Did you know that in US households, consumers connect around 15 devices to the internet? This totals around 1.4 billion and most are connected through wi-fi.
Wi-fi has now become a necessity in the US and most of us feel lost without a constant internet connection. We now expect cafes and bars to provide free wi-fi. We may even avoid restaurants if they don’t!
But it’s our home network setup that we most need to get right. This is due to us having multiple smart devices that run off the wireless connection.
And now we can work and watch tv from our cell phone, it’s no wonder we need the best wi-fi around.
So when our connection goes down, it means that we can struggle to do our daily tasks. It leaves us feeling frustrated and even isolated. So how can we avoid this?
In this article, we’re going to share tips on how to avoid mistakes when setting up your wi-fi at home. These will hopefully leave you with a fast and secure wireless network 24/7.
Read on for more information.
1. Find The Best Router Location
It’s common that our routers end up being placed in a random spot of the house. They can be found on the floor in a corner which makes the room difficult to vacuum, or, put on top of a shelf to collect dust.
This makes it frustrating if we need to reboot the router, and have to get on our hands and knees, or, stand on a chair. You’ll often feel more frustrated and want to take your anger out on it, which is a bad idea.
But the location of our router can have an effect on connectivity.
You should try to avoid placing the router next to an exterior wall, and, put it in the middle of your house/workspace. This should result in better connectivity and reduce the risk of no connection in certain rooms.
2. Create Your Own Password
Default passwords are very long and very random. Fair enough, this makes it a strong password, but it’s very hard to remember. Plus, whenever someone wants to connect, it often turns into a 10-minute task due to typos.
When you receive your router, your default password is normally printed on a small card. Now like most small items, they usually go missing.
If this happens and for some reason, you need to re-enter the password, you’re stuck. This situation does happen and it can result in you having no internet for quite a while.
Thankfully, you can easily avoid this by being smart and organized.
When you get your router, change the password straight away to something you can easily remember. Not only will this reduce the risk of no internet, but you can choose who you give the password to.
By having fewer people connected to your wi-fi, your internet speed will be super fast.
3. Don’t Pay For The Neighbours Wi-Fi
Having a password also ensures that you can control who has access to your wi-fi.
The cost of wi-fi can be expensive, so some people would rather others pay for it. These people will activate wi-fi on their device and hope that an unsecured wi-fi connection is in range.
They’ll then connect and use it for work and pleasure.
Not only does this slow down your internet, but you could be paying for all your neighbor’s wi-fi. I’m sure this is something you would rather avoid.
With fast connection, you’ll be able to enjoy what you want and get your money’s worth.
4. Plan For All Your Devices
It’s easy to assume you only need wi-fi for your computer and cell phone but you need to consider other household devices.
For example, your television will often work off of wi-fi especially if you use Netflix or similar sites. Also, don’t forget about your wireless printer, Amazon Echo and Xbox.
Before you buy a wi-fi plan, think carefully about how many devices are likely to be connected at once. If you live with others, ask them what they use wi-fi for as well. This will give you an idea of what speed you’ll need.
If you have a lot of devices connected at the same time, this will slow down your connection. Plus, if people are downloading large files, this slows it down even more.
5. Check Coverage In Your Area
You may feel safer in choosing a well-known internet provider, but it doesn’t guarantee you a consistent connection. Internet connection can vary depending on where you live, so, certain providers can offer better connectivity than others.
Before you sign up for a long-term contract, carry out a speed check for your area. On the provider’s website, there should be an option to do this by entering your zip code. It will then give you the internet average speed you can expect.
Try this for several different providers and see who can offer you the most reliable connection.
How To Avoid Home Network Setup Mistakes
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article and every tip was useful for you.
As you can see there are many common mistakes that can affect your connection. By focusing on each one of the points mentioned, you can ensure you have a great home network setup. Plus, you’ll likely save yourself from a lot of unnecessary frustration.
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