by obstacles. This way you can have objects in the house that absorb part of your connection, such as walls and ceilings. But other objects in your home can even block a complete connection. This can be by, for example, an aquarium or a certain type of pipe that is incorporated in the wall. 5Ghz networks in particular suffer from obstacles.
Frequencies – Like other wireless devices, Wi-Fi uses radio frequencies. When you have multiple frequencies at home, they can disturb each other. For example, a baby monitor can provide a poor wifi connection, but microwaves and walkie-talkies also have a bad influence on the radio waves of your Wi-Fi connection.
Bad hardware - The standard router you receive from your internet provider is sufficient for an average Dutch person. If you want to get more out of your Wi-Fi, you better buy your own hardware. Most routers on the market today are many times better than the provider’s standard router. By improving and possibly expanding your hardware you can achieve quick results.
Provider - When you are sure that you have a perfect wireless network in-house, it is time to check whether your internet provider keeps to the agreements made. It is possible that there is a bad connection from outside in your home. You can’t even change this. All you can do is contact the provider and discuss your issues. The connection will then be tested by the provider and possibly a technician will be sent to solve it.
Enough about the factors you need to take into account when optimizing your Wi-Fi connection. In short, you now know the most common things that can make your Wi-Fi connection not good. Time to fix it!
Choose the right place for your router
Not every place in the house is equally suitable for placing a router. It is not wise to put the router in a place with metal objects in the area. Metal is the biggest disruptor of a wifi signal. Especially if they also send radio waves that disrupt other frequencies. Other materials can also interfere with the Wi-Fi signal, but to a much lesser extent. It is best to place a Wi-Fi router in an open space at the heart of your home. The meter box, the most common place where a router is located, is not the right place to put this device down. It is full of metals, is behind a closed door and is often not centrally located in your home. When you don’t know which place is best, you can always move your router and test which location provides the best connection.
Updating your hardware
Just like with your smartphone, other devices must be regularly updated with the latest software. The same goes for your router. The software that a router uses can be outdated and no longer function properly. This will provide a poorer wifi connection. By always installing the latest software you can be sure that this does not cause problems. Installing updates is also important to keep your Wi-Fi safe. Software updates also exist security updates and ensure that no one can get unwanted on your network.
Adjust your antennas well or buy powerful antennas
Most Wi-Fi routers come with small, weak antennas. It’s not that manufacturers want to save every penny, but powerful wifi antennas are usually horrible big. This does not alter the fact that it is important to direct the antennas correctly. The best results are achieved by spreading them and aiming them up. When your router is hanging down on the wall with the antennas down your poor wifi signal will experience. Compared to the antenna that comes with your router, which is probably only a few inches long and has about 4 dB amplitude, an antenna of 10 dB can be anywhere between 10 and 15 inches long. If you don’t mind the size, a new, powerful Wi-Fi antenna is a great way to boost Wi-Fi at home without having to buy a new router.
Switching between Wi-Fi channels
Wifi uses different channels. You can compare this to lanes on a highway. When everyone drives in the same lane, you will get congestion and there will be no more traffic, but only stops. This is exactly the same with data. If everyone in your environment broadcasts wifi signal over the same channel you will experience a bad connection. By changing the channel of your Wi-Fi in the router and testing which works best you will see results quickly. All Wi-Fi routers provided by an internet service provider are set to the same default channel. If no one in your neighborhood changes this channel, all traffic goes over the same lane and you get file (data congestion).
Installing additional hardware
When you have tried everything and no longer work, you better buy additional hardware to improve your wifi. First, you can replace the provider’s router with your own more powerful type. Most routers you can buy in the store are many times better than the provider’s standard thing. This makes your wireless connection much better, more stable and bigger. If you have a big house and really want wifi everywhere, placing wifi amplifiers can certainly help you. There are several types of boosters available that provide a larger wireless network. For a stable network, it is best to choose access points. If you do not have internet cables at your disposal, you choose repeaters.
Professional help
Wireless internet can be difficult to install and optimize properly. For some people it is wise to leave the job to an expert. For an IT specialist, it is easy to set up a solid wireless network. Within a few hours you will enjoy fast internet everywhere in the house. Certainly adjusting and setting up equipment properly can be tricky when you don’t know what everything means. Engaging an expert is sometimes the fastest solution.