Why Your Wireless Stinks

Why Your Wireless Stinks

Hardware Internet mobile

One of our most common issues we run across is wireless connectivity problems. These may be reports of wireless speed being too slow, connections dropping, short ranges, low quality audio/video, etc.. There are many reasons why your wifi connection is poor and here are a few of the top ones:

Too many devices on the network using too much bandwidth

Does your office (or home) have desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart watches, cameras, personal assistance devices (e.g. Alexa), TV boxes, audio steaming systems, or any other Internet of Things (IoT) items connected to the wireless network? Now are any of them streaming 4K video from Netflix, running video games online, or listening to music? Each device connected to your network will take a slice of the bandwidth pie. If you are seeing performance issues try turning off the bandwidth eaters to see if there is any improvement. If so, time to purchase more speed from your Internet provider or manage your usage better.

Too many networks

Is your office in the city or a commercial park? Do you live in an apartment? You may be experiencing too many overlapping wireless networks.  If your network channel overlaps with other wireless networks then you may see slowness, network drops, and other issues randomly throughout the day. Go to the app store and install a wifi analyzer and see what your wireless environment looks like. If your network overlaps others log into your router or access point and move to a less busy channel and, if you have it available, use the 5GHz range instead of the 2.4GHz. Below is an example of  a congested wireless environment.

Physical Environment

Your physical environment can make or break your wireless signal strength. What is between your wireless access point (WAP) and your laptop makes all the difference in the world. Some common items that cause problems are:

  • Microwaves and older portable phones (not cell phones)
  • WAP placed behind or near a brick wall, chimney, lighting fixtures, metal framed wall, pipes, air ducts, solid wood/metal doors
  • WAP placed near electrical boxes
  • WAP placed in basement, false ceiling, or in attic
  • WAP antennas not pointed / placed in correct manner

Here are some visual examples of poor placement of WAPs.

Courtesy of Cisco

To make your wireless signal better move your access point to better location (line of sight with the devices you are using) and make sure any external antennas are configured correctly.

Old Technology

When was the last time you updated your Wireless Access Points? When was the last time your Internet provider replaced your wireless router? If is has been a while you may be using outdated wireless technology. If your access point says 802.11 (n , g, or b) and not 802.11ac then you have an older access point. If you are reading this article in 2018 then 802.11ax may be rolling out as the latest and greatest.

You also want to make sure that if you are purchasing a new WAP that it has multiple antennas (external or internal). This may be shown as 2×2, 2:2, 3×3, 3:3 (the number is the amount of antennas). The more antennas the more pathways for your wireless devices to communicate as long as your devices supports it. Many laptops are 2×2 but phones may only be 1×1.

 

 

-Tim

Ditch Internet Explorer Now

Ditch Internet Explorer Now

Internet Security

Do you click on a blue ‘e’ to surf the web? If so, now is the time to move on to another browser for many reasons. The most critical is the security of your PC (and your business).

Background

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer comes with Windows so most individuals and businesses use it as their way to access the Internet. The problem is that it’s riddled with security holes, prone to poor performance, and the latest versions are incompatible with some websites. With the advent of new web technologies such as HTML 5 and much better alternatives there is no reason anyone should be using Internet Explorer any more.

Did I mention it’s a huge security risk?no_ie

A month ago a new exploit was released into the wild that takes advantage of yet another security bug in Internet Explorer. Microsoft will not have an automatic fix for this until Oct 8th. This new bug is being used right now to install malware on computers around the world. While no browser is 100% secure, most of the other ones would act more quickly to fix such a serious issue. Also, most bad guys will write exploits for Internet Explorer as it is the most popular browser in most places.

What are my options?

The good news is that there are many other browsers to choose from. Most Mac users use Safari. Other popular ones are Google Chrome and Firefox. Our recommendation is Google Chrome. It is fast and reliable. It also offers many features not found in Internet Explorer such as syncing of bookmarks and history across all your devices. This makes it the perfect choice if you have an Android based phone or tablet. It also has many free apps that connect your data between devices and makes life a lot easier. Two of our favorites are Chrome to Phone and Google Keep

I run a business. What can I do at work?

If your in charge of managing multiple computers at work going to each one to install Chrome can be a chore. Luckily many free tools exist which can remove the Internet Explorer icon from the desktop and remotely install your new browser of choice. If you would like more information on these tools please contact us via email or phone.

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WiFi in Your Pocket

WiFi in Your Pocket

Hardware Internet mobile

One of the biggest annoyances when you travel is that the wireless signal in your hotel room is too weak (and probably insecure). Most rooms have a network jack but that is useless if you want to get online with your tablet or use the wifi on your phone to make calls to avoid roaming charges. It is also not very convenient if you want to get online anywhere else in your room besides the desk (e.g., your bed).

Solution: Nano Wireless Routers

Nano Wireless Routers are tiny devices that plug into a network jack  and provide wireless access to a small area (e.g., your hotel room). They are only a few ounces and are smaller then a credit card. They can be powered by a standard wall outlet or from a USB port on a computer. The best part is that they are not expensive at all ($25-$50).

If you would like more information on Nano Wireless Routers or how to keep your computers secure when traveling overseas please contact Wireguided.

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