9 Steps To Great WiFi Connectivity

You may have seen the WiFi router boxes that advertise speeds from 50 megabits to 9.6 gigabits per second. But, no average person got the WiFi router to produce those exact speeds, ever.

The sad truth is that those advertised speeds are only possible in perfect conditions. Router placement, environmental and building factors and even your neighbour’s routers – all affect your connectivity.
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Here are some steps you can take to maximize your WiFi connectivity speeds and quality in your home and office.

1. Single Or Multiple Routers?

If you have more than a couple of devices and your home or office is larger than 1500 square feet, you will likely need multiple routers in the MESH configuration. The rule of the thumb is one router for every 1500-2000 square feet of space.

2. Location, Location, Location.

WiFi signal is impacted by distance and obstacles. Metal is the ultimate WiFi signal blocker, but ceramic tile, concrete and glass also make a significant impact. Place your devices with some space around them and minimize the number of walls and other obstacles between the router and your devices. If you are using the Mesh configuration, make sure two routers are never more than 30 feet apart.

3. Give Your Router A Break.

If possible, connect high usage devices (streaming TV boxes, video games) directly to the Internet – do not use WiFi at all. One TV device may use as much of the WiFi connectivity as all your other devices combined.

4. Go For A Triple Or Dual-Band Router.

Two is better than one – so if you can, give your devices an option to connect through various bands. Splitting the load will increase the connection speed overall.

5. What Devices You Want?

Each device that is connecting to the router has a wireless network card. Those WiFi network cards all have different requirements. If your device connection speed is slow, it could simply mean that your device has reached the maximum available speed.

6. Keep Your Router Firmware Updated.

WiFi technology is regularly changing. Every router has built-in software (known as firmware), which needs to be updated every few months. If your router does not do it automatically, you may need to make it happen.

7. Be The Boss.

Many newer WiFi routers offer management tools. You can decide which devices connect to which routers, how much speed each device gets and much more.

8. Know The Truth.

First, use a wired device (laptop with a network card, video game console, Apple TV etc.), connect it directly to your Internet connection (modem or a switch), and do a speed test. Doing so will show you the maximum speed available to you. Then, do the same test through your WiFi router to see what your router can do. If those two speeds are close, congratulations, you got it right!

9. Start Saving For A New Router.

​WiFi routers have an average lifespan of only 2-4 years. Technology advances are making routers obsolete so fast. So, be prepared to replace your router every 3-4 years to achieve the best results. Incidentally, this is why we always recommend that you rent your router from us instead of buying one. Rental protects you from having to buy a new box every so often.

Great Wifi