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Maximizing Your Internet And WiFi Speed
As we are all so used to using our internet for just about everything, including work and school, any kind of slowdown is a major inconvenience.
19:28 06 June 2020
To ensure that you are getting the most speeds out of your internet, there are a few things that you should do.
- Confirm what speeds you should be getting. The first thing to do is check what speeds that you should be getting from your WiFi. Start with your ISP. What are the speeds that you are paying for? You will never get any faster speeds than the speeds in your internet package. Then, double check the speed of your router. Your router’s speed should be larger than what your internet package to insure that you are getting the most out of your internet. If you are not getting what you pay for, call your ISP. If it’s the router, see our next point.
- Get a new router. The next thing that you need to be sure of is that you have a quality router. Even routers that are only a few years old might be missing key advancements that would make them faster. We also have WiFi 6 now, which is the best standard that you can get. You can check with Riverstone Networks for the best WiFi routers for Spectrum, Verizon, or any of the major ISPs out there.
- Make sure your existing router is updated. Is your existing router updated? Updates for software and firmware alike are released regularly and should not be ignored. They often contain security patches to ensure that your network is not breeched. When you have malware or any viruses in your system, your WiFi speeds are going to be a lot slower.
- Consider where you have your router. Where are you keeping your router inside of your home? It should be placed in a central location, without any large obstructions nearby. It especially should not be up against a wall, including brick and concrete walls. Walls and furniture will interfere with your WiFi signal, slowing it down as it tries to penetrate through. Also consider not having your router in a room where there are a lot of people as even bodies can interfere with the WiFi signal, causing it to lag more.
- Make sure you are using your 5 GHz band. Most modern routers are at least dual-band, if not tri-band. Your router is likely to default to the 2.4 GHz band. While this band has the longest range, it is often congested and can be overrun with traffic. If you are streaming, you should make sure that your streaming devices are using the 5 GHz band. Hopefully, your router will allow you to select which devices should be using which band to keep traffic flowing smoothly and keep your internet speed up.
- Change channels. Another setting that you can look at is your WiFi channel. There should be several channels to choose from, but many people just stay on the default channel. Try going to channel 11 or 14 to increase your WiFi speed.
- Have you rebooted? If your router has been running for a while without being rebooted, it might just need to take a break. That will allow it to refresh any background activity and stop any apps that might have been inadvertently draining your speeds.
- Look for hogs. Do you have any bandwidth hogs in your network? Some devices or background apps can easily be sucking up your WiFi without your noticing. Devices that use 4K or stream are the most likely culprits. Even if you are not actively streaming at the moment, the devices could be running updates or just staying online, waiting for your return. Your router’s settings should be able to indicate which devices are connected and which devices might be sucking away your bandwidth.
Sometimes the best answer is to just get a new router or ISP to get the speeds that you want. Fiber is by far the fastest, but it is not easily available everywhere. When you get a new router, make sure it is compatible to your ISP and your network’s needs.
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