Are you tired of movies or TV shows stopping
to load every 10 seconds?
The walls in your house suck up the wifi signal and it gets weaker the further you go away from the wifi router. With 1 central wifi and our current expectations of wifi this type of setup is rarely acceptable.
Especially as the kids are growing and the internet demands increase due to homework (I almost choked when I wrote that!!!) We really know its due to the way they socialise and entertain themselves. Anyway wifi is important these days.
1) Place your router to maximize effectiveness
Where you place your router has a lot to do with how it performs. When placing a router, consider putting it:
- Near the center of the house, on a top floor. Radio waves best travel down and laterally.
- Off the floor, ideally on a wall mount or high shelf.
- As far as possible from your neighbor’s WiFi router (which, you’ve made sure is using a different channel).
- Away from cordless phones and microwaves, which operate on the same 2.4-Ghz frequency. (There are some cordless phones that are WiFi friendly).
- Away from power cords, computer wires, microwaves, baby monitors, and halogen lamps. These wires and waves can interfere with radio reception.
2) Put large furniture along the exterior walls of your home
Signals that don’t have to travel through large, cumbersome furniture will make reception better.
3) Minimize mirrors
All metallic surfaces reflect WiFi signals, including the thin metal layer found in most mirrors.
This will reflect the wireless signals from your router in the direction you want it to go.
Place your repeater halfway between your access point and your computer for an instant boost. Often these type of solutions come riddled with problems. They will work but are not very stable. They may work in short bursts and have regular drop outs. There is a better way… click on the free Special to find out more!
6) Change from WEP to WPA/WPA2
WEP and WPA/WPA2 are security algorithms that keep hackers from breaking into your network.
7) Limit the number of devices your WiFi will support with MAC addresses
The fewer devices your network has to support, the stronger speed you get out of it. (Usually)
8) Don’t publicize your network’s name
If you don’t want other people from potentially mooching off your signal, don’t let them know it’s there in the first place. (It is possible for software to locate “hidden” networks, but the point still stands.) Go to your access point’s admin page and uncheck “Enable SSID Broadcast.” You can still access your network, of course, but it won’t be discoverable when a computer is looking at the list of available networks.
You will need to test your Wifi Strength before and after to see
if your DIY tactics have been a success
When your hardwire wifi access points directly back to your modem, each wifi extender points have got the strongest signals and there is no weak spot when it’s going back to your modem. You will need a professional electrician to wire this up for you so that the wires are all concealed in the house.
The benefits are endless!
