How is your Wi-Fi? Is the connection a bit sporadic? If it isn’t as reliable as you would like, here are some tips for improving the situation.
When routers are hidden behind other devices or tucked in a corner, wireless signals can be affected. Many routers come with Wi-Fi built in, so you will not be achieving the best possible coverage in your office if the antennas are obstructed.
As older Wi-Fi often runs on a radio frequency of 2.4Ghz, there can sometimes be considerable interference on this range. In fact, in built up areas or in a large office, there could be hundreds of devices all causing interference (even microwave ovens or cordless phones)! Most routers have a built-in management console which allows you to make changes to the settings. Find the setting that enables you to alter the range of ‘channels’ the wireless signal runs on. Try changing the channel to see if there is less interference and fewer dropouts.
IT technology is constantly evolving and improving. You may have an old router that supports older 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi technologies such as b, g or n. If you change to a new router with ‘wireless ac’ dual-band coverage at 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, it is likely that you will improve the wireless coverage across the office, reduce radio interference and enable higher bandwidth on the wireless network.
You should not have restricted wireless coverage because of a router’s built-in Wi-Fi range limitation. Many businesses use wireless access points, which are small devices that provide Wi-Fi coverage in as many rooms as you wish. These can often be powered by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled network switch (or PoE Injector), meaning you can quickly and easily power the access point by an Ethernet cable rather than from a power supply. This is useful for parts of the office that do not have any nearby electrical sockets.
If your business is still using a standard ‘ADSL’ broadband connection, we recommend checking if fibre is available in your area. If so, it is likely you will enjoy much faster bandwidth than before. Whilst having fibre will not improve your Wi-Fi signal, it would almost certainly improve your browsing experience.
Once you have performed these steps, you will hopefully find your Wi-Fi signal has improved. If not, please contact us and we are happy to investigate further or make recommendations. We are also happy to provide a free IT audit to enable you to understand the current situation for all your IT.
