Having some WiFi Blues? Here are some WiFi fixes

Thinking about this topic, I realized that I have been using WiFi since 2004. My first time to setup a wireless connection was ten years ago when I moved to my flat in Singapore, then back in Manila when I flew back a couple of years later. It’s a joy to have a WiFi connection whether at home, office or at your favorite coffee shop. Years ago, we have to rely on LAN cables just to get connected. Now, desktop PCs and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets can connect to WiFi too.

These days, the internet is not just a luxury for some anymore. It’s also deemed as a need for online professionals like myself. For the past 7 years, my work revolves around the internet as a blogger, YouTube host/producer, digital marketer and other online freelancing gigs. If my wireless internet is slow or worse, not working, I would usually panic. These inconveniences would prevent me from doing my work, publish articles on time or upload videos on YouTube.

After years of learning on how to have a better WiFi connection at home, here are some WiFi fixes that I have tried or think that would work so you can have an enjoyable wireless internet experience at your home.

  1. Off/On – This is the simplest fix of all WiFi fixes. Just restart your WiFi modem whenever it experiences any slowness or hiccups.
  2. Location of the WiFi router – Your 50Mbps Fibr subscription will not be fully utilized if the modem is not placed properly in your household. This was my issue before when our modem was placed in a room located in front of the house. Since my room is at the 2nd floor at the back of our house, there was no way I could taste its signal from downstairs. I had it moved to the center of our house which is our living room and I am now able to connect from the two rooms upstairs. Because I want to maximize our Fibr connection, I am studying these two options:
    • Get a Powerful Wireless Router, or
    • Install a WiFi repeater
  3. Interference by other Wireless Devices – You may not know it, but this might be your current culprit for having a slow WiFi at home. Do you know that home appliances like cordless phones, microwave ovens and other wireless devices can interfere with your WiFi’s frequency? How? These appliances emit almost the same frequency as our WiFi at home – 2.4GHz. It’s best to make sure that these appliances are far away from your WiFi modem.
  4. WiFi modem might have old software – I normally neglect this and realized it could also be helpful to everyone. Always check if your WiFi modem has a software update which will definitely help in performance as well as security.
  5. WiFi modem might be an old hardware – Some people out there may have been stuck with their broadband service more than their lock-in period. These people may not be interested to upgrade to a higher plan, but realized that their connection is getting slower. You can request for a new modem from your service provider or simply buy a new and better one for yourself.
  6. Gadgets connected – I am guilty of this. Because of my work as a tech blogger, I own and receive loaner units that have WiFi connectivity. Connected to our office WiFi are three laptops, 1 Desktop PC, 5 smartphones, and a tablet. Most of these stuff are mine. These devices can still update apps, receive emails and other notifications, and what nots while on hibernate mode. To make sure that I am not pulling down our office internet, I turn off the WiFi connection of these devices. Speaking of…
  7. Downloading big files – Maybe someone in your home or office is downloading a big file, like that leaked Game of Thrones episode. This may not be an issue for those who are on Fibr connection, but this would definitely be an issue for those who are not. So if you sense that someone is indeed downloading a huge file (or that leaked Game of Thrones episode without sharing it to you) then advice everyone to pause their download/s for the meantime.

So there you have it. Even though I have been troubleshooting these issues for more than 10 years, I know there are more WiFi fixes out there that are not yet in my list. I am still on a look out for a long term solution that will ensure that I get the best internet connection for my home or office. With the way technology is moving today, who knows, we might have the answer tomorrow.

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