Weaving your way to wicked wi-fi
A fast broadband connection is not much use if your home wi-fi equipment is not properly set up – here are some tips to get the best wi-fi experience…
Get the ladder out!
The position of your wi-fi router is critical to performance. If you put it on the floor then you are basically sending much of the signal power into the carpet! If possible it should be at least two metres off the ground for a good signal distribution.
At the heart of the home
There is no sense in putting your wi-fi router in the garage, basement or the attic! It should be placed as close to the centre of the house as possible for a good signal spread throughout the home.
Don’t chuck your signal out of the window
Avoid windows! Placing your wi-fi router next to a window will send much of your signal strength into the garden or to the street outside.
Wi-fi and water don’t mix
If you have a fish tank in the house then you really don’t want to put your wi-fi router next to it. The signal will not travel through the water very well – and the fish don’t really need it anyway. At least not yet.
Only the lonesome
Wi-fi routers don’t mind being lonely. In fact, the further away they are from other electronics devices such as TVs, gaming consoles, telephone base-station and DVD players the better the performance because you will be avoiding interference.
Repeat, Repeat
In some bigger homes it may be hard – no matter how well positioned your wi-fi router is – to get a good signal throughout the house. In these cases it may be worth investing in one (maybe more) wi-fi repeaters which re-transmit the signal and extend the range.
Don’t forget the re-boot
Operators regularly send out software updates for wi-fi routers but you will need to switch the device off for these to actually take effect. It’s worth re-booting your wi-fi router on a regular basis – but probably not while someone else is in the middle of streaming a movie!
Channel your energy
An excellent way of improving your wi-fi signal is to change the wi-fi channel on which your router is operating. Wi-fi works on 13 separate channels – with other modems in the area (such as your neighbours) also on those channels. Therefore, it’s a great idea to use one the many apps that are available to identify which are the heavily used wi-fi channels in your location – and use one of the less occupied ones.
Last updated on 03 January 2018