Wi-Fi is supposed to be easy. Punch in a password, hit connect, and boom, you're online.
But there are many ways in which Wi-Fi can give you problems,
so we're gonna be running you through some common Wi-Fi traps and how to avoid them.
Let's start out with something basic. Where to place your router?
Wi-Fi signals tend to emanate out from the antennas
in a big donut shape, with the signal being a little bit better below them
than above them. So you'll often see wireless access points
mounted on ceilings in business settings. Of course, this might not be an option for you at your home,
but it is good practice for you to try to get your router as high off the ground as possible
in a central area that is relatively close to your gadgets
while still being away from obstructions. Sticking your router in one corner of your house
behind a bunch of desk clutter might be stealthy,
but it's generally a bad idea unless you're in a small apartment
where, frankly, it might not matter anyway. Once you've put your router in the center of your home,
are you still having issues with range? Well, you might be able to fix these
by simply connecting devices that are farther away to the 2.4 gigahertz band.
You see most wireless routers these days create two networks,
one at a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz and the other at a frequency of five gigahertz.
The five gigahertz band will typically get you better speeds
so it can be better for things like streaming online video,
but it has shorter range and less ability to penetrate through walls
or other obstacles. And even though 2.4 doesn't have the same kind of top speed,
you probably don't need that extra speed if you're connecting something like a surveillance camera,
a smart home bridge, or a Wi-Fi connected toaster.
These kinds of devices simply don't need that much bandwidth.
So try putting all of them on the 2.4 gigahertz network
so they'll have a strong connection. So one possible reason for slow speeds is congestion
caused by many other networks using the same channel as your own network.
You see, you can adjust your Wi-Fi frequency by choosing which channel to place it on
in your router settings. Now, typically routers will do this for you automatically,
but they don't always do a good job. The good news is it's super easy to download an app
to see if a channel is particularly clogged up with lots of other nearby networks,
then just manually move your network over to a less crowded one.
Another possible reason is that your router and your gadgets
might not support the same version of Wi-Fi.
The newest version that's widely available to consumers is Wi-Fi 6, which promises higher speeds
and many other benefits. But tons of client devices still for sale today
only support Wi-Fi 5. So if you need to go out and buy a new router,
keep this in mind to avoid being disappointed if your phones, PCs, and consoles
don't actually get any faster. Next, let's talk about Wi-Fi Protected Setup or WPS.
You know those little buttons that you see on some routers that offer push to connect functionality
without needing to punch in a password? That's WPS, and while it may seem convenient,
it's actually incredibly unsecure.
In addition to the push button method, the WPS standard also makes using a pin mandatory
as an alternative method, and an attacker can figure out that pin
through a brute force attack in a matter of hours.
Even worse, this attack vector can allow someone to easily figure out your main Wi-Fi password.
The small amount of convenience here just isn't worth it,
so make sure to disable WPS in your router settings if you haven't already.
What are some of your favorite tricks to improve your Wi-Fi network? Let us know in the comments,
and you might see your advice on the next episode of avoiding common Wi-Fi traps.
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