Frequently Asked Question
General Overview
Last Updated 6 years ago
Your Wi-Fi signal loses strength as it gets further away from Router as it has to travel though objects and gets affected by other devices in its path. The bottom line always is, if you can use a wired connect, you should. Not only is wireless insecure, there are so many different things that can affect its operation that will slow you down.
1) Your Neighbours' Wi-Fi
The biggest source of interference today for most people is their neighbours' Wi-Fi networks. The problem is that most existing Wi-Fi equipment operates on the crowded 2.4GHz band. Think of it like a three-lane road that's really, really busy, more neighbours, more devices, more traffic, more congestion. The Default channel for 95% of the WiFi Router is 1 so if you change to another channel like 6, 10 or 14 this will cause you less interference and you will get better speed. At this point, the 5GHz ban is less crowded as it is newer however it will get affected by walls and other things more than 2.4GHz band so the closer you are to the router for 5GHz the better. Also Apple devices do not play overly well with 5GHz band holding on to it when other connection are faster.
2) Position
Most people put their router in the basement and this is the worst place to put it, unless you want to work down there. 50% of your signal strength is lost between the basement and first floor with all the extra ducting/metal between those floors. Another 20% is lost going to the second floor and that is before you calculate other interference. Depending on your house, you might get better coverage from your neighbours' Wi-Fi on the second floor than the one in your basement. Figure out where in your house you use wireless most often and put the router within a clean line of sight to that room. A central location, on the ground and out in the open, is the ideal location. Don’t hide your router in a cabinet, under a desk, behind some books. Avoid locations next to or behind your TV because media components like this can seriously affect your wireless performance. Signals bounce off walls, get reflected by mirror and cannot go through water. Does your router have antennas and if so how are the positioned, in some cases people have them directed away from where they are trying to work. A bad position can start you off with problems that will only get worse.
3) Interference with Other Things in the Home
Microwave ovens were the very first household electronic devices to emit interference in the 2.4GHz band, so wait until the movie has downloaded before cooking your microwave popcorn. Research from the Farpoint Group suggests that data throughput can fall by 64% within 25 feet of a microwave, and Farpoint analyst Craig Mathias said the firm had even “seen problems at 50m”. Think if the microwave is between you and your wireless route, you do not need to be near it for it to slow you down. Unlike video senders, microwave interference should only occur when the appliance is in use.
Video senders – typically used to beam satellite/cable pictures to another TV in the house – are commonly regarded as public enemy number one when it comes to Wi-Fi interference. Everyone, from carriers through to router manufacturers, point their finger at the senders and similar devices, such as baby monitors and wireless security cameras. “Analogue video senders have a different spectrum profile to Wi-Fi, to the point where they obliterate Wi-Fi. You can’t even see an SSID,” said BT’s Adrian Pote. Since the signal is always on, even when no video is being sent, video senders are often hard to diagnose as a source of interference, and their reach is wide enough to hurt neighbours’ wireless too.
Christmas lights: that festive, sparkly, lit-up tree in the living room. Christmas tree lighting and other household lights can reduce Wi-Fi performance by 25%, and interference is at its worst when the lights are blinking. Fluorescent lighting is ok as it does not cause noticeable interference.
Wireless speakers, console controllers and music players: it might seem like the living room of the future, but those devices can all interfere with Wi-Fi. Even Cordless phones can interfere with your Wi-Fi as they can all share the same band.
4) Your Router
Set it and Leave it is not the best thing for you router. Over time it needs a reboot, this is why your ISP normally starts with this in trouble shooting fix any problems. Regularly reboot and patch your router can help its performance. Make sure you have the latest equipment and are running the latest system software. Older wireless routers running older software may not be able to handle the speeds that you receive with your Internet service. Yes, I said Wi-FI is not secure, however you might have setup up WEP or WPA/WPA2 to give yourself feeling of security. If you use WEP you should change this to WPA2, if your router does not support it buy a new one. WEP will give you a performance loss of 30%.
5) Wireless Repeater/Extenders
Keep in mind that a wireless extender isn’t the best way to get Internet to the farthest reaches of your house. If you want the best possible performance, you’re better off moving your router or buying a lot of Ethernet cable and adding wireless routers or access points where you need them. You are only as good as the weakest link on your network and if your router is in the basement and your extender is on the main floor you have already lost 50% of the signal. While you see 4/5 bars on your device you are really only getting 1/2 because of this. While sales guys will talk these up, is most cases they are a total waste of money. Move your router and you will get better performance than any repeater.
6) Quality of Service (QOS)
If your kids are always playing games online or doing video chats, this can make the wireless experience slower for everyone else. You can also limit applications that hog your speed. This can be done by your router in an area called QOS. This will let you reserve speed for what you need it for, remote access to the office as an example. You might already be using QOS and not realize it, if you have rogers home phone they are already doing this so your Home (VOIP) phone always sounds good.
