Is Your Wi-Fi Keeping Up?

Wifi

Wi-Fi has forever changed the way we live, work and play. We can surf the internet throughout the office and surrounds. It is no wonder it was accepted with open arms, but is your Wi-Fi as good as it needs to be?

Twenty years after Wi-Fi first made its way into our homes and offices it has evolved into a juggernaut of speed and accessibility that we can not do without. Think about how many wireless devices your employees have – mobile phones, tablets and laptops.

While older devices are typically happy with a slice of slow internet, newer devices like video conferencing and and media streaming simply can’t function without fast internet. Add in another employee or two with mobile devices and your Wi-Fi is suddenly stretched beyond full capacity and struggling to keep up. Most people though don’t know how fast their Wi-Fi is, or if it’s working right– they only know how many bars they’ve got.

But relying on your Wi-Fi bar count might be ruining your internet experience:

Bars measure the wrong thing
While it is great to know you’ve got a ‘strong’ signal, it would be even better if you could have a ‘fast and constantly available’ signal. The internet could actually be down and you would still have full bars because it is only measuring how close to the Wi-Fi router you are. That proximity measure doesn’t take into account how many devices are fighting for the same bandwidth and whether there is any left for you. We can ensure your Wi-Fi isn’t just available, it’s up to the task.

Wi-Fi goes sideways
While next-door’s Wi-Fi can reach the back of their property, it can also go a similar distance sideways into your offices. This extra ‘noise’ disrupts and slows down your own Wi-Fi. In a lot of commercial areas each office has its own WiFi network, all using the same channel and frequency. It is an invisible digital crowd which seriously slows down your speeds. We can fix this by changing your Wi-Fi channel to one with less cross-talk.

Everyone uses the default settings
Most Wi-Fi uses a 2.4ghz frequency by default. While it makes things easier to to set up, it does mean you’re not getting the speeds you could be. Switching to the 5ghz frequency means your Wi-Fi is separated from the neighborhood cross-talk. 5ghz is also considerably faster, which is a bonus. We can help you upgrade to a 5Ghz-capable router or switch your existing frequency.

Priority isn’t set: While not Wi-Fi specific, we can also set up “Quality of Service” if your router supports it or supply you with one that does. This allows things like Skype calls to always take priority and remain uninterrupted over less important tasks like downloads.

Poor Coverage
With larger offices and more objects that can cause interference you may need extra or better quality WiFi routers. We can assist with a wireless audit to help you maximise the use of the best network with the least amount of access points.

Is your wireless not keeping up? Give us a call at 08 8326 4364 or su*****@dp*********.au and we can improve your network experience.

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About David Perkovic

David founded DP Computing in 1993. With a Computer Science degree and over 25 years of IT experience David has advanced computer, server and networking skills. He has personally designed, setup and administered many Microsoft based networks and likes to share his knowledge via blog posts and Youtube videos.