We all know that ‘aarrgggh’ feeling of frustration that we feel should have been left in the 90’s, the dreaded ‘slow internet’. But wait, before you smash your router in frustration, take a look at our tips for boosting your wifi and internet speed.
1. Put your Wi-Fi router in its proper place.
For the strongest link possible, you should position a Wi-Fi router on a level surface which is not on the floor – this could be a shelf, a cupboard, or countertop. It’s best if it’s in the central point of your home which will allow the radius to engulf the entirety of the house.
Ideally, somewhere out of the way and up high is a good choice, – and well away from dense brick, stone metal or concrete walls which will block the signal. Believe it or not, some wallpapers can hinder the radio waves – and some are even designed to.
Be sure to station your router, as so the signals go straight through the walls – opposed to when it is at an angle. Wi-Fi signals will weaken significantly when they hit a wall at an angle – this has been claimed by the likes of American connectivity giants Verizon. If you are in a multi-floor home or office then place the router on the top floor for maximum coverage.
Certain devices like fridges, baby monitors, microwave ovens, cordless phones, garage door openers, speakers, halogen light bulbs and mirrors may also affect the signal.
2. Buy a high strength Wi-Fi antenna.
Most Wi-Fi routers come with an antenna or two, but sometimes they are not quite strong enough to take the signal to those out of reach places and distant corners. Adding a high gain booster antenna to your router can quite often fix the problem, instantly extending and strengthening the router’s area of effect. In addition to this, they give coverage over large areas – often throughout the whole house, office warehouse and outdoor space.
A decent variety of high gain antennas are available at most electronic stores, online and off. You should consider buying a reliable and widely used one – talk to one of our brilliant staff for some help and pointers.
Some people use a drink’s can (like a beer or coke can), to enhance the signal, and while we do not recommend this that is not to say that it doesn’t work (if done correctly).
Buy a plugin extender – Wi-Fi range extenders rebroadcast them with high range and speed. This helps with Wi-Fi dead spots in your house.
3. Limit devices and optimise your connectivity setting.
Playing online video games, having video chats, streaming mobiles and videos also take up a lot of bandwidth. They can slow down the internet speeds and accessibility for everyone involved, some routers have Quality of service (QoS) setting that allows you to control which apps have the most priority access to the internet bandwidth. You might want to prioritise video calls if you have a lot of meetings, file downloads from the world wide web – you can always get a hold of those files later but you don’t want to drop a call with an important client or family member.
4. Upgrade service provider.
Are you getting the best Wi-Fi available – different service providers will offer different speeds of internet depending available in connectivity packages. Sometimes the connection has been tarnished somewhere along the line, and you might need someone to be called out in order to repair the line. If you’re stuck on how you can get a better deal feel free to get in touch with us and we’d be only too happy to offer some helpful advice.
5. Get a Powerline adaptor
These awesome pieces of technology use the power lines in your house to move the signal from room to room. These are particularly useful in larger homes where you might have a few dead spots at which the signal is weak.
Still Stuck? – Get Professional Assistance
If you have any questions about making the most of your internet connection in your house, just get in touch today and one of our team here at HB digital will be able to help you satisfy your digital connectivity needs.