The OCU establishes a series of suggestions to try to optimize the operation of the router device in homes
Many people consider it unthinkable to live today without internet connection at home. The data from the survey of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on the equipment and use of information and communication technologies in homes during the year 2021 shows this: almost 84% of Spanish homes have some type of computer or tablet and 83% of them have a fixed broadband connection (ADSL, fiber, cable…). In addition, routers have always been accompanied by the reputation of being very precarious, even more so over the years. That is why the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) prepared a document with advice to improve WiFi coverage in homes.
Request a change of router to the company
If you have been with the same company for more than three years, the most effective solution is to request a change of router from it. It may be that they charge the device, the installation or it is free. You have to argue to the corresponding company that “your router is old and that new customers, who pay the same as you, have a better service,” says the OCU.
Ask the operator to reconfigure the channels
If the first advice does not work, you can ask the operator to reconfigure the channels, which are the frequencies by which the WiFi waves are broadcast and these can be saturated by other emissions, such as the WiFi of the neighbors, an issue that It happens mostly in blocks of flats. On the other hand, if you are aware of technology, you have to take into account that there are mobile apps that allow you to see the occupation of the different bands. Then, you must enter the router configuration and select the appropriate channel.
Place the router well in a central and visible place
One fundamental question must be clear, and that is that any obstacle that blocks the router’s broadcast will reduce the connection speed and coverage. Thus, the ideal is to place the device in the center of the house, on a piece of furniture or chest of drawers and orient the antennas so that they direct the signal in all directions. In this way, avoid placing it on the floor, in corners or inside cabinets.
Place WiFi extenders or PLCs around the house
If the coverage problems persist once the router has been placed in other places in the house, it is likely that WiFi amplifiers will have to be incorporated into the network, which can be
wifi repeaterswhich must be placed in a place with a minimum signal and amplify it towards other rooms in the home, and the
PLC, which carry the signal through the electrical network and are ideal for rooms far away from the router where no coverage reaches. In addition, the installation of these devices is generally simple.
buy a new router
If, finally, the advice explained above does not work and the speed that has been contracted is very different from the one received, if the WiFi disconnects frequently or if there are many stoppages in the viewing of videos, it is very possible that it is the current router the one that does not work as it should. That is why the only solution is to buy a new and therefore better router.
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