Speeding Up Your Wi-Fi: Tips and Tricks from Digital Trends
Hey everybody, I'm Patrick Norton from Tech Thing, and I'm here on Digital Trends to help you speed up your Wi-Fi. I've been talking about Wi-Fi issues for a while now, and it's frustrating when your network is too slow, doesn't work in certain areas of the house, or struggles with video streaming.
Firstly, if possible, run an Ethernet cable to something that needs an internet connection, especially devices that require HD video like Apple TVs, Roku boxes, or HDTVs. Running this cable will ensure a fast and stable connection, as it takes the video traffic off the Wi-Fi network altogether. This simple step can make a significant difference in your overall Wi-Fi experience.
Another common issue is when routers are placed in a closet or corner of the house, far from other areas of the home. If you suspect this might be the case for your home, try relocating the router to a more open and accessible location, such as high up on a shelf or wall, with minimal obstructions between it and the rest of the house. This will help improve signal strength and reduce interference. Be sure to point one antenna vertically and one horizontally if you have multiple external antennas; this can make a substantial difference in your Wi-Fi performance.
Wireless networking can sometimes be unpredictable, especially when using older wireless standards like 802.11N or even 802.11G. However, it's worth noting that some newer routers with improved radios, beamforming antennas, and faster processors have greatly enhanced Wi-Fi speeds. I've personally experienced this improvement in my own home by upgrading to a new 802.11AC router. This allowed me to finally use the older 802.11N standard on an old laptop without experiencing significant drops or lag.
In some cases, upgrading your router might be necessary to improve your Wi-Fi speed. If your router is more than two or three years old, it's probably due for an upgrade. Newer routers with 802.11AC technology can provide faster speeds and better performance than older models. What's surprising, though, is that some of the least expensive AC routers under $100 can deliver excellent performance, sometimes even surpassing higher-end routers worth $200.
Another experiment you might want to try before buying a new router is checking if you and your neighbors are on the same Wi-Fi channel. Using different channels can help reduce interference and improve overall network performance. Before giving up, it's worth trying to move your router or switching between different locations around the house to see if that makes a difference.
That's all for today's video on speeding up your Wi-Fi. Remember, there are many things you can try without spending money, from running Ethernet cables to relocating your router and experimenting with different wireless channels. If none of these steps improve your network, it might be time to consider upgrading to a newer router. Thanks for watching, and I hope you're able to get your Wi-Fi faster than before!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everybody I'm padded you're from tech thing and I'm here on Digital Trends to help you speed up your Wi-Fi I here completes constantly about Wi-Fi it's too slow it's slow in that corner of the house it never works in the living room videos in the TVs upstairs they're low res or they sad or they just don't work fortunately people there are a lot of things you can try to tune up your network without spending money first up I gotta be honest if I can run an Ethernet cable to something that needs an internet connection especially stuff that runs HD video like an Apple TV a Roku box or an HDTV I run that cable it's fast it never drops out and as long as the dog doesn't chew through the cable it just about never has a problem bonus all that video traffic is gonna stay off the Wi-Fi network because it's on the wire second all too often routers are stuffed in a closet to some far corner of your house if this sounds like your home do yourself a favor and try to get that router out in the open as high as possible with as few walls between it and the rest of the house as you can manage get it up high seriously the higher the better more often than not and try pointing one antenna vertically and one horizontally if it just has a couple of external antennas it can make a big difference if you're running 802 11 and you might want to try connecting via 802 11 G instead I've seen throughput speeds double now in theory and should be faster but in the real world it doesn't always work out matter of fact wireless networking well it can just be weird I hated 802 11 N until I bought a new 802 11 AC router whether it was better radios or the beamforming antennas in the newer router or it's faster processor I don't know I was finally able to use the 802 11 n in the old laptop I had in the far corners of my house for the first time and the 802 11 AC Wi-Fi in my new laptop delivered a serious boost in speed look it is not always necessary to buy a new router to speed up your Wi-Fi but if your router is more than a couple or three years old you might benefit from an upgrade and if you've got new gear that has 802 11 ac built-in and you're probably will by next year it is definitely time to upgrade your router best of all some of the least expensive AC routers out there like under a hundred bucks deliver excellent performance sometimes better than the $200 routers there's lots more to experiment with checking to see if you and your neighbors are on the same Wi-Fi channel is a big one but definitely try moving the router first and hey try moving it to another location or three before you give up I'm Patrick Norton for Digital Trends thank you so much for watching and go see if you can get your Wi-Fi a little faster than it was just before you saw this videohey everybody I'm padded you're from tech thing and I'm here on Digital Trends to help you speed up your Wi-Fi I here completes constantly about Wi-Fi it's too slow it's slow in that corner of the house it never works in the living room videos in the TVs upstairs they're low res or they sad or they just don't work fortunately people there are a lot of things you can try to tune up your network without spending money first up I gotta be honest if I can run an Ethernet cable to something that needs an internet connection especially stuff that runs HD video like an Apple TV a Roku box or an HDTV I run that cable it's fast it never drops out and as long as the dog doesn't chew through the cable it just about never has a problem bonus all that video traffic is gonna stay off the Wi-Fi network because it's on the wire second all too often routers are stuffed in a closet to some far corner of your house if this sounds like your home do yourself a favor and try to get that router out in the open as high as possible with as few walls between it and the rest of the house as you can manage get it up high seriously the higher the better more often than not and try pointing one antenna vertically and one horizontally if it just has a couple of external antennas it can make a big difference if you're running 802 11 and you might want to try connecting via 802 11 G instead I've seen throughput speeds double now in theory and should be faster but in the real world it doesn't always work out matter of fact wireless networking well it can just be weird I hated 802 11 N until I bought a new 802 11 AC router whether it was better radios or the beamforming antennas in the newer router or it's faster processor I don't know I was finally able to use the 802 11 n in the old laptop I had in the far corners of my house for the first time and the 802 11 AC Wi-Fi in my new laptop delivered a serious boost in speed look it is not always necessary to buy a new router to speed up your Wi-Fi but if your router is more than a couple or three years old you might benefit from an upgrade and if you've got new gear that has 802 11 ac built-in and you're probably will by next year it is definitely time to upgrade your router best of all some of the least expensive AC routers out there like under a hundred bucks deliver excellent performance sometimes better than the $200 routers there's lots more to experiment with checking to see if you and your neighbors are on the same Wi-Fi channel is a big one but definitely try moving the router first and hey try moving it to another location or three before you give up I'm Patrick Norton for Digital Trends thank you so much for watching and go see if you can get your Wi-Fi a little faster than it was just before you saw this video\n"
