As more employees work from home, slow internet has become one of their primary frustrations. If that sounds familiar, here are some tips that you can pass along to help them speed things up a bit.
Double-check the connection. Occasionally, devices will pick up another available hotspot and use that instead (such as a neighbor’s connection or someone’s cell phone). It’s worth taking a few seconds to ensure you’re actually using your high-speed home connection whenever slow speeds occur.
Measure speed. Performing a speed test is the quickest way to get a clear picture of the situation, so do that first. A website like fast.com or Speedtest can give vital information before you move on to the next steps. Make sure to perform tests, using a mobile device on your WiFi connection, from several different locations in the house.
Call your Internet Service Provider. Offer them the speed data you just gathered, and ask about alternate plans. If you’re running multiple devices in the home, such as smart TVs, numerous tablets, streaming devices, cell phones, and computers, you probably need a plan with more bandwidth.
Move your wireless router. If your speed test picked up dead zones in the house, try moving your wireless router. Use a longer ethernet cable to relocate it to a more central position within the home, preferably away from refrigerators, microwaves, and large aquariums (the signals don’t pass through water easily).
Change your router’s channel. If you live in a dense neighborhood or apartment building, you might be experiencing radio interference. Going into the settings and changing the channel frequency might clear up the problem.
Switch to 5 GHZ. If you’re using 2.4 GHZ, the signal will travel farther but won’t be as fast. A 5GHZ won’t travel as far, but will be much faster. If you can, position the router near your office to eliminate any distance concerns. If your router is not 5GHZ-compatible, it’s time to consider an upgrade.
Consider a mesh network. If your network is more than five years old, it might be time to upgrade to a mesh network, which uses multiple nodes to create a large, seamless network that covers your entire home. This option is especially valuable if you have multiple people at home, conducting school or work activities all at once.
And remember, all home WiFi networks should be secure with a challenging password and a solid firewall before using them for work. Each device on the network must be properly secured as well. As always, give us a call at 888-RING-MY-TECH with regard to internet security concerns, and we’ll help you sort through your options.
