Nowadays, access to a reliable Wi-Fi signal can feel as critical as having basic electricity or plumbing. WiFi connection can be a fickle thing. You may be enjoying a perfectly strong WiFi signal in your home, and you move just a few steps in one direction and watch it drop to one bar. The unreliable nature of WiFi signals relies on many factors that might influence their performance.

Fortunately, there are some simple and easy strategies for enhancing your home Wi-Fi network to avoid slow loading times or grumbling when you’re trying to get online. Here are a few tips by following which you can get the most out of your Wi-Fi.

Place your router centrally
Before you hop on that mission-critical video call, do you take the time to walk around your home for figuring out where you get the best internet speed based on your home’s Wi-Fi configuration.
Wi-Fi signals usually get weaker the far you go away you from the location where your router is located. So if you keep your router by the front door or at a particular corner of your house, your videos might load more slowly or you internet call would be interrupted often. Try to place your router as centrally as possible in your home, though this may not be possible easily depending upon where your internet provider brings the connection. Also, try to keep your router out in the open. If you can avoid hiding it by a bookcase or a cabinet, it can really help boost your Wi-Fi signal.

Consider a mesh network
A mesh network is a group of two or more routers that wirelessly communicate with each other to create a single, connected Wi-Fi network over a large area. It allows a user to have multiple sources of powerful Wi-Fi in your home, not just one from the main router. A mesh network solves the problem of having the router just relegated to a corner or cabinet in the house.

Ensure that your router is up to date
If your existing router is more than a couple of years old, check to ensure that it supports 5 GHz WI-Fi signals. Some older models of routers only support 2.4GHz signals, which will make your devices much slower. Upgrade your router to the least an 802.11ac system so you can also consume 5GHz frequencies.
Routers vary in functionality and price, but in this case, the upgrade to make is generally in terms of how far your Wi-Fi can be broadcasted. If you own a big house, you’re likely better off with a router that can pair with “repeaters” that broadcast signal into all corners of your home.

Make your network password-protected
We don’t have to tell you this, but you necessarily need a password on your Wi-Fi. An encrypted, password-protected WiFi is a must now a day. An “open network” with no password might seem convenient and easy to connect to because there’s no need to remember a complicated password.
By doing so, anyone that is even passing by your home could join your Wi-Fi network and compromise your network security, devices and data by accessing your drives or can slow down your network. Choose a strong password that is a combination of letters and numbers, tough for anyone to guess, but obviously easy for you to remember.

Having a separate Wi-Fi network for guests.
If you have kids at home or receive guests often, there are risks of handing out your Wi-Fi password a lot. Most modern routers have an option to enable a guest wifi network. Setting up a guest network creates a separate Wi-Fi network in your home so your guests can enjoy a great experience while your own devices stay secure and private. By having guests use a separate Wi-Fi, this will limits their access to your main network. Furthermore, many routers come with the option to limit the speeds on the guest Wi-Fi.

Rebooting your router
A simple and handy reboot is often enough to considerably boost your Wi-Fi speeds. A reboot clears the router’s memory and allows all the updates to install. So it is a good practice, at least once every month, to reboot your router. Some routers have the options for automatic turn-off/turn-on, which can come handy if you want to automatically turn off your router when you are sleeping or during hours you are out of the home working.

We hope you have found this article useful. If you need any assistance with your Wi-Fi network, either at home or within your business, simply email service@wifihq.ca or call us at 647-812-8299 and we would be pleased to help you.