Among the many technological advancements of this era, WiFi is arguably the greatest. Wireless connectivity provides flexibility and freedom like never before. That is as long as your WiFi connection isn’t dropping frequently.
It is highly frustrating when web pages take ages to load and your important client video conference calls freeze unexpectedly. This is why we are sharing the following ways to help you improve your WiFi signal and coverage in your office.
Securing your network
Leaving your WiFi network open to the public will not just drain your bandwidth, but more importantly compromise the security of your network. That’s why it is always recommended to use large passwords which may feel like a pain to type out but it’s safer than a short password. It is also important to change your password regularly so that those who had access to your WiFi such as past employees or visitors who might have used your WiFi in the past can no longer access your office network without entering the new password.
Setting up guest WiFi
Visitors coming to your office will probably want to connect to your office WiFi to download their documents from a cloud or check their emails. It’s best to create a guest WiFi account for your visitors rather than having them use your office network.
The benefits of this are: firstly, it is in the best interests of your company to keep your office network private to visitors so that important files and documents are inaccessible to them. Secondly, you can set limits to bandwidth consumption for the guest WiFi account because you wouldn’t want visitors to stream HD videos or download large files for personal use by using up your office bandwidth.
Correct router positioning
A lot of offices place their routers in specific rooms or server rooms that are often in secluded parts of the premises. These rooms contain not only routers but other equipment such as switches, servers, and modems.
A major drawback about this whole idea is that the distance and the many walls in between block the signals from reaching the users. Also, the other nearby equipment can cause interference. Position your router at such a location from where it can transmit the clearest signals to the highest number of users. Placing your router on the ceiling is a good way to do that. This way the router can transmit its signals without being blocked by any obstacles.
Boosting your signal
If you feel your WiFi signal isn’t strong enough or it keeps dropping you might want to consider investing in a signal booster. Sometimes the signal cannot pass freely because of a number of barriers in the way such as furniture, walls, and even humans.
A signal booster helps to amplify the signal and propagate it further. Hence they need to be strategically placed in order for them to receive a clear and strong signal from your router and broadcast it further seamlessly.
Changing the channel
Having more than one router using the same channel can cause congestion in the network.
By default, most routers scan for the channel that is most open and continue to transmit their signals through that channel even if it is overcrowded by other routers later. It’s always wise to find a WiFi channel with less congestion and set your router to that channel.
Upgrading your router
Lastly, if the aforementioned ways do not help in optimizing your office Wi-Fi then you may have to upgrade your WiFi technology. You can consider upgrading to the 802.11 AC Wave 2 technology standard. This facilitates multiple inputs and outputs enhancing overall performance. As most new devices support this standard with a new router you can utilize them to the best of their capabilities.