Top 9 Ways to boost your home Wi-Fi

Working to meet a deadline, watching your favorite show or streaming videos on the internet can be very frustrating if your internet connection is slow. Slow internet reduces your productivity and stresses you out.

Follow these tips to boost your home wifi

Find a good spot for the router

You should not hide your router in a drawer, under the bed or in any obscure place. To get the best out of the device, you have to place it out in the open. If you happen to share with your whole family, you can put the router in the center of the house for better coverage. You can elevate the router for an even better signal; you can place it on a high shelf or top of the tv.

Remove all obstructions

Several things can interfere with your wifi signal, especially if it has a 2.4 GHz frequency band. Home appliances like baby monitors, cordless phones or microwaves also share the same frequency and can cause your wireless network to be slow. Keep the router far away from these appliances and place it in a spot where they won’t interfere with the network

Switch Channels

If your neighbors or family members have their routers, the signals may interfere with yours and cause bad signal and slow wireless network. You can prevent this by switching to a new channel.Most new models of routers automatically switch to the best channel available, but that shouldn’t stop you from manually selecting channels to see if anyone is faster and less crowded

Restart the device

Sometimes all the device needs to give it a boost is a reboot. If you call your ISP, they might suggest you do this as well. Turn off the router, wait for a few minutes and turn it on to see if the network will be much faster.

5. Upgrade your Software

Updating the software often goes a long way in helping your router to function better. New software has security and bug fixes; you might be denying yourself the privilege of this if you don’t upgrade. New routers usually come with updated software, but you use an old router, you have to update it yourself

Protect your Wireless Network

If your network is not secure, anyone can tap into it and hackers will have easy access to the wifi. To prevent this, all you have to do is to protect your wifi with a password. You can also configure your encryption and install a firewall for double protection. You can set up a VPN to cover your identity, and you can conceal your SSID so that your network won’t come up when people search for nearby networks.

Try QoS

Buying a router with pre-installed QoS is a good idea. The Quality of Service will help you monitor applications people run with the wifi and prioritize your applications while limiting usage of apps that hog bandwidth. If people share your network and use it to stream videos, play games or watch shows, it will slow down the network. Prevent this problem with a QoS.

Adjust your Antennas

A lot of routers come with detachable or movable antennae, if your wifi is slow, try turning each antenna around a bit for better signal, you can make them parallel or perpendicular.

Adjust your Frequency

A frequency band of 2.4 GHz can make your wifi slow. Some home appliances share the same frequency, and this can obstruct the signal of your wifi. If you are purchasing a router, you should get one with a dual-band or tri-band. The 5.4 GHz frequency band is less common and not as overcrowded as the 2.4 GHz, and it has more channels. Although, make sure your devices are compatible with this frequency band before you switch. Most routers cannot support both bands simultaneously, but you can switch from one to the other.