Improving Your Wireless Range
If you've got a huge house, you may notice some rooms or corners won't receive a great signal. To understand why this is and what you can do to help, let's first cover how WiFi works.
Understanding WiFi
WiFi works by using Radio Waves to transmit data back and forth between your wireless device, these radio waves operate on a spectrum that is occupied by many different services such as Bluetooth and Cordless Phones. Many modems utilise the 2.4GHz spectrum (such as the KC Hub) which offers a good combination of speed and coverage. Signals on this spectrum can penetrate most interior walls easily which is why you may not get good coverage in your garden. Other wireless modems use the 5GHz band that is much faster but the signal cannot penetrate thick objects such as walls. Objects around your home will also impact your wireless range and performance, devices such as cordless landline phones, baby monitors, microwaves and even hairdryers create a lot of interference in the air when in use which heavily impacts your wireless experience.
For huge homes, consider multiple access points
If you've got a 3-story house or a spread out bungalow, you may want to consider using an additional access point to boost your signal to another part of your home. We highly recommend you stay away from any 'Wireless Repeaters' as they're usually slow, temperamental and a waste of time/effort. Instead, consider a 'Powerline Access Point' which can usually be picked up from Amazon.co.uk for around ~£40-45. These use the internal electrical wiring in your house to transmit data from the modem to the second access point, the secondary access point then gets plugged in anywhere there is a power socket & bad signal.
Newer solutions such as Mesh networks by Google and Linksys also work well for large houses, Google has a great write-up about how they work: Click here.
We're here to help, too!
If you're experiencing rubbish WiFi signal in your home and need some friendly help, we're here to help. Just give us a call or start a chat and we'll be happy to help.