5 things that are slowing your Wi-Fi network

5 things that are slowing your Wi-Fi network

Home Wi-Fi has become an essential part of our daily lives. Using it for streaming movies, music, and online gaming has undoubtedly become easier as staying connected with the world. Since we’ve become so dependent on the internet, it is no shock when you feel frustrated and inconvenienced when the Wi-Fi signal is slow or shows an error. So here are some quick fixes to this problem in most cases, so let’s take a look.

Interference from other devices
This is very common and often overlooked. One of the reasons your Wi-Fi signal could be working slowly is that other wireless devices in the house are running on the same network. These include cordless phones, smartphones, Bluetooth devices, and microwaves! According to research, all of these devices work on the same frequency as the Wi-Fi and hence can be a reason for slow connection. An easy solution to this problem can be to move your Wi-Fi router away from any of these devices where you know it has an accessible signal.

The router is too far
One of the essential things while working with home Wi-Fi is having the router fixed at just the proper distance in the house. It needs to be placed strategically where the signal can be accessed easily from all the rooms and even the basement! If your device is too far from the router, then it is possible that the signal may get lost or it may be weak to reach your device. An easy fix to this is to place your router somewhere in a central location in the house, or you can also get two routers to help the signal reach certain corners of the house.

Physical obstructions
The house’s structure can sometimes create a physical barrier between the Wi-Fi router and your device(s). Thick walls, certain furniture, and such can be a hindrance. Of course, this doesn’t mean you must redo your house. All you have to do is avoid installing the router where you know the devices will not be in a clear line of sight. This can be frustrating, but once you have figured out the correct location of the router, all your troubles will melt away.

Outdated hardware
This is extremely important when installing a Wi-Fi router. Always invest in a good router with an extended range without interruptions. The new models available in the market are much more advanced than the primary versions, of course, so understand how it can benefit your internet browsing at home and make an informed decision. If your current Wi-Fi router is not doing the job, maybe it’s time to try the upgraded version.

Too many devices
Another common reason your Wi-Fi may be slow is that too many devices are connected to the same network. For example, you can consider switching off the Wi-Fi option on some of the devices which are not in use, or you can check with your internet provider for an upgraded plan which allows for fast Wi-Fi on multiple devices.

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10 Black Friday deals on internet services to expect in 2022

Living without a good mobile signal is tough to imagine these days. With the whole world connecting on high-speed internet through various service providers, it is no longer a luxury but a necessity to have a reliable and stable network. Many individuals rely on the internet for work, school, entertainment, and more. Based on last year's trends, here are the top ten internet services deals to expect during Black Friday 2022. HughesNet Make your switch to satellite easier with HughesNet, a reliable provider with services across the country. Last year's offers let you save $99 on a free installation with an additional $5 off the lease on your dish equipment for HughesNet internet plan sign-ups. Expect similar or bigger offers in 2022. Xfinity For fast internet speeds, Xfinity is your go-to! The internet service provider advertised 6x quicker speeds for the same price last Black Friday. Customers could get a 50 Mbps plan for $19.99/month for 12 months with a new Xfinity mobile line. Explore similar deals for the upcoming shopping season. AT&T Last year, AT&T ran online promotions for their fiber internet plans. Three plans came with $250 worth of savings in the form of reward cards when ordered online. New residential customers could get the 300 Mbps plan for $35/month and the 500 Mbps plan for $45/month. The discounts are expected to run deeper this year, so stay tuned for the year-end sales. Windstream Windstream ran brilliant schemes on their Kinetic internet service. Customers who had not received Kinetic internet within 30 days were eligible for one to three months of free service. New customers could receive a $100 Kinetic Visa® Prepaid Card. Windstream may offer similar deals this year, too, so look out for significant savings! Optimum Last year, new Optimum customers could choose from great deals, like the 1 Gig plan free for one month ($49.99/month after), one year of HBO Max, a Wi-Fi extender, and free installation. Similar offers applied for their 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps plans. Further, adding an Optimum Mobile subscription helped customers get a $100 Visa® Prepaid Card. This year, experts predict similar discounts on their services. Spectrum Signing up with Spectrum can help you get better Black Friday deals and discounts. Last season, they provided their biggest sale on bundles. The Triple Play bundle started at $99.97 per month with speeds up to 200 Mbps, more than 10,000 on-demand movies and TV shows, and unlimited local and long-distance calling, all without a contract. CenturyLink There are several deals for new CenturyLink customers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On signing up, you may receive goodies like a $100 or $150 CenturyLink Visa® Prepaid Card, especially when you bundle your services or purchase two or more home internet plans. Verizon This is one of the country's top providers. Verizon High-Speed Internet and Verizon Fios offer two types of internet services, DSL and fiber. Verizon Fios provides more significant discounts than the former on Black Friday. Customers who switch to Fios may receive a $100 Prepaid Visa® Card and Disney+ for free. T-Mobile T-Mobile offers internet services when you sign up for their mobile plans, along with some of the best deals on 5G smartphones and other electronic devices. Look out for unlimited internet with their home Wi-Fi plans that cost $50 per month with AutoPay and no hidden fees or contracts. RCN RCN has great festive season deals on their Gig internet plans, including their Double Play and Triple Play ones. The Internet 1 Gig Double and Triple Play were both priced at $64.99 per month and came with a $100 gift card, a free DVR, free installation, and all equipment included. The cost of 5G internet and home Wi-Fi services can eat into your monthly budget. So, do not miss out on the upcoming Black Friday sale in 2022, and make the most out of the deals from the top providers!

