Okay Geek Farm
How to speed up your WiFi connection
Connor Scalleat
Wi-Fi is something we have all become accustomed to and really take for granted. Every time we go somewhere with our laptops in the city or in a highly trafficked place, we for the most part can get instant internet access with a wireless network. Though the first thing people complain about when they connect to these open networks, wherever they may be, is the speed. For instance, I am currently writing this article in my local Starbucks and there are 4 people with laptops, about 6 with their phones out and 2 with iPads.
After my device connected to the Starbucks network, it took a little while to load up the Starbucks digital network page and then I was finally able to go ahead and surf the net. As you notice when using these open networks, they are a quite a bit slower than our home networks, and especially at conferences like CES we certainly see this obvious dip in speed.
How it works
For example, remember when Steve Jobs was first showing off the iPad and embarrassingly had Wi-Fi problems? That s because the network at that conference underwent something called gridlock. Just like it sounds it s the inability to move data over a network, just like a traffic jam in a city on the streets or grid. When at schools, conferences, or the work place you definitely notice the slow speeds on the network, and that s because of the amount of people connected at transferring on that network at a certain time.
Wi-Fi was never built for huge masses of people to use at once, transferring loads of data over its channels. Wi-Fi was built to be used in a residential setting, to be used to wirelessly interconnect your devices, never mind the web. When thought of Wi-Fi in that respect it is certainly a success and probably one of the greatest inventions of our time, but it just goes to show how Wi-Fi wasn t built for how we use it today and that its about time we find ways to improve it.
How to improve your signal easily
The obvious solutions for a lot of people connecting to one network is to install more routers and analyze the space completely. People are deceived all the time that when you install a router anywhere that it will work just like the box says This is amazingly false! Network signals really depend on the surroundings; walls, floors, etc. can really change a signal s strength throughout an office building or homes
Something to improve your router s signal is checking which channel you re on. Sometimes different channels can withhold better connections or just be clearer (sort of like radio stations). And something I see a lot are people putting their routers on top of metal objects. Whether it be a file cabinet or their desk itself any metal that is that close to the router will disrupt the signal.
Instead of positioning numerous routers and wires all over your house or a conference area, you may want to invest in some Wi-Fi boosters. Not many of people have heard of these devices but they do just as their name suggests — amplify your Wi-Fi signal throughout your entire household. The only downside however, is that they can be so good that they extend the range of your network well beyond the property lines of your home. This brings me to my next point: encryption.
Whether you live in a populated area or not, there is no reason to keep your wireless connection open without security. If you aren’t password protected than you could essily be losing chunks of speed due to people piggybacking on your connection, and that’s just the least of your problems in that situation. Locking down your network to only those whom you allow will greatly speed up your wireless browsing experience.
And finally, this may be a little silly, but try to make sure all of your wireless equipment is from the same provider or brand name. Everything will be set up on the same default and the entire set-up process will be a lot easier.
Overall
Wi-Fi is an extremely powerful tool and there is no denying that, but it is certainly not built for some of the applications that it is being used for. With the few tips that I gave you should be able too increase the speeds and distance of your signal in your house and really get a snappy connection for exactly what it was originally made for: your own private use. Wi-Fi is a medium that I see slowly dying or changing, and frankly I find our speeds in the United States quite embarrassing to other countries’ averages. Overall, I leave you with one tip of advice; that no matter how fast a public network you connect to is, always know the risks and their limitations.
