How Can You Expand the Reach of Your Wi-Fi Network?

While we encourage you to use wired solutions for all your home networking needs, there’ll be cases when you’d rather rely on a Wi-Fi connection. In addition to the convenience of wireless, there are specific devices that can’t be hardwired. Below are some tips on how to extend the reach and consistency of your Madison, Alabama home’s Wi-Fi connection.

See More: 4 Things to Know About Your Home Network

Invest in the Right Equipment

Your network is only going to be as strong as the hardware supporting it. Your network should include routers, access points and wireless bridges. For your routers, you want ones with large bandwidth and dual-band capabilities to help you better manage your traffic—something we’ll go into more detail later.

Wireless bridges are better if you're just trying to link individual devices to your hardwired connection while access points can extend the wireless reach of your home networking system to entire areas within your home.

Place Your Equipment Properly

Once you've picked out the hardware to use in your system, it's time to figure out where to put it. Router placement is one of the most important aspects of your installation. First, figure out which areas need the strongest coverage. These may be a home office or family room. Then make sure routers or access points are placed nearby for optimal coverage.

We know they’re not the most attractive things in your home, but make sure you don’t hide your router or access points. You want to do everything possible to extend their signals. This also means keeping them away from items that may cause interference like a microwave or cordless telephone.

Manage Your Bandwidth Traffic

Every day there's a new connected device hitting the market, resulting in more and more items competing for your bandwidth. How can you alleviate this? You can edit the Quality of Service settings on your router to prioritize certain types of traffic. When you're streaming video, place a priority on your AV connection while diminishing broadband to other devices.

The other way to do this is to take advantage of the dual-band routers we mentioned earlier. These routers emit signals at two different frequencies, usually 2.4GHz and 5 GHz. Devices can then choose which frequency to use. For example, most laptops and iPads come with dual bandwidth capabilities so they can connect to the frequency with the least traffic.

Enhance Your Wireless Security

It's important to protect your home network with a password. Other people jumping on your network can cause a significant strain on your bandwidth. Even if you’re not near other property, you could see a dip in performance if guests’ mobile devices are constantly connecting.

You also want to keep all your router software updated to enhance efficiency and boost firewalls included in the system. These firewalls will keep you protected from external attacks targeting your family’s security or personal information.

Want to extend the reach of your Wi-Fi network? Contact AV Enthusiast to install a custom solution in your home.