With all of our devices using Wi-Fi, the last thing you want is a slow, unreliable, and small Wi-Fi network. There are many factors that affect how fast and far your Wi-Fi network will work. Between an old router, walls and other features in your house blocking signal, and even the device itself could all limit how well your Wi-Fi works.
Distance:
Distance from the router to the device is usually the easiest way for your speed to slow down. This is due to attenuation. The further the signal must travel will degrade the speed. The most common form of this is when your ISP sets up your router on the furthest end of your house and all the rooms you use Wi-Fi are on the other side of the house. Your signal is weak and maybe even unusable. An easy fix for this is to purchase a Wi-Fi mesh system such as the Netgear Orbi or Linksys Velop systems. These will create whole home Wi-Fi networks that will work together to create a much larger network than a single router can produce. They are also modular which makes them easy to continue expanding and upgrading your network.
Old Router:
Most people use the router that is given to them from their ISP. These are usually all in one Wi-Fi routers that are a modem, switch, and Wi-Fi router all in one package. The problem with these is because the ISP buys so many of these to give to their customers, they usually get the cheapest, slowest ones they can get away with while also providing you the internet speed which you pay for. Not only that but they also don't always support the latest Wi-Fi standards. Currently the newest standard is Wi-Fi 6e but we have seen many in home routers only support up to Wi-Fi 5. You can either purchase your own router while keeping the ISPs as a modem to increase the speed of your Wi-Fi network and sometimes even the range of that device. Alternatively, you could also call your ISP to see if they can upgrade your router to support the latest Wi-Fi standard.
Interference:
There are several things in your home that affect the reach of the Wi-Fi network. Old homes can have chicken wire in the walls that completely kill any radio signals trying to go through the walls. Certain tinting on windows work the same way. Walls, corners, and even other house hold appliances can also hamper signals from getting to where they are trying to go. Refrigerators and microwaves are the biggest offenders. Unfortunately, other than changing what is in your walls or strategically placing your router(s) in your house there is not a whole lot you can do about this other than using a more robust mesh router system mentioned above.
The Actual Device:
Cell phones, game consoles, TVs, etc are all static devices. There really is no way to upgrade the Wi-Fi radio inside them. All you can do is replace the whole device to get a better Wi-Fi standard. You can combat this by upgrading your actual network by remedying the above listed limitations. However, this will not increase the theoretical maximum speed of the Wi-Fi for the individual device. If it only supports Wi-Fi 5, you will only ever get at best Wi-Fi 5 speeds. PCs and laptops can usually have their Wi-Fi cards upgraded either with a USB device or card you install inside the computer.
What to do now:
If you feel you could benefit from having any of these problems fixed in your home or business, we do on site Wi-Fi upgrades. We usually can get these done same day. We come out to you and assess the current network and layout and help you figure out what is the best solution for your budget. If you would like us to come out to help you with your Wi-Fi issues, give us a call to set up an appointment (228) 239-9873.
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