I am sure we all can agree with what Bill Gates once meant when he said that the internet is slowly changing into a town square for the globally accessible village of the world. It is indeed true that the internet is slowly turning into the central place where all the activities of the world are happening, where people are getting their jobs and even meeting their life partners. Of course, to constantly keep in touch with the world, one requires a network connection, and this is where the main character of the story enters; the router. The one apparatus which helps us access the internet regardless of our location. It is what lets us pay our phone bills online during the intermission of a movie or send an official email to our bosses asking for a day off. The router is what enables our wifi connections and comes with an IP address like 192.168.0.227. In more technological terms, this is the networking device that helps us forward “data packets” or webpages, emails, websites, etc., between computer networks. Routers are the workers who enable the traffic that in turn directs our functions on the world wide web. Thus, the router is a very, very important part of our lives.
Surely then there must be really advanced technology in use in this field? Sadly not. Our wifi networks continue to remain some of the most fluctuating phenomenons in this world. Even more than our minds which can switch from being extremely positive to deathly negative in a second. The seemingly erratic nature of the WiFi ID usually a result of poor care being given to our dear routers. They are, believe it or not, some of the most neglected devices in our houses, remembered only when our “trusty” wifi drops. That is when everyone rushes to hit the router over the top in hopes of making it work again.
However, you have nothing to worry about! Because today, in this article, you will read about not one or two but seven ways to keep your precious router stable and dependable as it should be.
Here we go:
Get rid of old, outdated protocols and give your router a new “reboot” schedule.
Of course, this may have you wondering what this means, so I’ll explain it in simple terms. The way we human beings require a good 8 hours of sleep each night to be able to function properly, your router requires a break, too, to be able to work the next day efficiently. Therefore, it is extremely important to give the router some off-time so that it doesn’t overheat or mess up between private and public domains since it handles both continuously. Another additional thing that could help here is a heat map or heat mapping software. If you heat map your router, it will help n making it work more smoothly in the long run as you will be able to locate and eradicate weak networks or dead networks, which slow down your wifi.
Change the position of your router
Trust me; your router has been kept in that dusty old corner of your house for too long now. A little scenery change in the form of relocation of the router itself, but centralizing its antennas and putting on something lifted will help majorly. It has been researched and discovered that this isn’t a myth because a location change often helps the router avoid “dead zones” or other conflicting networks that the human eye can’t see but make the router slow. So moving it to the center of the house or to even just a few feet away may help increase its efficiency.
Try out Ethernet cables
Hello there, technologically advanced human beings. I hope you remember your trusty Ethernet cables! Research conducted has concluded that often wifi isn’t the best way to have a stable and strong internet connection. You may have to take out the old wires if you are using your routers for a streaming or gaming device! Sure, it can be a little fussy, but with a little arranging, you can easily keep the wires in an organized manner while having a smooth internet connection!
Upgrade your router and use an old one as a repeater
Keeping your device upgraded with the latest software is extremely beneficial; however, if it’s been too long, it’s probably time to bid farewell to the old friend and make It a repeater instead. A new and upgraded router will give you a better internet connection while also allowing you to enjoy the use of the old one as a repeater! If you’re not aware, a repeater helps in extending transmissions, which simply means you can use your wifi over long distances now! Sometimes repeaters run on the same frequency, but if you tweak that a little, you may end up with a stronger connection!
Wireless security
This one is a really important point, and I suggest you immediately make your network secure by adding a password if you haven’t already. Public networks almost always suffer from problems due to the many domains they have to handle and the many people that may be using them. This may often even lead to your data getting stolen apart from obviously reducing your internet speed!
Check the bandwidths and frequencies
Often there are no issues with your device itself or the location of it, and it’s just the wrong frequency or channel width. Make sure to look up which one is the best for your device and switch to that to notice big changes in the way your internet will run. For example, for people who prefer a higher speed to a higher range, a 5Ghz band should be used. But, for a better and longer range, a 2.4Ghz should be used.
Remove the extras
Last, but not least, if there are more devices connected to your wifi than required, it is best to prune them out as they help with nothing but reducing the range and finishing off the data packs sooner. It will give your router the ability to channel the internet in the direction required instead of dealing with unnecessary directions.
These are some of the basic things every owner of a router can do to keep their device healthy, safe, and effective. However, if these don’t help, you should call your Internet Service Provider and ask him to have a look. Hope this helped. Happy surfing!