Alexander Smallwood,
There’s nothing more frustrating than losing Internet connection. For those surfing the net for fun, this can prove to be at most an inconvenience. However, for businesses and the self employed, a loss if connection can prove to be much more than just inconvenient, and can end up costing them inexcusable amounts of money and falling behind schedule.
There are measures you take can take however, to prevent seeing the dreaded 0 bar signal on your desktop. Some are more obvious and straightforward than others, but all can potentially help to improve connection speed and/or consistency.
The first thing to do is to check the positioning of your wireless router. Make sure it is not buried under a pile of newspapers and covered in dust in the corner of the room. Instead, leave it in an open position, as central to your house/workplace as you can get it, and free from obstruction by dense or metallic objects, such as brick walls or filing cabinets.
Other items that transmit signals can also interfere with your router service, as they congest the airwaves, causing signal scrambling. Anything from microwaves to cordless phones can potentially interfere with your router. The fewer signal emitting equipment near to your router, the better.
Changing the frequency of the router can also help to remedy your Internet connection if it often disconnects. By default in the US, wireless routers offer 11 different channels, transmitting on channel 6, at a frequency of 2.4GHz. Many other household items, such as cordless phones and garage door openers are also on this default frequency, resulting in it often being very busy, leaving your Internet connection bogged down in traffic from other items. Changing the transmission channel will offer a clear airwave for the signal to travel on. Instructions on how to change channel will be able on your router manufacturer’s webpage.
The manufacturers of your router and adapter are constantly updating and improving the service they offer. Outdated versions of your computer’s network adapter and the router firmware could be the reason why you have a painfully slow connection. Check everything is fully up to date. This can smoothen out your router’s performance and reliability, and even add new features.
Also, ensure all your equipment is from the same company. Two-way transmissions between your Internet router and the wireless adapter rely on compatibility, and may not perform at their optimum when made by different companies. A good brand of router to consider is The Top Global 3G Phoebus Wireless Router, which is one of the fastest wireless routers available, and combines the best of Wi-Fi and 3G/4G mobile communications technologies to connect to high-speed cellular data networks.
Replacing the wireless adapter could also solve your connection issues. Investing in a USB adapter with an antenna is the wisest option, as this offers the strongest signal strength. Modern laptops with built in adapters however, are normally of a very good quality, and are rarely the issue.
Homemade solutions can also boost your connection speed and reliability. By placing signal reflectors, such as aluminium foil, behind your routers antenna, you can reflect signal to transmit in a more concentrated direction, as opposed to in all directions. The foil reflects signal in the same way that a mirror reflects sunlight, increasing the volume of signal going towards your wireless adapter.
Let us know which options worked best for you!