What’s worse than having no WiFi connectivity? Having a slow WiFi connection. If you’re tired of buffering, loading, and slower response times and audio/video distortions on your zoom calls then you can try some things that can help you improve your overall signal strength. This is our expert guide on how to fix common WiFi mistakes to get better WiFi speed. Follow the tips listed below and enjoy your internet connection to the fullest.
Fixing Common WiFi Problems
1. Don’t Hide Your WiFi Router In a Corner
Home networking equipment offered by ISP isn’t pretty. Sometimes the routers look like giant bugs and the instinct is to hide your equipment away. If you hide your router in a closed space or a particular corner of your home then it can affect the speeds you’re getting. If you’ve hidden your WiFi router behind a TV or in an entertainment unit, then other signals can interfere with WiFi connectivity that reduce your WiFi speed.
Your WiFi signals can be affected by obstructions such as window panes, doors and most of them could hinder your WiFi speeds. There is a simple fix to this problem which can improve your overall internet speed.
Wireless Wifi routers spread their networks in each direction evenly. So to get equal speeds in every corner of your home, you should place the router in the middle of the home. If you have your router in the far corner of your home then you’re wasting a lot of your signals. If you mainly use internet connectivity in one area of the home, then the obvious choice for your router should be that room itself. Here are some best places to put your router in:
- Living room
- Home offices
- Near your TV
2. Too Many People Have Your WiFi Password
Let’s clear something, the more people that have your WiFi password the slower speeds that you will experience. If you tend to share your WiFi passwords to visitors, neighbors, friends, and everyone living in your home, then you will find yourself asking for more bandwidth every time you try to stream something or download something.
There are a few ways you can fix your WiFi connection in the future. You can change your WiFi password and be cautious about who you share your password with the next time. If you need to share the connection with friends and guests then you may want to set up a guest WiFi network to not to put a strain on your main connection.
3. Fix Your Router Antenna Positioning
Most of the recent routers are omnidirectional, they can spread your WiFi connections in all directions perpendicular to the router’s antenna. So if your antennas are pointed upwards, you’ll get great signal strength all around the router, but this antenna position won’t help if you have a multistory house.
If you’re also having troubles with WiFi speed on the second floor or the basement of your home, then you should position one of your antennas on its side. This positioning will make the WiFi signals travel better upwards and downwards.
4. All Your Devices Are on the Same WiFi-Band
Almost all the WiFi routers offer two or more network bands, these bands can create two different WiFi networks. If you connect all your devices on one particular band, it can cause bandwidth congestion and offer slower connectivity to every single thing.
The best fix for getting better WiFi networks is to reorganize your WiFi connections. All you have to do is to sign in to your router’s interface or WiFi router app and see what devices are connected to which band.
You can connect the devices that don’t require much speed or devices that are far away from your device on the 2.4 GHz band. The 2.4 GHz band is much slower than the 5GHz band but the signals offered have better reach overall. If you have smart home devices, then you would want to connect them on the 2.4 GHz network band.
The 5GHz WiFi band offers faster WiFi speed but has a smaller range. You should put your gaming devices, laptops, and smart TVs on the 5GHz WiFi band for better speed and response time.
5. You Have Overloaded Your Router
Machinery is machinery and it needs rest from time to time. You know how you have to restart your computer when you’ve been working on it for too long? The same goes for WiFi routers. WiFi routers are probably one of the most hardworking devices in your home. The routers can get bogged down after a lot of use and they can benefit from periodic breaks. You should check router firmware updates now and then so your WiFi router can stay up to date.
The fix for this router problem is to just restart your router. You should turn on and turn off your WiFi router at least once a day. If you want to update your firmware, you’ll have to log in to your router’s app and check for updates.
6. You’re Using Outdated WiFi Equipment
If you’ve been using the same WiFi router for years, then it could be the right time for updating your device. Home networking technology is ever-evolving and newer modems and routers offer faster connections. They have better range and also operate much more efficiently.
This is a common WiFi mistake, getting a brand new router can be cheap and it can improve your network usage for years to come. The latest WiFi standard for home networks is WiFi 6, it was released in 2019 and the main purpose was to handle multiple WiFi connections at the same time.
WiFi 6 was built to improve the home networking usage overall the world. There are countless WiFi 6 routers out there and you may want to browse through the options for an update.
7. Your Internet Plan Isn’t Enough For Your Usage
Sometimes, you can’t do anything about your slow internet connectivity. Maybe your slow internet connection is just a slow connection. If you’re doing everything right, then slow WiFi connectivity may be the reason for it.
The best fix for this is to call your ISP to find out if you can get a better connection speed or simply switch to another ISP that offers better speeds with lower prices. We suggest that you do a little bit of research about internet service providers in your area. If you don’t want to go through this much trouble, then you can reach out to Club HDTV’s internet experts for the best connections in your area.
We recommend that you get a minimum of 10 MBPS downloading speed per person using your WiFi network. If you can