Whether a student, working professional, or businessman, the entire world has been confined to the security of their homes amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But this security also means that the only way to work or study is through laptops and phones at home. For this, you should need knowledge about the router, these router tips will be helpful in your work from home.
Apart from the distress caused due to physical inactivity and social distancing, access to fast, reliable, uninterrupted internet services is also a significant stressor when it comes to working or studying from home. Problematic internet services may prove obstructive to a smooth workflow. After all, the internet has lately become our only window to the outside world. So, the question arises, how does one avail uninterrupted internet services?
In 2023, even in 2020, we all are stuck in our homes because of the worldwide pandemic that has caused havoc and ultimately altered the way we live and go about conducting our daily business. Although we were expecting a better 2023, free from the pandemic and its shenanigans, we faced the second wave of coronavirus in India. Everything, including jobs, schools, colleges, and work, returned online again.
And WiFi at home has become a necessity.
(Sometimes it feels, I can live without oxygen but not without the internet!) It has become such an essential part of our daily lives that an existence without a stable internet connection feels otherworldly.
5 Router Tips to Have Undisturbed WiFi During Work-From-Home
Problems from the WiFi routers also become standard due to mass adoption by the not-so-tech-savvy, but there’s so here are the top 5 tips to have uninterrupted WiFi during work-from-home. To learn more, here is a guide by router login.mobi that takes you through the whole process of setting up your Wi-Fi for the ultimate home experience.
1. Let the Router rest
Imagine your home router as one of the members of your family. Just as the adult ones who help the family, the members who help other family members, to the adults working from home and children taking online classes, routers must be considered an essential part of the smooth functioning of household tasks.
In simple terms, it is an important member, and it needs rest too.
A router is a machine that gets heated up on continuous use and can affect the performance of your router. It doesn’t matter how strong your internet connection is, but if the router is not working correctly, not-so tech-savvy’s mass adoption but with home, a strong internet connection will be of no use.
So whenever you are not using the internet, switch off the router to let the machine cool down.
2. Positioning your router
The position of your router plays a vital role in the internet connection. You will get a good link in the right place, and it will reach all ends of your house equally.
You must have seen people trying to reach heights for the mobile signals, and the thing is, it makes sense.
Hence, it’s recommended to mount a WiFi router somewhere high off the ground, not on the floor or the corner of the living room or home office. Also, take care to avoid as many walls and interferences as you can to have an uninterrupted connection.
3. Setting an Automatic Channel selector
In densely populated areas where every house has a WiFi router, overcrowding due to traffic congestion has become quite a problem.
This problem is commonly seen in wireless routers where channels are considered essential. They help to connect to your devices.
Setting an automatic channel selector will help your router choose the low-density network and facilitate effective network communication with excellent signals.
And if you don’t have an automatic selector, you can also go for the manual one by selecting the appropriate channel.
4. Be aware of WiFi Freeloaders
WiFi Intruders are the people who want to download all GOT seasons from your WiFi, video calls their girlfriend all night, or any other thing that will disrupt your WiFi signal.
These types of problems have nothing to do with your WiFi hardware, signal, range, or other things.
And the simple solution to stop these WiFi intruders is, the first step is to contact your ISP(internet service provider) to analyze your traffic and check which device is using lots of data. (And it can be someone from your own family too)
Once an intruder is recognized and the problem is solved, secure your network with a strong password- preferably WPA2.
5. Use an Ethernet cable
Nowadays, everyone wants wireless devices to get from the tangling of wires. But in WiFi, it’s always preferred to use a wired connection rather than a wireless one. Do you know about the benefits one has while using a wired ethernet connection over a Wi-Fi connection?
The downside of using a wired connection is that it limits the range of the devices and seems less convenient.
After going through all this, some devices still need the fastest internet connection- a gaming console or streaming box. It’s often better to use a wired connection because wired connections provide the most reliable way to access the internet. Take care to avoid wires trailing all across the floor.
6. Put in some extra cash if you can.
New, up-to-date routers will change your internet speed as compared to older devices. 5G is the latest network, and if you are still using a 3G router, you should probably upgrade to a newer one.
You also can change your plan if you don’t want to change your router. Generally, a basic plan will provide you with 3-8 Mbps, while a more premium plan can go up to the speed from 12-25 Mbps. If the two options do not seem to fit your choice, you can also add another router if you live in a story house or if you live in a concrete house. Adding a new router will help you in extending the Wi-Fi signal and increase the network in more rooms. You can add as many Wi-Fi extenders as you need depending on how big your home is. These tips will require you to put in some money, but they will boost your Wi-Fi connection in exchange.
7. Talk to your internet service provider or change your network
You can always reach out to your internet service provider and ask for their assistance regarding your poor internet connection. They will probably send technicians and look into you extend, but they cannot resolve your issues. You should change your internet connection as you are not providing the service you are paying for.
There are many internet service providers nowadays if you search online, or you can also ask your neighbors and people around your locality which internet works best in your area. Most internet service providers now have offers in the first installation for up to three months and the monthly charges have become more reasonable since the pandemic.
8.Update Your Firmware
Sometimes, the performance of the internet fluctuates, or there are bugs or some other software update that is to be done. That’s why checking for any firmware update is an excellent option to do.
Now, there are many ways to update your firmware but it depends on the brand of router you are using. But the most common method is –
- Type your router’s IP address into the search bar of any browser.
- Enter your username and password
- In the Management or Advanced section, locate the firmware or Update section.
- Click to your router manufacturer’s website.
- Download the firmware update file and then extract the file to your desktop.
- Start the upgrade process.
- Reboot your router once the update is done.
9. Check Your Band
There are two types of bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Just like a coin, these bands have two sides, i.e., pros and cons. You may know that 5GHz provides fast service but with a limited range, whereas 2.4 GHz offers a little slow service but with a good range.
Now, which band to prefer?
Use routers with both of the bands available so you can do your essential meets sitting nearby. Otherwise, you can walk into a house like a queen. Also, try putting devices with dual-band Wi-Fi adapters close to the router with the 5GHz band.
10. Reboot Your Router
Now, as you have made sure that everything is fine with your router service, i.e., the band, location, firmware update, app update, you need to check what else can be done to get high-speed internet.
When using mobile data, we generally reboot our device or switch on our airplane mode. In this case, we will reboot our router because sometimes the router gets heated up because of constant use and minimal ventilation, and in that case, we need to reboot our device and give it some time to rest. It is not about how well it works but how it performs.
These were some tips that I found helpful to make sure I have uninterrupted WiFi during work-from-home. Let me know if you find them useful in the comments below.