HOW TO SET UP YOUR HOME NETWORK FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE
The average number of devices connected at home is expected to rise to eight this year, and with more work-from-home and school-from-home programs on the rise, you must have a stable and reliable Wi-Fi connection at home.
The most common home network concerns are often slow connectivity and dead spots. It can be frustrating when you walk into a room and lose the Wi-Fi connection. Lucky for you, we have some tips on how you could optimize your home network and get the best performance out of it.
So, what home network setup will give you optimal performance?
You could take several steps when setting up your home network if you want the best performance. Start with a high-speed internet connection, choosing the right router, upgrading the router’s firmware, and many others.
1. Upgrade to a high-speed internet connection
Your internet connection’s speed plays a huge role in determining your home network experience. If you’re subscribed to a slow internet package, for instance, you’ll experience a lot of lagging, especially if your home has many internet users.
What you’ll need to do is to contact your ISP, internet service provider to upgrade your package. Different packages represent different speeds. A 3 Mbps package is good for basic video streaming. If you want faster internet speeds, you should go for 5 to 10 Mbps.
2. Upgrade your router
Wireless connection
If you have an old router, then the chances are that the hardware may be outdated, and this may be causing you to have a poor internet experience. The router may not handle the number of connected devices and the demanding consumption from those devices.
It would be best if you upgraded to a wireless 802.11 AC router since it will easily support all your devices, old and new, and provide optimal performance across all of them.
Processor speed
You should also check the processor speed when buying a wireless router. If your router has a fast processor, it means that sent or requested information takes a shorter time to process, boosting your overall network speeds.
Router placement
It may feel right to place your router near other electronics such as televisions to make your living room area look organized. However, if your router’s position isn’t central to the whole house, then chances are that some rooms may have a poor Wi-Fi reception.
Wi-Fi travels in waves, and these waves can be blocked by thick concrete walls or even subsequent thin walls. Placing your router in a centralized place helps evenly spread the signals throughout the entire home, making it easier for most family members to access the Wi-Fi.
3. Pick the right Wi-Fi band.
As said earlier, Wi-Fi signals travel in the form of waves, and these waves have a certain frequency. Mobile phones and other home appliances also have their own operating frequency, which is 2.4 GHz.
If your Wi-Fi transmits along with this frequency, then the chances are that the other appliances will disrupt the signal leading to poor internet connections. “Radio noise.”
Luckily, Wi-Fi routers have dual bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, that they can transmit with. Using the 5GHz frequency will increase your internet speeds and offer you more protection since there’ll be little traffic on that frequency.
However, both frequencies have their merits and demerits. While the 5GHz is faster, the 2 GHz can transmit further. Experts suggest that you try out both of these frequencies before choosing the one that’ll fit you best.
4. Update the router’s firmware regularly
It would probably be best if you made it a habit to regularly update your router’s firmware for security and performance reasons. You could update firmware from your router’s manufacturer’s website.
Doing this helps improve the router’s performance by keeping it in tune with the latest software and also helps address any security issues that may have come about previously.
5. Prepare for the worst
Ensure your home Wi-Fi is no one time task. It’s something you do routinely. That being said, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. It would be best to familiarize yourself with how your devices are connected and even write down your passwords.
You should also ensure that you change your passwords regularly to prevent hackers from gaining access to your Wi-Fi connection. It would help if you also learned how to hard reset your router and grasp your home network’s individual components in case you need to do some troubleshooting.
Conclusion
Optimizing your home Wi-Fi depends on various factors you have to learn about if you want to get the best experience. It would also be best if you kept your internet service provider’s information handy just in case you need additional help. Have a great connection and stay safe on the internet all the time.