Don’t Put Up With Slow WiFi

Put a Lock on the Door!

Unauthorized users can steal bandwidth from you. Someone in the neighborhood might share your bandwidth without your knowledge. There are ways to test if there are any unauthorized users, but an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of protection. To protect your home network from the bandwidth thieves, set up an access password to your router and change it from time to time.

 

Location, Location, Location

Location of your wireless router affects the performance of your home network. You might think that putting the wireless router and all the unsightly cables in a cabinet or the spare room is a good idea, but it can dramatically reduce the bandwidth available to you. Wireless routers in contrast to wired routers need open space to work well. Obstructions, such as walls, large furniture, and other electronic equipments can interfere and reduce the power of the signal.

More Advanced Remedies

Other things can speed up your network. You might want to get help of someone geeky for these. I employ my nephew as a resident geek!

Update the firmware. You can download them from your router manufacturer’s website. If you have not done it for a while, you might see an immediate improvement

Restart the router on a regular basis. You can either have someone to use DD-WRT for this purpose or purchase an outlet timer to turn off the electricity to the router for a short time on a daily basis.

 Changing channel can be helpful too. Manufacturers use a default channel for their routers. If you have not changed it, chances are that you and your neighbor are competing for the same channel.  Go to the setting of your router’s setting menu and change the appropriate option. The interface is different for each manufacturer.

 

Enjoy

 

Sources:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ddwrt-router-superrouter/

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/21132/change-your-wi-fi-router-channel-to-optimize-your-wireless-signal/