7 Tips to Improve Your Wireless Connection ...

A number of wireless electronics within your home operate on the same frequency that many routers use. Some of these devices include; garage door openers, baby monitors, microwaves, and cordless telephones. Make sure none of these devices are placed near the router. You might even try turning unplugging them to see if one might be the culprit for your crummy wireless connection.

You’ll only need to do this if your laptop doesn’t already have built-in wireless networking capability. The router might be sending out powerful signals, but sometimes laptops aren’t able to receive the signals being sent. Upgrading to a USB wireless network adapter can boost your computer’s ability to receive the router signals.

This means if you buy a router from one company, then purchase the adaptor from the same one. Some devices will still work together, but you might keep the signal going strong by simply using equipment from the same manufacturer. Having the same vendor for all your equipment will also allow you to upgrade your router without having the upgrade interview with any adaptor or antenna you might have added.

The standard antenna sends a signal out in all directions, while the high-gain version emits a signal in the direction it is most needed. These powerful antennas are easy to install and range between 5 dollars to well over 100 dollars. When you have a standard antenna sending out a signal in all directions and your router is near a wall, a lot of the signal is wasted on the wall itself. Not all routers have a removable antenna, so you’ll have to check before purchasing the high-gain version.

In Canada and the US, router channels used most are 1, 6, and 11. Sometimes a simple channel change will instantly give you a better connection between the computer and wireless router. You’ll have to check the instructions that came with your particular router to find the web address listed for changing the router channel. There are different addresses for the various wireless router manufacturers.

If you have the wireless router stationed at one end of the house, but you spend most of your time on the computer at the opposite end of the house, then the connection is going to be slower for you. Even though you might spend more time in one area of your home when on the computer, it’s still a good idea to centralize the location of your router in case you need to use the computer in another part of the house at any time. It’s also beneficial to keep the router away from metal objects and walls.

Some homes are too big and even if you centralize the wireless router, it’s still difficult to get a good signal from all rooms. Repeaters are usually wireless, which makes them easy to install. The repeater should be positioned at the halfway point between the router and your computer. This repeater will instantly boost the strength of your wireless connection.

These 7 tips to improve your wireless connection might all need to be tried, in order to boost your signal. Do you think these tips will be useful to you?

Top Photo Credit: hirosan