1) Your Neighbours' Wi-Fi
The biggest source of interference today for most people is their neighbours' Wi-Fi networks. The problem is that most existing Wi-Fi equipment operates on the crowded 2.4GHz band. Think of it like a three-lane road that's really, really busy, more neighbours, more devices, more traffic, more congestion. The Default channel for 95% of the WiFi Router is 1 so if you change to another channel like 6, 10 or 14 this will cause you less interference and you will get better speed. At this point, the 5GHz ban is less crowded as it is newer however it will get affected by walls and other things more than 2.4GHz band so the closer you are to the router for 5GHz the better. Also Apple devices do not play overly well with 5GHz band holding on to it when other connection are faster.
2) Position
Most people put their router in the basement and this is the worst place to put it, unless you want to work down there. 50% of your signal strength is lost between the basement and first floor with all the extra ducting/metal between those floors. Another 20% is lost going to the second floor and that is before you calculate other interference. Depending on your house, you might get better coverage from your neighbours' Wi-Fi on the second floor than the one in your basement. Figure out where in your house you use wireless most often and put the router within a clean line of sight to that room. A central location, on the ground and out in the open, is the ideal location. Don’t hide your router in a cabinet, under a desk, behind some books. Avoid locations next to or behind your TV because media components like this can seriously affect your wireless performance. Signals bounce off walls, get reflected by mirror and cannot go through water. Does your router have antennas and if so how are the positioned, in some cases people have them directed away from where they are trying to work. A bad position can start you off with problems that will only get worse.
3) Interference with Other Things in the Home
Microwave ovens were the very first household electronic devices to emit interference in the 2.4GHz band, so wait until the movie has downloaded before cooking your microwave popcorn. Research from the Farpoint Group suggests that data throughput can fall by 64% within 25 feet of a microwave, and Farpoint analyst Craig Mathias said the firm had even “seen problems at 50m”. Think if the microwave is between you and your wireless route, you do not need to be near it for it to slow you down. Unlike video senders, microwave interference should only occur when the appliance is in use.
Video senders – typically used to beam satellite/cable pictures to another TV in the house – are commonly regarded as public enemy number one when it comes to Wi-Fi interference. Everyone, from carriers through to router manufacturers, point their finger at the senders and similar devices, such as baby monitors and wireless security cameras. “Analogue video senders have a different spectrum profile to Wi-Fi, to the point where they obliterate Wi-Fi. You can’t even see an SSID,” said BT’s Adrian Pote. Since the signal is always on, even when no video is being sent, video senders are often hard to diagnose as a source of interference, and their reach is wide enough to hurt neighbours’ wireless too.
Christmas lights: that festive, sparkly, lit-up tree in the living room. Christmas tree lighting and other household lights can reduce Wi-Fi performance by 25%, and interference is at its worst when the lights are blinking. Fluorescent lighting is ok as it does not cause noticeable interference.
Wireless speakers, console controllers and music players: it might seem like the living room of the future, but those devices can all interfere with Wi-Fi. Even Cordless phones can interfere with your Wi-Fi as they can all share the same band.
4) Your Router
Set it and Leave it is not the best thing for you router. Over time it needs a reboot, this is why your ISP normally starts with this in trouble shooting fix any problems. Regularly reboot and patch your router can help its performance. Make sure you have the latest equipment and are running the latest system software. Older wireless routers running older software may not be able to handle the speeds that you receive with your Internet service. Yes, I said Wi-FI is not secure, however you might have setup up WEP or WPA/WPA2 to give yourself feeling of security. If you use WEP you should change this to WPA2, if your router does not support it buy a new one. WEP will give you a performance loss of 30%.
5) Wireless Repeater/Extenders
Keep in mind that a wireless extender isn’t the best way to get Internet to the farthest reaches of your house. If you want the best possible performance, you’re better off moving your router or buying a lot of Ethernet cable and adding wireless routers or access points where you need them. You are only as good as the weakest link on your network and if your router is in the basement and your extender is on the main floor you have already lost 50% of the signal. While you see 4/5 bars on your device you are really only getting 1/2 because of this. While sales guys will talk these up, is most cases they are a total waste of money. Move your router and you will get better performance than any repeater.
6) Quality of Service (QOS)
If your kids are always playing games online or doing video chats, this can make the wireless experience slower for everyone else. You can also limit applications that hog your speed. This can be done by your router in an area called QOS. This will let you reserve speed for what you need it for, remote access to the office as an example. You might already be using QOS and not realize it, if you have rogers home phone they are already doing this so your Home (VOIP) phone always sounds good.