Five Practical Tips for Improving Home Wi-Fi

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Wifi chip in a computer

Many of us are still working from home, and now that school has started, there are probably a lot of people in your household trying to connect to the internet.  Our team has pulled together some tips to help us stay productive.  We hope these will be helpful to you or to someone on your team.

How to Improve your Home's Wi-Fi

Tip #1: Location, Location, Location

Whether you are using a wireless router (single device) or a wireless system (multiple devices/mesh wireless), make sure it is located centrally in your home.  Identify critical Wi-Fi areas and move the wireless router/system closer to where you need to use it most (office, living room, bonus room, etc).  Make sure the wireless equipment is away from obstructions such as brick, metal pipe, concrete, or other electronics.  Also keep in mind that a Wi-Fi antenna transmits omni-directionally, much like the shape of a donut.  

Tip #2: Don’t Use ISP Modem Wi-Fi

When you sign up with an internet service provider, the company will provide a modem that includes wireless.  This makes getting Wi-Fi more accessible, but these modems do not use the latest wireless technology, and they use cheaper antennas.  This means that your coverage won’t be very good.  It is definitely worth purchasing your own wireless router/system.  These systems are easy to install by plugging the wireless router/system into the modem.  Almost every modern wireless system is designed to be completely setup through a phone application; a computer is not necessary. It is very important to make sure Wi-Fi is turned off on the modem.  Call your service provider (Comcast, AT&T, etc) to let them know you have your own wireless router and you want it turned off on their equipment. 

Tip #3: Control Wi-Fi Leeches & Hogs

What are Wi-Fi leeches and hogs?  They are unwanted users using your Wi-Fi or too much equipment using your bandwidth.  It’s not uncommon for two laptops, two tablets, three phones, two RING video cameras, and a television to all be using the internet at one time in a family’s home.  Especially while everyone is at home, most of these devices are most likely using bandwidth-intensive applications.  If you are using an older wireless router or your default ISP modem, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE ISSUES. It is not going to handle the load.  

The first step to prevent Wi-Fi “leeches” is to make sure your network is password protected.  This not only will keep unwanted users off your Wi-Fi, but it also will protect your wireless traffic with encryption.  It is extremely important to have a good Wi-Fi password.  It does not have to be a crazy complex password that no one can remember.  Our team recommends using a phrase or sentence.  

The next way to control internet usage, especially if you have an important online meeting, is to communicate with your household.  Modern wireless systems are designed to handle heavy bandwidth usage.  They will perform much better in this situation, but still it will help to make sure everyone knows not to do a lot of streaming during your important video call.  If you are using an app to manage your wireless system, it can give you great visibility into what devices are using most of your bandwidth. 

Tip #4: Keep Wireless Systems Updated

It’s important to make sure your wireless system is regularly updated.  Applying updates can help with fixing “bugs” and improving performance.  There are also security updates that periodically need to be applied to the device.  If you are using an older wireless router, this can be challenging.  Ask the family tech person to help with this.  For newer wireless systems, updates are easily done through an app on your phone.  Even better news is that most wireless systems are moving to automatic updates, so you don’t have to worry about it at all.  

Tip #5: Upgrade Your Equipment

Finally, it’s important to upgrade your equipment.  Wi-Fi technology continues to change, and you can expect a lifespan of three to five years for the technology to be relevant.  When you upgrade to more modern Wi-Fi systems, there are several advantages that greatly affect your experience.  Most new systems contain mesh wireless technology.  This provides better coverage and better performance.  They are easier to setup and contain smarter wireless system functionality.  With these new products, you also gain more visibility and control of your Wi-Fi network.

Our team can’t wait for life to get back to “normal.”  In the meantime, we hope these tips can help increase your productivity and decrease your frustration.  For even more tips and advice on wireless system products, watch the Affinity team’s 15-minute webinar here.  As always, give us a call if you have any questions.  We love to help.