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How to get Better WiFi

To get better Wi-Fi, you typically need both a faster home network connection and a more reliable one. Wi-Fi speeds vary greatly these days, which impacts how quickly you can download and upload files, or stream your favorite show. A number of factors can also affect the quality and reliability of your home network, creating higher latency or lag, and resulting in a less-than-ideal video or gaming experience.

Dead zones also affect network speed and reliability. A dead zone is a place in your home where you do not receive a WiFi signal at all.

So, what can you do to get better WiFi? There are several of things.

 

 

Internet Speed

As a first step, you should look at your current speed with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Speed reflects how fast packets of data are transmitted from the World Wide Web (www) to your home modem or router. It is measured in units called bits. You’ll typically see this as Mbps (megabits per second) or in Gbps (gigabits per second). Many ISPs have very high download speeds but low upload speeds.

Our WiFi Planner tool can help identify your current Internet usage and then recommend a speed along with other tools to improve your home network based on the way that your household uses the internet. Factors include:

 

Types of Activities

Are you just surfing the net, or do you have high performance needs like gaming or streaming video? Some activities use more bandwidth than others.

 

Number of Devices

The number of users on your home network is a key factor in determining the internet speeds you’ll need. We look at the items that tap into your bandwidth like smartphones, tablets, PCs as well as “smart home” devices like video cameras, door bells, etc. We also look at the total number of video streaming devices in the household, like AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, ScreenBeam Mini2, Chromecast, etc.

 

Home Size and Layout

Do you have a small, single story home, or a house with 3-4 levels and a deck? These different scenarios can wildly impact the WiFi performance in your home.

 

 

Router / Gateway

Router technology is continually evolving.  If you have an old 802.11n router, it’s probably time to look into an upgrade. The latest WiFi networking standard is 802.11ac, which better supports video streaming and other high-performance applications like gaming. With an 802.11ac router, you can get speeds ranging up to several gigabits per second. These routers operate in the 5 GHz signal range and are designed to minimize wireless interference issues.

 

 

Other Home Network Devices

There are a number of home networking devices you can use to help improve your connection or eliminate dead-zones between your router and your smartphone, PC, gaming console or other devices.

People often have questions about WiFi boosters, extenders and repeaters. You can read more about these here.

A traditional WiFi Mesh network does allow for broader coverage in a home. The downside, however, is that Mesh speeds on average are lower than other options. And, since it is entirely wireless, it is at risk for interference, which can increase latency and lag.

 

MoCA

MoCA technology is a better solution for faster and reliable home networks, delivering speeds up to 3x those of standard Mesh networks. The technology is now available in some Adapters and Network Extenders. The great thing is that MoCA uses the existing coaxial wiring in your home to create a reliable and ultra-high-speed network connection. Coaxial wiring and ports are used to connect TVs to set-top boxes and paid TV services. If you have or had cable TV, chances are that you already have coaxial ports throughout your home.

Here’s how MoCA works. No new wiring is required. Simply connect a MoCA Adapter to your router and either another MoCA Adapter or Network Extender to a coaxial port elsewhere in your home. These MoCA devices “talk to each other” creating a reliable, superfast home network. In fact, bonded MoCA 2.0 technology delivers speeds of over 900 Mbps for an instant Wi-Fi performance boost. To get better WiFi, it’s that easy!

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