5 Common Causes of Weak Wi-Fi and How to Improve Them

If you’re constantly moving your router to different locations around your house, or running from room to room with your phone or tablet in hopes of capturing a Wi-Fi signal, you may be thinking, “There has to be a better way!” With the plethora of smartphones, appliances, TVs, gaming consoles and other Wi-Fi–enabled devices in every room of the home, many of which can’t easily be picked up and moved around, it’s frustrating not to be able to use them because the signals don’t reach.

To discover some common causes of weak Wi-Fi performance, learn how to receive stronger signals, and then deliver those signals to the farthest reaches of your whole home, garage, or yard, keep reading.

Why Is My Wi-Fi Signal Weak?

There can be several reasons why you may experience a weak Wi-Fi signal. Here are some of the most common.

Router Location

Do you tend to stash your router in a closet or cabinet, or keep it on a desk near electronics or other devices? Perhaps it’s an old, outdated router that isn’t appealing to look at, or it looks more “at home” sharing space with your computer or next to your TV, or you simply want it out of the way in a corner. These places can compromise signal strength because close proximity to electronics and devices that use Bluetooth can cause congestion on frequencies, and metal doors and file cabinet drawers can block your router’s signals. Keep in mind, too, that routers send signals in every direction, so placing yours close to the geographical center of your home, rather than along the perimeter or in a corner near the exterior, will maximize signal coverage throughout the house.

Insufficient Bandwidth

As we add smart devices to our homes, we can exceed our available bandwidth before we know it. It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that so many new devices need a certain amount of bandwidth to function, and the more devices connecting to your wireless network, the slower your internet speed. If you’re running your smart home on an internet plan with a slower speed, consider upgrading your plan to one that will support your growing collection of gadgets.

Out-of-Date Firmware

Maybe you promised yourself two weeks ago that you would download that firmware update you received an email about. Firmware updates are required just frequently enough that they can sometimes fall through the cracks, and if it slipped your mind, that could affect your home’s wireless signals. Firmware is what handles the data coming into your network from your service provider, so if your router’s firmware is out of date, it can take longer to process the information. If you don’t want to have to download and install updates yourself, a router that updates automatically is a great option.

Multiple Wi-Fi Networks

It may seem like setting up a wireless network in your basement, another upstairs, and another in your garage could solve the problem of weak signals, but it isn’t as practical as it sounds. With all these networks tied into different routers, it can be tedious and inconvenient to log into your various networks as you move about your home. In addition, separate Wi-Fi networks in the same household can hinder performance due to overlapping on the same frequency. Network extenders serve the intended purpose much more efficiently.

Lax Network Security

Whether by an innocent neighbor or a nefarious hacker, hijacking a vulnerable wireless network is unsettling, and in the best-case scenario it usurps bandwidth. Either way, if someone is accessing your network without your authorization, your signals are going to be weaker. Changing your Wi-Fi password is an important step in beefing up your network security. If you have company coming to visit for a few days, you may wish to create a temporary guest network and delete it when your guests depart.

What Else Can I Do to Boost My Wi-Fi?

Fortunately, there are solutions to help you get even more from your Wi-Fi, and they begin with our Managed Wireless service.

Managed Wireless

The foundation of an effective Wi-Fi network, the Managed Wireless smart home internet system works in tandem with your internet service plan. Managed Wireless accommodates even the widest bandwidth, enhancing your online experience no matter how many devices are in use at any given time. With attractive equipment that displays well, any instinct to hide the router will be eliminated, further increasing functionality.

The Managed Wireless hardware is a robust router that is as capable as it is presentable, connecting with flexible mesh extenders and tying in with our SmartWiFi app to give you complete control over your network. Security updates run automatically, so there is no need to check for, download, or install any security update files to your Managed Wireless router.

Mesh Extenders

Extending beyond the natural reach of the Managed Wireless system are optional mesh extenders, available in either wireless or wired. These stylish, compact access nodes can be placed anywhere throughout your home or yard for customized, seamless coverage. When you centrally locate your Managed Wireless router and augment your range with mesh extenders, you’ll enjoy Wi-Fi signals around your whole home.

SmartWiFi

Managed Wireless service includes SmartWiFi, a convenient app that makes managing your smart home internet system simple. SmartWiFi shows you which devices are currently using your Wi-Fi. You’ll be able to set up user profiles for everyone in your home, and track internet usage when users are on your home network. You can even set up a guest network or reset your Wi-Fi password.

Concerned about the vulnerability of your network security, or worried that your kids might access inappropriate content? Keeping your family safe and your home Wi-Fi network secure is easy with SmartWiFi. Upgrade your SmartWiFi app to get premium enhanced security features ProtectIQ™ and ExperienceIQ™ for even more control.

ProtectIQ™ monitors incoming traffic to your network, blocking anything suspicious and alerting you to the event, and stops malicious data transfers before they can reach devices on your network. ExperienceIQ™ helps you enforce the rules you set for your family’s online activity, giving you the power to pause internet access on any device at any time, as well as schedule downtime such as during meals or at bedtime, set website and content restrictions, and manage access to specific apps.