Weak Wi-Fi signal is very frustrating for internet users. We buy a router with money and don’t get the desired Wi-Fi range. Well you can blame the wireless router for that, but you have to be sure you are doing everything right. Wireless router is a networking device which is supposed to provide you a wireless signal. The Wi-Fi coverage of a standard router have to follow some rules and regulation given by IEEE. So before getting frustrated, you can try some steps to improve your wireless signal coverage. You will surely see the difference after implementation.
Latest Wi-Fi Technology
As said earlier, wireless signal is defined by some standards. If you are using an old router with older technology (b/g standards), you cannot expect a great wireless coverage. The latest technologies in wireless are n and ac. These standards provide wider wireless coverage with greater stability. So first of all you have to buy a router which supports latest wireless technologies. Because if the technical spec is below standard, you simply cannot do anything about the wireless signal. Buy a router with latest feature, you will notice the difference in wireless coverage.
Find a Better Spot
Wireless router broadcast wireless signal from it and the signal can be blocked if the router is not placed in an appropriate position. This is the first mistake we do after buying a wireless router, put the router in a place where we put our shoes. A wireless router should be placed in an open space. If the router is placed in an open space, it will be able to reach farther. Wireless signal will be blocked if there are walls nearby. Also place the router away from other electronic devices like TV or Fridge.
Wireless Channel
This step can be a bit technical for you if you are not that familiar with computer networking. A wireless signal of a router travels through a certain path. It is called the channel of wireless signal. If the channel is free, the signal will be better. If not, the wireless signal will get weak. Normally there are 11 channels in a standard wireless router. By default, the router will choose a channel which it finds suitable. There are some free software’s which can be used to monitor the traffics of different channels. You can select a particular channel from the router.
Better Security
A wireless router without proper security becomes a property for everyone. And when everyone starts to use your router, your router will cause problem. There are some latest security features which provide stronger encryption. Latest encryption technologies will provide better security which will be harder to hack. There are some routers which provides a table of connected devices, you can track down unwanted devices from that table. Monitoring the client list will provide better security for your Wi-Fi. You should also monitor the bandwidth consumption of different applications. Finding the bandwidth hog application and stopping it will boost your router performance.