Having difficulty with your Wi-Fi? Maybe your speeds are slow or you’re having trouble with the connection dropping. Here are eight tips for improving your Wi-Fi, to be better, stronger, faster!
1. Put your Wi-Fi router in the best place.
Don’t put it behind large objects or inside of a cabinet. Don’t put them next to brick walls or metal, which can interfere with the signal. Put it out in the open, hopefully with direct line-of-sight to other devices. If your router is right next to a device, consider an Ethernet cable connection.
2. Switch to a stronger signal.
If your devices are compatible – such as modern mobile phones and tablets – switch them to 802.11n or 802.11ac, to ensure stronger signal and faster speeds. (What’s the difference? How much faster is 802.11ac?)
3. Keep your Wi-Fi strongly secured.
Configure your Wi-Fi so that unauthorized users can’t hijack it and slow down your speeds. Add WPA2 security to your network – and strong passwords!
4. Use quality-of-service (QoS) to limit bandwidth for certain apps.
Dedicate the greatest speeds to the apps and services you need the most. Not sure how to change QoS on your router? Because there are so many brands and thousands of models, google what you have. Try this more detailed overview as well.
5. For large areas, buy a Wi-Fi repeater.
This can extend the range of your Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi repeaters, extenders, and boosters are all roughly the same thing, and you can research what is best for your situation.
6. Switch to the 2.4HGz band to prevent a wide broadcast.
Most modern routers have two frequency band settings – they are called “dual band” – which are 2.4GHz and 5GHz. 2.4GHz is for long-range signal, and 5GHz is for short-range signal. Switching to the 5GZz band can limit the people who can access your network without authorization (and pair this with locking down your network).
7. Shell out for the more expensive advanced router.
Newer models offer the best security features and the fastest speeds.
8. Upgrade your wireless adapters.
Upgrading your router to 802.11n or 802.11ac may increase your Wi-Fi performance, but also upgrade wireless adapters of devices to these newer standards to maximize your advantage. You can upgrade your computers with PCI, PCIe, or PC wireless cards, or USB wireless adapters. You may find that just one of these tips fixes your slow Wi-Fi woes – or that you need a combination of fixes – but speed is within your reach!