Best Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

Searching slowing to a crawl, the failure to stream, dropped Wi-Fi signals, cordless dead zones-- every one of these problems is infuriating in a world where getting online has become, for some, as essential as breathing. Well, perhaps not that vital, however essential. If the only method you can get good reception is to be in the exact same room as your cordless router, these basic suggestions can help optimize your network.

Distance is the most obvious issue-- there is a particular optimal variation that the wireless signal can travel. If the network needs to cover a location larger than the router is capable of transferring to, or if there are great deals of corners to walk around and walls to penetrate, performance will take a hit. Disturbance is also a huge problem, especially for those who live in densely inhabited locations. Signals from other cordless networks and electronic devices can affect speeds, as can physical blockages, such as walls. Many phone systems and other wireless devices can also hinder signals. This is an advantage to think about when you are looking for a new phone system-- a number of them utilize DECT 6.0 nowadays, which exists side-by-side very nicely with basic Wi-Fi networks.

It's likewise possible the problem isn't interference or other networks. Exists an opportunity you have undesirable visitors piggybacking on your network? You can constantly look at your router's administrator user interface to see the number of gadgets are linked. Or use a network analyzer tool to see if you have unknown makers on your network. If it's an open network, close it. Set up security-- ideally WPA2, as WEP isn't as strong-- and put in a strong password that's hard for others to think.

There are many other reasons that your connection might be less than perfect. Thankfully, we have some troubleshooting ideas in order to help, and much of them will not cost you a cent.
1. Update Your Router's Firmware
Perhaps your router simply requires an upgrade. Router manufacturers are constantly tweaking software to eke out a little more efficiency and speed. How easy-- or how difficult-- it is to upgrade your firmware depends totally on your gadget maker and design. Most present routers have the update process built right into the administration interface, so it's just a matter of striking a firmware upgrade button. Some models, especially if they're older, still require you to first find and download the firmware from the router maker's site. It's tedious, however still a good thing to do.

In fact, even if your wireless network isn't really ailing, you need to just make it a point to upgrade your firmware regularly. You will get efficiency improvements, much better functions, and security updates that way. Here's how to access your router's settings.


3. What's Your Frequency?
Have a look at your network's administrator interface, and make sure you have it set up for maximum performance. If you have a dual-band router, you'll likely improve throughput by switching to the 5GHz band instead of utilizing the more typical 2.4 GHz band. If absolutely nothing else, you will likely come across less disturbance from other cordless networks and gadgets since the 5GHz frequency is not as typically utilized. Changing is quite easy. See if your router's administrator interface provides 5GHz. If it does, enable it, and set up the network as you would normally.