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Slow Wi-Fi speeds? How to improve your wireless network

1 of 8 NEXT PREV
  • Find the best place for your Wi-Fi router

    Find the best place for your Wi-Fi router

    Wi-Fi routers are not easy to place. Although they may seem unsightly with their blinking lights, the best place for them may not be behind the TV or inside a cabinet out of sight.

    The best place may be in the center of your house, or in a place in your apartment with line-of-sight to other devices. Placing Wi-Fi routers right next to your devices may not also be great for signal, particularly streaming devices. Ethernet cable connections may be best for these if they are close to each other. But try to avoid putting your Wi-Fi router next to brick walls or metal, which can interfere with or limit signal.

    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: CNET/CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • If your devices are compatible, switch to a stronger signal

    If your devices are compatible, switch to a stronger signal

    Modern devices, like iPhones, iPads, notebooks, and Android devices, often work with the latest networking standards. Depending on the age of your devices, they may not be compatible with 802.11n or 802.11ac. But if your devices are less than one year old, you may be able to switch to those newer standards to ensure stronger signal and faster speeds.

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Security is key, cuts out network hijackers

    Security is key, cuts out network hijackers

    Living in a populated neighborhood can increase your chance of having unauthorized users on your wi-fi network. Adding WPA2 security to your network (with a strong password) will reduce the chances of people using your wi-fi for streaming and downloading. This will overall improve your own speeds.

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: stock image

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Wi-Fi quality-of-service to limit bandwidth hogging apps

    Wi-Fi quality-of-service to limit bandwidth hogging apps

    Quality-of-service (QoS) allows you to limit the amount of bandwidth certain apps can use, which can be handy if you stream a lot of video or TV content. This means certain apps and services can be dedicated with the greatest speeds and lowest lag, while other apps — such as downloaders — can be limited at certain times of the day.

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: CNET/CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Wi-Fi channels can reduce interference

    Wi-Fi channels can reduce interference

    Having your Wi-FI network on the same "channel" as other devices in your neighborhood can cause interference with your network. You can use third-party Wi-Fi scanners to determine which channel networks around you are on. Picking one that isn't in use can increase the performance of your Wi-Fi network.

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: Newcastle University

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Big house? Buy a repeater

    Big house? Buy a repeater

    If you have a big property or office, you could invest in a Wi-Fi repeater. These devices are generally cheap — some routers already provide "access point" functionality — and can extend the range of your Wi-Fi network considerably

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router

    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: CNET/CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Switch to longer 2.4GHz band to prevent wide broadcast

    Switch to longer 2.4GHz band to prevent wide broadcast

    Most modern routers have two frequency band settings: 2.4GHz, which is great for long-range signal, and 5GHz, which offers short-range signal. While there are no significant compromises network speed or reliability, your best option is to pick the 5GHz band as it reduces the number of people who could access your network without authorization. The fewer people on your network sucking up bandwidth, the faster it is for you.

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: CNET/CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

  • Swallow the cost of a better, more advanced router

    Swallow the cost of a better, more advanced router

    Worst case scenario is that you need to swallow the cost of a more expensive, modern router. These offer the best security features, the fastest speeds, and the greatest backwards compatibility with your devices. (Sister-site CNET has a list of the best wireless routers this year.)

    Read more:

    • 13 best privacy tools for staying secure
    • 11 ways Apple could spend its $178 billion in cash
    • CES 2015: Meet this year's best tech
    • CES 2015: Meet the worst tech of the show
    • How to reduce your mobile data usage
    • How to lock down an insecure wireless network router
    Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

    Photo by: CNET/CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Zack Whittaker

1 of 8 NEXT PREV
Zack Whittaker

By Zack Whittaker for Between the Lines | February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST) | Topic: Networking

  • Find the best place for your Wi-Fi router
  • If your devices are compatible, switch to a stronger signal
  • Security is key, cuts out network hijackers
  • Wi-Fi quality-of-service to limit bandwidth hogging apps
  • Wi-Fi channels can reduce interference
  • Big house? Buy a repeater
  • Switch to longer 2.4GHz band to prevent wide broadcast
  • Swallow the cost of a better, more advanced router

Suffering from a slow or sluggish home internet connection? Here are eight ways to help improve your network speeds.

Read More Read Less

Find the best place for your Wi-Fi router

Wi-Fi routers are not easy to place. Although they may seem unsightly with their blinking lights, the best place for them may not be behind the TV or inside a cabinet out of sight.

The best place may be in the center of your house, or in a place in your apartment with line-of-sight to other devices. Placing Wi-Fi routers right next to your devices may not also be great for signal, particularly streaming devices. Ethernet cable connections may be best for these if they are close to each other. But try to avoid putting your Wi-Fi router next to brick walls or metal, which can interfere with or limit signal.

Published: February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST)

Caption by: Zack Whittaker

1 of 8 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Networking Cloud Internet of Things Security Data Centers
Zack Whittaker

By Zack Whittaker for Between the Lines | February 16, 2015 -- 16:23 GMT (08:23 PST) | Topic: Networking

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