9 ways to speed up your home network

Maybe you are no longer interested in cable TV and want to switch to movies and Internet entertainment. Of course you still want to watch TV programs through a set-top box. This trend is increasing day by day.

Then, speeding up your home Internet connection will be a challenge. Because, a new TV with Internet connection will “eat” bandwidth, causing the speed of the network to decrease significantly. But to optimize your network for maximum performance is not too difficult and expensive.

Here are 8 ways to make your home network great, and you’ll be able to say goodbye to your cable TV company without question.

1. Check the network speed

Your wireless network currently cannot run faster than your home network’s Internet connection. If you have reason to think your network isn’t as fast as it used to be – or should be as fast as your hardware – visit http://www.speedtest.net/ or on Google to check it out. Check your upload / download speeds and compare them with what your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has committed to you. This is the first step to distinguish whether your ISP is the culprit of the slow network or not.

2. Upgrade the router

If your router is more than 5 years old, replacing it with a new model will make a huge difference. A dual-band router or a model of 3 routers and using a 5GHz router is the best choice today.

Next, you need to place the router in the middle of the house, a central location so that all family members, wherever in the house, can get a strong network. The routers broadcast the waveform signal spreading around in all directions, so if it was placed in the deepest corner of the house, or in the basement, the signal might not be strong enough to penetrate all rooms. Thus, some rooms will not have wifi (or too weak) for you to connect your device to the Internet.

Experts often recommend that, for wifi coverage, routers that integrate wifi should be hung up high, but should not be close to the concrete ceiling.

3. Make sure the router’s antenna is properly adjusted

If your router has antennas, you should be in the correct direction, making the best connection to the Internet over the wall or in large spaces. If your home is one floor, direct all antennas up. If your house is multi-storey, set it to have at least 1 horizontal antenna.

4. Make sure the router is safe and secure

Your home network speed is slow maybe because other people are using your home wifi network. Make sure the router is using strong password WPA2 security (you can check it in the router’s settings page using your web browser).

To check which “client” is connecting to your home network, access your router’s settings using a web browser or mobile app. Then you can change the wifi password for safety and security.

5. Upgrade your family’s Internet plan

If the router adjustment does not work well, you should change your Internet home plan. Depending on the needs of your family, you should consider which Internet package you should upgrade to. In case you have researched online but still do not know the information and preferential programs of Internet packages, you should call the Hotline of the network operators for advice on suitable packages.

6. Watch out for wireless phones that broadcast the same router channel

Cordless phones (often called mother-in-law) can cause interference because some types of broadcasts overlap with your router. If you think that might happen, try changing the channel on your phone and see if the wifi signal is still getting interference.

7. Buy an Extender

The most difficult problem for you is to expand the coverage of the network. A multi-story building or large villa has areas that do not receive the signal (or the signal is too weak) from the router. And of course, moving the router isn’t possible either. At that time you will need to use a signal extender. However, you will pay a price for performance as the signal through the extender will be weakened. It may not matter if you just surf the Web, but if you often play online games, you will feel frustrated because sometimes you will be “back to health”. It’s also not a good way to watch movies online on TV through set-top boxes.

8. Pay attention to power transmission means

You should remember, electrical equipment such as wires, sockets, and extenders need to be of quality so that they will not cause interference. In this case, perhaps it should not be because of being too economical to buy cheap, negative benefits. “Brand name” is the first choice.

Electrical signals in the house are transmitted through electrical wiring and connecting devices (socket, plug …). The adapter of the modem or broadband router will be plugged into an existing power outlet in the electrical network, or an extension outlet.

Obsolete wiring and sockets can be a concern because it is very easy to cause interference, providing a “clean” power supply to the device that can cause an unstable network signal.