If you are old enough, just saying ‘dial-up connection’ could make you put your hands over your ears! (If you don’t know what we are talking about, listen to this YouTube clip). These days, having your Wi-Fi drop out is the leading cause of frustration.
Internet connectivity has come a LONG way since the days of dial-up connections. However, sometimes your home or business internet can’t cope with all the devices and streaming that we do nowadays.
Wi-Fi dropping out
When it drops out, Wi-Fi can cause as much frustration (and yelling) as Hawthorn getting a free-kick against the Cats. To prevent Wi-Fi dropouts and poor connectivity, there are some simple steps you can do at home or in your office.
1/ Wi-Fi placement
Typically, the easiest change to improve your Wi-Fi coverage and performance is to move your wireless router or internet access points to better locations.
Put your wireless router in a room where you use Wi-Fi the most. Especillay if you have multiple internet access points or modems in various parts of the house. Alternatively, move your internet access points to locations in your home where your Wi-Fi is weak.
2/ Workaround Wi-Fi interference
The biggest deflectors of Wi-Fi signals are:
- Dense walls made of stone masonry, thick concrete, or brick.
- Metal appliances (large TVs, microwaves, portable heaters, baby monitors, etc.)
- Water containers like aquariums or water tanks.
- Other Wi-Fi’s (e.g. your neighbour’s ‘Pretty Fly for a Wi-Fi’ or even your own ‘Guest Wi-Fi’)
By moving around some furniture or your modem, you may be able to decrease the interference in your home. However, seeing you can’t move walls or water tanks, nor can you ask your neighbour to turn down their Wi-Fi, having an IT professional come into your home to assess your IT network and provide tips on optimal placement can be helpful. Plus, an IT professional can modify your Wi-Fi channel to make it different from your neighbour’s Wi-Fi channel, lowering your Wi-Fi network’s interference.
3/ Go wired versus wireless where possible
You probably weren’t expecting this as a suggestion, but it is true.
Wi-Fi is great, but reliable and predictable… It is not.
Wired internet connections (i.e. devices connected directly to a modem) mean safer, more secure and more consistent internet capabilities. The more devices connected to Wi-Fi, the more congested the wireless becomes. This makes devices more susceptible to interference. Hardwire as many devices as you can that don’t move. For instance – smart doorbells, smart TVs, office PCs. Then, connect your more ‘mobile’ devices like tablets, smartphones and the like to your Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi specialists in Geelong
Sadly, there is no specific list of Wi-Fi performance-enhancing tips because each home’s structure, Wi-Fi needs (and neighbour’s Wi-Fi strength) is different. Having a professional IT technician from Geelong Technology Group come in to assess your Wi-Fi, make suggestions for improvements or alter your access points could improve your Wi-Fi coverage and performance significantly.
Geelong Technology Group have certified staff trained to build indoor and outdoor state-of-the-art wireless communications systems using technology from leading technology organisations, including Microsoft, Cisco, Ubiquiti, and 3CX.
If it is time to take control of your Wi-Fi and get better coverage at home or work, give the knowledgeable and understanding IT technicians at Geelong Technology Group a call on (03) 5244 3030 or email support@geelongtechnology.com.au.