10 Proven Ways To Improve Your Home Wi-Fi

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A comprehensive list of the causes of poor home wireless network performance and how to fix them.

Wi-Fi is the most popular way to connect to the internet today. This became possible due to the good characteristics of this protocol, ease of connection and the availability of a wide range of inexpensive equipment.

However, this interface has some drawbacks. Many users are faced with incomprehensible disconnections, errors, or low data rates. In this case, do not rush to immediately call the support service or call the repair team. You can deal with many of the troubles in your home Wi-Fi network yourself.

1. Reboot the router

Yes, this is exactly what it is advised to do when contacting support. And absolutely right.

A modern router is a complex device, in the operation of the software of which errors may appear over time. The easiest and fastest way to get rid of them is to reboot the hardware. Some routers allow you to do this automatically on a schedule, you just need to look for the appropriate option in the settings.

2. Install alternative firmware

Alternative firmware is written by enthusiasts to eliminate the shortcomings of proprietary software. The most famous project of this kind is DD-WRT. This firmware supports a wide range of hardware and is completely free.

Installation of third-party firmware allows not only to improve network performance, but also in some cases to activate previously unavailable functions of the device. However, it is worth considering that the process of flashing and subsequent configuration of the equipment will require time and special knowledge from you.

3. Use a Wi-Fi repeater

If devices in any part of the house constantly lose their connection to the Internet, then the signal of the router is too weak here. The problem can be solved by using a special repeater, which are also called repeaters, or repeaters.

The main task of the repeater is to strengthen the signal of the existing Wi-Fi network. These compact and inexpensive devices are manufactured by almost all popular network equipment manufacturers, as well as dozens of obscure Chinese firms.

Buy Wi-Fi repeater for 760 rubles →

4. Design a signal amplifier

Using a Wi-Fi repeater may not help out in all cases. Sometimes, to amplify the signal of the router, you have to resort to other, more artisanal methods. For example, you can design a custom reflector from a beer can or CD packaging.

But if you need something really powerful, then try to assemble an antenna from scrap materials to expand your "home zone" of the wireless Internet, which we wrote about in this article.

5. Control application access to the Internet

If someone in your home is constantly watching streaming video, playing online games, downloading large files, then this can significantly slow down the network. Pay special attention to torrent clients. Some of them are configured in such a way that they automatically start at system startup and continue downloading and uploading data in the background. A separate pain is computer games that quietly download multi-gigabyte updates and add-ons.

6. Close access to unauthorized

By default, the manufacturer installs the same well-known logins and passwords on all its routers. Each user must independently change them to protect their network from unauthorized access. However, unfortunately, not everyone does it.

If you do not want your neighbors to use your wireless network, thereby interfering with you, then you need to configure the router in detail. You can read how to do this in our guide "How to protect your Wi-Fi network and router".

7. Get rid of the clutter

Signal quality over a Wi-Fi network can be affected by many different factors, including interference from phones, microwave ovens, and so on. You can get rid of them only by placing the router and the source of interference as far away as possible. A special WiFi Analyzer application that can display signal strength in real time will help to cope with this task.

8. Tune into a free channel

In modern apartment buildings, multiple wireless access points operate simultaneously, occupying all available channels. As a result, some of them have to share the same channel, which leads to a mutual decrease in the speed and stability of communication.

The situation can be corrected by reconfiguring the router to another, freer range. How to do this, read our guide "How to speed up your home Wi-Fi".

9. Find a new location for the router

The unsuccessful location of the router in the apartment can also affect the quality of the connection. If your workplace is separated from the connection point by several concrete walls, then you should not be surprised that the Internet is constantly slowing down.

You can choose the optimal place for the router only by experience, moving it around the apartment and measuring the signal quality. The NetSpot diagnostic utility and our instruction, which is called "NetSpot: how to find out the weak points of your Wi-Fi network and optimize it", will help you to do this.

10. Use modern technology

One of the best ways to make your wireless network as fast, stable and secure as possible is to use modern hardware.

Communication standards are constantly evolving and improving. New implementations of this protocol provide faster connection speeds, less errors and less susceptibility to interference.

However, to use them, you need the appropriate equipment. Therefore, the most radical and expensive method to improve the quality of a home network is to buy a modern dual-band router from a well-known manufacturer.