NATION — In a deeply connected technological world, an unreliable WiFi network is more than just a frustrating inconvenience. A bad connection can impede work, education, social life and even health care options. Given that modern life relies on high-quality WiFi, it’s time to optimize your network experience in every corner of your home.
Getting the most out of your internet doesn’t have to be difficult. You can remedy a poor WiFi connection and enhance your experience with just a few simple adjustments. If you want to significantly enhance your WiFi’s performance for all your devices, try these five easy tips.
- Optimize router placement
Don’t hide your router! Many people will tuck their routers away in a closet or behind huge furniture. While this can be more aesthetically pleasing, doing so can hinder WiFi performance.
To get the best coverage, WiFi signals need clear passages to travel through your home. If you’re experiencing poor WiFi, moving your router can make a big impact on the speed and quality of the connection.
Before you move the router, identify where your high-priority connected devices (like your computers, living room TV, etc.) live. Next, find a spot with the fewest number of walls nearby and place your router as central as possible, clear of large furniture, doors or any other equipment.
If you live in a multi-level home, place your router as high as possible. Since WiFi signals travel downward more effectively than upward, this can improve coverage on all floors. - Update your equipment
Updating your WiFi equipment reduces interference and boosts signal quality, leading to better coverage throughout your home. The type of router suitable for your home depends on several factors, like the number of floors in your home or devices connected to your internet.
If your home is like the average U.S. household, then you could have as many as 17 connected devices. A standard router – even routers that have come out within the past year or two – may become overwhelmed as more devices are added, causing WiFi speeds to slow.
If you have several devices connected at once, you’ll need a router with WiFi 7, the newest and most advanced WiFi experience. Internet providers like Ziply Fiber are now offering new WiFi 7 routers, supporting multi-gig speeds via WiFi.
Another reason you may need to update your router is your home’s layout. If your home has several floors, a WiFi 7 router can provide increased capacity with lower latency and enhanced performance in dense environments. - Consider WiFi extenders and mesh WiFi systems
Even advanced routers may not be able to reach every corner of your property. Boost your coverage and eliminate dead zones in your home by installing WiFi extenders and mesh systems.
WiFi extenders (as the name suggests) extend your signal from your router to the outer reaches of your property. This improves the overall quality and strength of your wireless signal, reducing delays caused by weak connections and network congestion.
Internet companies like Ziply Fiber can streamline this process for you. Company technicians can assess the WiFi strength and look for dead zones. After the assessment, they’ll install a Ziply Fiber WiFi router and the necessary number of WiFi extenders, ensuring optimal coverage.
You can also opt for a mesh WiFi system. This ”whole home WiFi” consists of multiple units that work together to provide seamless coverage across a larger area. A mesh system distributes the connection load more evenly across multiple WiFi connection points, preventing any single point from becoming bottlenecked and reducing your WiFi’s performance. - Manage your bandwidth and remove signal interference
Connectivity issues or latency (also called lag) may be caused by multiple high-bandwidth activities happening at once. Activities like uploading media files, streaming videos, video calls, or online gaming will eat up bandwidth, forcing a traditional router to redistribute bandwidth and reduce signal strength to certain devices.
To optimize WiFi performance, you’ll need to manage your bandwidth. Try limiting background applications that consume bandwidth, disabling automatic backups or reducing streaming quality.
Also, other wireless equipment or large electronics can compete with the signal your router transmits. You can avoid this kind of interference by relocating equipment so that the router is not close to Bluetooth devices, microwaves, cordless phones or baby monitors. - Choose the right type of internet for your home
To get the most out of your internet, opt for a fiber-optic internet provider instead of traditional cable. Fiber offers significant advantages over cable, ensuring higher functioning internet service. Unlike cable, fiber offers symmetrical download and upload speeds, which are crucial for tasks like cloud backups, large file uploads and video conferencing.
Providers like Ziply Fiber also offer extremely low lag, ensuring top performance for your system. The company’s infrastructure ensures minimal delays, even during peak hours, thanks to the extra capacity and fully redundant network paths.
Overall, choosing fiber internet ensures you’ll have the highest speed, reliability and long-term performance. You’ll maximize your WiFi’s potential and make sure you’re prepared for future digital demands.
Get the most out of
your internet
Connectivity problems can be frustrating, but with today’s advanced solutions at your fingertips, you can always enjoy a fast, secure and seamless internet experience tailored to your needs. Using these five straightforward steps and by choosing the right internet provider, you can improve your WiFi experience and ensure a smooth, reliable connection throughout your home. To learn more about how to improve your WiFi and about fiber optic internet, visit ZiplyFiber.com.
—BPT
