How to Improve Your Wireless Connection’s Strength

With more organizations leaning in the direction of remote connections and mobile devices, it’s no surprise that wireless Internet is such a pain point for businesses. Sometimes it can be an exercise in frustration to connect to your office’s wireless network, and you might not really know what to do about it. Listed below are some ideas to try and enhance your wireless network’s strength or signal.

Check Your Connection First

Since your router speed is based on the speed of your organization’s wired connection, your first recourse should be to check if you are getting the speed that you’re supposed to have. You can accomplish this by running a speed test via a wired connection. If the numbers don’t add up, you may have to contact your Internet service provider or replace your modem. You should also consider testing your speed on a mobile device that connects wirelessly to the network, but do so close to the device; this will help you determine if it’s a structural problem or one involving the router itself.

Reexamine Router Placement

Depending on your office’s setup, the physical placement of your router could be negatively affecting your organization’s wireless connection. A good practice is to keep your router in a location that is out in the open, far from walls and other obstructions, so that they cannot interfere with the wireless signal. If you want your signal to reach all parts of your office, then it should be placed at the center (or as close as possible) to distribute an even connection across the area.

Update Your Router

Just like any other device on your network, your wireless router has firmware that must be updated from time to time. The process for updating your router will vary depending on the manufacturer, so we recommend working with our technicians at Macro Systems to see if your router needs to be updated or not. Most of the time updating your firmware can allow for enhanced performance in general, so it certainly does not hurt to do it every so often.

Implement a Wireless Extender

If all of your efforts to resolve your wireless network issues simply do not work, then perhaps the coverage issue is caused by the area being too large to be covered by your single router. You can expand your wireless network’s range with an extender, essentially rebroadcasting your signal to reach parts of your office that wouldn’t otherwise receive the connection.

If All Else Fails, Use a Wired Connection When Possible

It stands to reason that the fewer devices that connect to a wireless network, the faster it will be. Thus, if you can utilize wired connections for devices like desktops and laptops, then you should. This keeps the signals from getting gummed up with tons of traffic while you are trying to connect to the wireless network.

Sometimes it is hard to get your wireless connection to work the way you want it to. Macro Systems can help you make any needed adjustments to your business’ wireless network or its network device settings. For more assistance or information, contact us at 703-359-9211.