Home WiFi

Is It Time To Upgrade Your Router?

Are your Netflix movies buffering so slowly you feel like falling asleep? Is your WiFi signal strong on one side of your house, but not the other? If your movies are stuttering more than a fish called Wanda, or you are plagued by slow Internet speeds and bad WiFi coverage, you are not alone. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a handful of people on your block that are completely satisfied with the speed of their home wifi system.

The router is the bridge that turns your Internet connection into a fast, reliable network for your whole house. And, unless you hard line all the devices in your home, you need a wireless router that works!

Not Sure If You Need An Upgrade?

If you cannot say yes to all of the questions below, it’s probably time:

• Is your router at least dual-band (supports the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency)?
• Does your router provide you with the speeds you pay for (run a speed test here)?
• Is your WiFi signal strength good in every part of your home?

Wireless routers vary greatly, from their strength to the type of wireless signal they produce. In an age where more devices in the home are connected to the Internet than not, making sure you have a router that works is necessary.

Wireless Coverage

There’s no question that the Internet is the foundation of our lives today. So, it’s increasingly normal to see people going to ridiculous lengths to get a strong WiFi signal in the far corners of their homes. From rearranging their furniture to standing in one spot for hours, after trying creative  but ineffective  methods of molding their life around WiFi, people tend to take one of two paths in search of a better faster and stronger WiFi solution. They either buy a range extender, which are a hassle to use and don’t work, or they buy a faster router. But in most cases, a faster router does little to solve the underlying problem of coverage throughout their home. The bottleneck in most cases is the hardware on your network, your modem and router. And in other cases, you may need multiple access points distributed strategically throughout your home, so you’re always close to one, and your devices don’t have to fight for the limited resources of a single router. And there are even cases when both the equipment and lack of access points are the issue. Sometimes, it’s about the speed, the coverage, and your cables. Or put simply, if you have Cat5 Cable in your home and not Cat6 Cable but are paying for GiGa Power (1,000 mbps) then you are not getting the speeds you are paying for!

Why Your Coverage Is So Bad

What makes some parts of the house great for web surfing and others totally frustrating? And why do the dead zones sometimes change? WiFi waves, like light or sound, decrease in strength with distance and interference from doors and windows . So,  as you move farther away from your router, you are left with dead zones in different parts of your home. So, then why not get a top-of-the-line, high-speed router, and improve the coverage with a range extender? Because the average router can only broadcast the WiFi signal so far. So, if you have a larger house that is, spread-out, you will experience a weaker signal the farther you get from the router and possibly be unable to detect any signal at all at the farthest points.

And range extenders won’t work because they only have one radio, which means they act like walkie talkies and can’t send and receive information at the same time. They are often more of  hassle than they are worth. What you need is multiple access points distributed strategically throughout your home, so you are always close to one, and your devices never have to fight for the limited resources of a single router. Just like we’ve grown accustomed to lights coming on at the flip of a switch and clean water readily flowing from our faucets, we want to be able to count on our Internet connection whenever and wherever we need it in our home.

Why Your WiFi Is So Slow

Optimizing Your Home’s Wi-Fi Network

Most of us know the frustration that comes with slow or unreliable Internet,  especially when you have no idea what’s causing it. For this reason, if your WiFi speed is slow, the first thing to consider is an update to your router. In fact, if it has been more than a few years, it may be time for an upgrade.

Today’s routers need to be least a dual-band that supports the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency. That’s because single-band routers only broadcast 2.4GHz signals. A router can only transmit a WiFi signal so far. So, with a dual-band router you’ll get faster WiFi speeds and avoid interference.

Other reasons your WiFi might be slow is router placement, the size of your home, furniture, electronic devices, other WiFi signals, other people in your home, and of course your router.

In fact, the standard consumer-grade routers that come with your Internet plan cannot handle today’s traffic. That’s because the one-size-fits-all design cannot meet the demands of modern homes.

For more information on this, read our article on WiFi Best Practices.

Araknis Networks

Araknis is your network ecosystem. Each of their products work together with ease, making for a fast, reliable network. In fact, every access point, switch, and router is put to test in the Araknis Lab, ensuring strength, quality, and reliability. From temperature testing to full bandwidth and surge testing, they push their products to the limit. For this reason, they are reliable in any environment. Reliable systems, strong signals, and quick connections are at the heart of what makes an Araknis Network so incredible.

San Diego Home Networking Services

Just as the Internet is the electronic pulse that brings a connected home to life, the network is the central nervous system that carries critical information to all of your devices. For this reason, it’s more imperative than ever to have a robust, high-performing home network that you can rely on. Not sure what you need? We want to make certain you are getting the exact solution that you need for your home. Call us today to schedule your free home network evaluation (760) 505-7461.