Slower internet is often associated with the internet service provider, rightfully so. But there are external factors like an aging wireless router, various OS settings, and wiring, equally impacting your internet speed.

Here are some home remedies to follow that can give you a juicy fiber broadband experience.

Rebooting your router:

Simple and efficient, you can follow the 30-60-120 seconds rule.

• Unplug your router and modem from your power outlet
• Wait for 30 seconds before plugging back your modem and powering it on.
• Now, wait another 60 seconds before plugging back your router
• Once your router has power, wait for another 120 seconds before testing out your wireless fiber broadband connectivity.

Positioning your router:

Placement is everything for a router to help you get the widest coverage.

• Since, a wifi signal spreads out and drops down, place your router as high as possible.
• If you are on a two-story building, place the router on the 2nd floor for better coverage.
• You can also mount your router in a corner near a wall or a ceiling.

Objects to keep away from your router:

Concrete and walls aren’t the only sizable deterrents to dilute your wifi signals.

• Mirrors, giant fish tanks or even metal are bad news for wifi signals
• Any device or appliances like microwave, baby monitor, wireless phones and any Bluetooth devices operating on the same 2.4GHz spectrum as your WiFi will dilute your signal strength.
• Keep your WiFi in your line of sight so that the signal passes through the least number of obstacles, improving your WiFi experience.

Wired vs WiFi

WiFi is wireless that lets you connect to devices within a range while the wired connection as the name suggests connects to a router to transmit data over any specific network.

So, when it comes to the discourse of wireless vs wired internet, the ideal way to derive assessment is through a few factors discussed below.

• Speed

  WiFi was formerly based on an 802.11g standard with a tentative speed of 54 Mbps. But as opposed to the wired connections the speed was slower. As of now, the latest WiFi standards have risen to 802.11ac which offers a speed cap of 3200Mbps, so, WiFi does provide a better alternative to Ethernet.

• Reliability

  Ethernet can provide consistency in its speed, letting you download larger media or for streaming HD videos. WiFi does come with stutters since a few external factors can be detrimental to its signal range. Although positioning the router in an optimum position does provide stable performance.

• Security

  Ethernet is physically attributed to the device it's attached to and thus there are fewer chances of being vulnerable. But WiFi, if open, can compromise your data security. However, the WPA2-PSK encryption method can be employed for WiFi to strengthen data security.

• Latency

  Latency is the period during which data travels from its source to its destination. It is synonymous with "ping" and can be a vital aspect for gamers since they require quick reaction time during online gaming. So, a wired connection, in that case, can minimize lags and delays with data distribution.

• Deployment

  WiFi is more portable and can be deployed quickly as opposed to cable installation for which infrastructure is required.

Tips for better connectivity

For wired connections follow these health tips to improve your experience associated with your Fiber broadband technology.

• Keep your optic cables away from pets, don’t coil the cables tightly since damages caused to your fiber optic cable can impact internet serviceability.
• Ethernet cable type largely impacts your internet speed - the recommended category is 5e or category 6.
• A gigabit ethernet card is imperative to optimize your wired connection. Ethernet cards are usually installed on your laptop or PC which lets these devices connect to the ethernet cable.

For wireless connectivity, follow these steps to ensure a hygienic internet ecosystem for your fiber broadband connection.

• Mesh WiFi connections should be considered if there are more than two concrete walls, long corridors or if its a multistorey building.
• Additional WiFi mesh node extends the signal coverage.
• Since the wiring is not required for WiFi mesh connections, expect faster connectivity as they use 5GHZ band amongst each other.
• Use wifi extender or a repeater to rebroadcast or boost your WiFi signals across your desired locations.
• These extenders can be placed strategically without having to change networks since the same network is being re-broadcasted.