Wi-Fi is a wonderful invention. It is convenient, and new developments have resulted in faster speeds and larger ranges for our access points. However, it is not without its flaws. I have written many times about the security issues that Wi-Fi networks have, but Wi-Fi networks can also conflict with other nearby networks and devices, reducing the speed and distance of your network. There are several issues to be aware of when configuring your wireless devices:
1) Placement is Key - Before you begin experimenting with different configurations, evaluate the placement of your access point. Ideally, you want it to be in the center of your house and as high as possible. This reduces interference that can be caused by the furniture and walls, and it keeps your signal from being broadcast to the outside. If you must put the access point along the wall, try placing a curved sheet of aluminum behind it or use the "beer can/soda can" trick to reflect some of that signal back into the house.
Also, make sure that your router has plenty of room to breathe. A router that gets even moderate use from many different devices will get hot, so it must have room for proper airflow. If it cannot get proper airflow, it will slow down or completely shut off to keep itself from overheating. If your speed seems fine first thing in the morning but decreases throughout the day, air flow (or a failure in the router's cooling system) could be the problem.
2) Check Your Standard - In order to ensure compatibility between devices and access points, there are a set of standards that describe how devices should communicate. Each standard also has its own speed and distance limitations. All wireless standards start with the numbers 802.11 followed by one or more letters. The two original standards were 802.11a and 802.11b, and they have been followed by 802.11g, 802.11n, and most recently, 802.11ac. (The other letters have also been used, but they describe other factors of wireless configuration or have been rolled into the major standards I listed.)
The older standards are generally slower and have shorter ranges, but that does not mean that you should go out and purchase a brand new router. Even if your router uses the fast 802.11ac standard, you will be limited to slower speeds if not all of your devices are able to use the fastes standard. If you want to see what standard your router is using, just hover your cursor over the network name. In the window that comes up, you will see "Device Type:" followed by the standard that you are using. If you are not using 802.11n or 802.11 ac, you may want to consider upgrading to an 802.11n router. (The only reason you would not want to upgrade would be if you have an older device.)
3) Check for Interference - Wireless standards have used one of two frequencies to communicate: 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. 802.11a used the 5 GHz standard, but 802.11b and 802.11g switched to the 2.4 GHz frequency. The latest two standards 802.11n and 802.11ac, are now capable of communicating at either frequency. (Some routers are "dual-band" meaning that they can communicate at both frequencies simultaneously. Others can only communicate at one or the other.)
Older routers that used the 2.4 GHz frequency found interference from other household devices, such as microwaves, cordless phones, and Bluetooth devices, and there is less overall bandwidth for the devices to communicate. However, the 2.4 GHz frequency can cover a greater area than the 5 GHz frequency.
In general, it is best to use the 5 GHz frequency unless you need the added distance provided by the 2.4 GHz band. If you have a router that can use either frequency, you can try switching the frequency to see if you have less interference using the other band. The exact procedure for changing the frequency band varies by router, so you will need to check the manual.
4) Change the Channel - Within either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency are multiple subdivisions for communication, called channels. If you and your neighbor are both trying to use the same channel, your networks will interfere with each other and decrease performance. This can be a bigger problem in apartment buildings with a large number of wireless networks in a small space. Most personal routers are configured to detect which channel has the lowest amount of traffic on it. However, this process will not always find the best channel.
Channel selection is most important in the 2.4 GHz freqency, as it only has three channels that do not overlap: 1, 6, and 11. If you are experiencing intermittent slowdowns on your network, you might want to try all three channels to see if one gives you better overall performance. (Ideally, everyone in your neighborhood/apartment complex could sit down and work out a map to prevent networks from overlapping on the same channel, but this would probably never happen in practice.)
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