Your laptop and other devices tap on the power of the wireless internet. Conveniently, it allows us to surf and work at our convenient space. Certainly, business Wi-Fi is a disruptor. However, nothing frustrates like a slow wireless internet; but you can improve the performance of your Wi-Fi with a few easy tweaks. Indeed, the current technological trends revolve around the internet and mobile devices diversity, all tapping into the power of Business Wi-Fi. Specifically, it is estimated that up to 34 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020. Actually, Wi-Fi mobility continues to gain momentum and the world will experience an exponential increase in public Wi-Fi to 541.6 million hotspots by 2021. Ultimately, Wi-Fi is here to stay.
However, like any other technology, Wi-Fi sometimes underperforms. Certainly, the negative part of Wi-Fi is when it suddenly slows down or doesn’t perform to expectation. Indeed, there are litanies of factors that can affect your wireless network performance. These include but not limited to wireless network operating mode, environmental issues, distance between wireless devices and the router, network congestion or interference, the kind of encryption utilised. We will look at four easy ways to improve your business Wi-Fi.
-
Deal with Network Congestion or Interference
Wireless network interference can come from a myriad of sources but knowing which ones can help you solve the problem. As it is, almost every room has a device connected on Wi-Fi. Inevitably, the extended periods connected on the wireless network may overwhelm its capability and performance. By far, the likeliest culprits are consumer electronic devices within the realm of wireless network interference. Although Wi-Fi on a different frequency than most devices, radio noise from these devices may still interfere with your Wi-Fi frequency due to the close proximity of these frequencies. Be as it may, please pay close attention to these devices.
i. Your Microwave
Your microwave oven may be the reason why you can’t stream your favourite match live. Microwaves ovens utilise frequencies at 2.45 GHz. Certainly, this is incredibly close to the Wi-Fi band frequency of 2.4 GHz. Actually, the exact frequencies Wi-Fi broadcasts in are 2.412 GHz and 2.472 GHz and therefore, it is evitable that these frequencies overlap with the microwave band of 2.45 GHz. As such, whenever this interference occurs, data transmission is impaired. Therefore, check to make sure your microwave is placed as far away as possible from the router. Additionally, check that your microwave is adequately shielded to contain its waves within its unit. There are many devices to assist you chose the best location for your router.
ii. Fairy Throbbing Lights
Christmas lights may be interfering with your Wi-Fi. These lights emit electromagnetic fields which inevitably interfere with your Wi-Fi band not to mention the health dangers they pose to you. If you must, place flashing lights and fluorescent tubes away from the router.
iii. Bluetooth
As it turns out, Bluetooth too operates 2.4GHz. In theory, manufacturers try to mitigate against interference by rotating signals between 70 unique channels. But sometimes interference still occurs. Try as much as possible to purchase newer Bluetooth devices with channel management to assist the device avoid channels in use. If you have older Bluetooth devices, try to turn them off or place them away from the router.
-
Encrypt your Wireless Network
It may well be that you have configured your wireless network as an open network. An open wireless allows anyone to connect to your business Wi-Fi, thereby utilising a portion of your bandwidth or speed. Subsequently, business Wi-Fi encryption is a necessary evil to make sure that only authorised users lock onto your wireless network.
-
Upgrade to 802.11 AC Router
Something fundamental passed unnoticed in 2013. After what seems like millennia in technological metrics, Wi-Fi speeds were upgraded from 802.11 N to 802.11 AC. AC technologies in routers fundamentally increases Wi-Fi bandwidth which inevitably increases wireless network performance alleviating the nuisances of a slow Wi-Fi. 802.11N routers can transmit data at 100Mbs. Conversely, 802.11AC routers can transmit data at 1GB. It could as well be that you are deceiving yourself by paying for higher bandwidth; all the while your router can’t handle those speeds. At some point, we find the need to purchase new routers, try and hunt for AC routers.
-
Positioning within the Realm of Environmental factors
Wireless network signals often transmit poorly when obstructed. Metal, concrete and water often hinder the performance of Wi-Fi due to signal degradation issues. The rule of thumb detects you place Wi-Fi routers centrally within the location of usage. Furthermore, make sure you get the correct antenna for your Wi-Fi router; some antennas have a higher gain performance. Moreover, it is indeed wise to keep the antenna upright at a 90 degree angle and adjust only up to 45 degrees angle if you need to enhance performance. Beyond which you may want to move your router. Generally, you want your router’s Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) in a centralised, high point.
There indeed many ways than one to improve the performance of your Wi-Fi. However, you may want to consider the best choice for you within your ability. Either way, consider tweaking your router to extract the best ever performance from it. There are many devices to assist you to measure the performance of your Wi-Fi which we’ll discuss in another article.