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5 simple ways to increase Wi-Fi speed

Staying connected to the world in today’s day and age has become extremely easy, thanks to the internet. Not only does it help to keep social connections alive, saying hello to friends who stay miles away, but it also helps stay up to date on the work front. So what happens when there is a glitch in your Wi-Fi network or when the network is slow? Here are 5 easy tips to increase your Wi-Fi speed. Restart the router This may sound like an amateur hack, but it works. Resetting your router or just switching it off and on is an effective way to fix the glitch and increase Wi-Fi speed. Sometimes routers can get overwhelmed by the multiple devices connected to them, leading to a slow speed. All you have to do is unplug the router, wait for 30 seconds, and then plug it back in so that it clears all the cache and refreshes the memory. This leads to a fast Wi-Fi connection. Strategic placing of the router Placing your router at the right location in the house is important to get high, uninterrupted speed. A lot of times, thick walls or obstructions may disrupt the signal, leading to slow Wi-Fi. So keeping the router at a central location in the house is ideal. Also, try to keep it away from other devices like cordless phones, microwaves, and televisions, which can interfere with the router’s signal. Use a Wi-Fi extender We’ve discussed the strategic location of the router that helps with an uninterrupted signal. However, sometimes it is important to note that you could need a Wi-Fi extender if the area is too big. This is especially helpful if there are too many floors or rooms in the house and you need equal connectivity in each room. Limit the number of devices used An easy hack but often overlooked. A lot of times, all devices are connected to the Wi-Fi network, even those which are not in active use. The network can get crowded with so many devices connected to it, and this can easily affect the Wi-Fi speed. An easy solution is to disconnect some inactive devices and let the focus only be on devices that need uninterrupted streaming. Wi-Fi network frequency There are two frequencies at which the Wi-Fi network runs. One is 2.4GHZ, and the other is 5GHz frequency. As is understood, the higher the GHz, the better the frequency, so it is ideal for connecting devices to a router that has a 5GHz frequency. This way, the router is faster, the network is less congested, and you can easily stream the internet at high speed. However, if you have an old router, it’s possible it only supports 2.4GHz frequency, so you may have to switch to a new one. Thanks to the technology, the firmware has also been significantly upgraded, which can help with the Wi-Fi speed. So always look out for a router that best suits your needs, that is, the need for high-speed internet.

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