6 Simple Steps To Boost Your Home Wi-Fi Signal

Wi-fi signal nowadays is almost as essential as food and water! A weak Wi-Fi signal can be a modern day nightmare that can turn the happiest and calmest people into angry and frustrated shadows of their former selves.

BBC News recently reported that Ofcom had warned that fairy lights could 'slow' your home Wi-Fi speed... Although there is some truth to this, Wi-Fi problems are unlikely to be badly affected by the Electromagnetic Force (EMF) of your fairy lights. It is more than likely that there are some existing problems or shortcomings.

Check out our 6 Top Tips - which will hopefully help you to improve the speed and reliability of your home Wi-Fi!

1. Make sure you’re using up to date Hardware

To make sure your Wi-Fi network is as fast and reliable as possible, the first thing you need to do is ensure you’re using an up to date, modern router. When it comes to wireless speeds, it is commonly known that wireless A, B, and G routers are slower than Wireless N, which is all the rage when you want the fastest speeds possible. Note, that you will need both an N router and an N card in your computer for maximum speed.

2. Find the perfect spot for your router

Have you ever wondered why your wireless signal is strong in some rooms and weak in others? Routers continuously send out signals in all directions,  however objects like walls, doors and furniture can occasionally interfere with your signal. To avoid barriers and achieve the best signal possible, try  positioning the router in the most central room of your home, as high up as possible and free from any thick walls or obstructions.

3. Find the right channel for you

A common problem is that routers within a close proximity to you (surrounding neighbors for example) might interfere with your router causing the signal to degrade. All modern day routers can operate on a number of different channels and you want yours on a channel with as little interference as possible. The method of scanning for the least crowded channel will vary from router to router, but finding a new channel is normally quite a straightforward process. Use a tool like Wi-Fi Stumbler or Wi-Fi Analyzer to find the perfect channel in your home.

4. Set a timer to reboot your router

Do you find yourself rebooting your router more often than you should need to? This is a very common problem and can be caused by various different issues like… your internet provider changing the IP address, a router overheating or using old firmware. An easy solution to this problem is to automatically reboot your router on a daily basis. This can be done with DD-WRT or just a regular old outlet timer, any outlet timer should work and if you time it to reset throughout the night - it will never need to interfere with your internet surfing again.

5. Buy a Repeater (Wi-Fi Booster)

Most modern day routers will have a signal range of about 100- 300 feet, if you live in a large house this will not necessarily be extensive enough. You may find that computers and devices will struggle to receive an acceptable Wi-Fi signal from your home network. A simple solution for this is to buy a Wi-Fi Repeater or Extender (Wi-Fi Booster). This can plug into any wall socket and will increase a signal’s range and strength to the furthest parts of your home.

6. Protect your network with a secure password

Home Wi-Fi speeds are slightly dependent on how many users are connected at the one time. To ensure that only authorized people are using your Wi-Fi network – a strong password is key to keeping your network exclusive to you. Take advantage of the security already built into your router and select a password which consists of a combination of letters, numbers and symbols and cannot be easily identified.

If you feel you have tried and exhausted all of the above tips and are still having trouble with your Wi-Fi signal.

The case may be that your router is old and could do with being replaced with a newer model.

Wi-Fi routers have been greatly improved and adapted over the last few years. Increased memory, faster processors and software improvements have contributed to off the shelf routers offering better speed and signal strength than ever before.

For further advise on the best wireless routers available today or for more information on how to boost your signal, whether it's at home or at the office, feel free to get in touch with the Grant McGregor team.

Or watch this short 2 minute video, published just week by BBC News on 'Tips to boost your Wi-Fi connection'. 

Let us help to guide you in the right direction to your new network.