Speed Up Your Wi-Fi

This post originally appeared here on September 12, 2014.

Everyone wants the fastest internet speed possible at a price we can afford.  However, if your Wi-Fi is slow, the problem may not be your ISP.  There are many things that you can do to improve your Wi-Fi speeds that don't include contacting your ISP to increase your speed (which will also increase your price, of course!)  Here are four free things you can do that might improve your Wi-Fi speeds:

1) Move the Router - Many people do not know that the maximum speed decreases as you move away from the router.  To make sure you have the best speeds, move the router as close as possible to where people will be using Wi-Fi.  If you want coverage throughout your house, try to move it somewhere in the center.  If most of the Wi-Fi access is done on one side, you might want to move it closer to that end of the house.

Hiding the router away in one corner gives some of your best coverage to your yard and even to the neighbor's house.  Obviously, you will not want an unsightly mess of cables right in the middle of your living room, but moving your router closer may improve your speed.

If you must put the router in a corner or at one end of your house, you can use a curved sheet of aluminum foil or an aluminium can behind the router to reflect the signal back into your house.

2) Change the Channel - Your router can be programmed to work on eleven different channels.  If most of your neighbors are using one particular channel, that channel can slow from all the transmissions.  Access your router's control panel (for exact instructions, check the printed or online documentation for your router) and try changing the channel.  The best channels to use will be 1, 6, and 11.

A word of warning:  I had one customer whose printer required channel 1 for some reason, but his router was programmed to select the clearest channel.  If you suddenly find that a device won't connect after changing the channel, you may be stuck with the channel you are on.

3) Update Firmware - All devices contain small chips with software to operate the device.  This software is called firmware.  Manufacturers will sometimes release firmware updates for your device to protect against security holes, correct errors, and add new features.  Unfortunately, unlike Windows, your devices are rarely programmed to check for firmware updates.

Both your router and your device's Wi-Fi card have firmware that might benefit from an upgrade.  To check for new firmware, go to the manufacturer's website.

4) Check for Thieves - Earlier this week, I wrote a tip about how to check for people that might be using your Wi-Fi network.  If you did not get this tip, you can check it out here.

However, even authorized devices may be using your bandwidth without your knowledge.  Right now, WiFi Guard lists five devices connected to my router, even though I am only using my computer (and at the time I am writing this, I am the only one awake).  Shutting off Wi-Fi on your phone, tablet, or streaming device might free up more bandwidth for your computer.