Bad internet access seems like a thoroughly modern problem. But as more of our lives shift online – work, education, socialising, even interacting with government services – the perils of a bad internet connection can become more than an inconvenience.
We all have that one area of the home where no internet seems to penetrate. Sometimes you can blame it on thick walls; other times it is just distance that is the issue. But that doesn’t solve the problem.
So how can you make sure that you banish the blackspots and boost your connection?
When it comes to internet access, you can only work with what you have. In other words, if your incoming signal is slow, no amount of tweaks or add-ons will turn it into a superfast, stable connection.
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But if you are still having problems, here are some suggestions that might help, from free to budget friendly and beyond.
Move the modem
Hiding behind a TV? Tucked away in a cabinet? Near a window or on the floor? In that case, the best thing you can do for your wifi signal is move your broadband hub.
Why? It is very simple. Wifi radiates outwards from your hub, and is affected by various factors. Forcing the signal to pass through obstacles will affect its reach and quality, so placing it behind furniture or inside a closed cabinet is already causing you problems.
Appliances such as microwaves, TVs and speakers will throw off magnetic fields, further impacting the wifi signal and making it more likely that you will encounter problems with your internet access. Tempting as it may be, don’t tuck it in behind the TV or a speaker, unless you want frequent interruptions.
Internet hubs like clear space all around them, which means your modem will do better on a table, rather than on the floor and beside a wall. Reflective surfaces such as mirrors or glass can also interfere.
The rule is central, high and open.
Split the frequency
Most modems in Irish homes have two main frequencies – 2.4GHz and 5GHz – with the newest ones offering a third, the 6GHz band.
So why does this matter? Because each of them is useful for different situations.
The 2.4GHz band is the workhorse of the group, compatible with most wifi-enabled devices, and it has the longest range. It is also pretty decent at passing through walls and other obstacles. On the downside, it is also the most congested, with microwave ovens and baby monitors also using that band, and it offers the slowest speeds.
The 5GHz band is faster, at speeds of 1 Gigabit per second or more, which is great for gaming, video calls and other high-speed online activities. But it works better at short range, doesn’t pass well through walls and some increasingly common devices, such as your robot vacuum, don’t support it.
The newcomer to the party is the 6GHz band, which supports even faster speeds – multigigabit connections – but it suffers from even poorer range than the 5GHz band. It will work best if you are in the same room as the modem.
It will also require devices that support wifi 6E or 7 – new smartphones or laptops, for example. That is not to be confused with wifi 6, which simply makes the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands perform better.
Why is all this important? Because your router will often make the decision about what band your device connects to, depending on the quality of the signal, how far you are away from the modem and so on. Most people will never know what band they are connected to, because the default setting is that they all have the same network name and password, meaning that your devices will switch between the bands without any intervention from you.
That can cause issues, however, resulting in stuttering connections when your modem makes the wrong decision at a crucial moment.
Splitting your home internet into separate bands allows you to make the choice over what band suits your needs best. And by giving them unique names – homeinternet24g, homeinternet5g – you can reduce the likelihood of your important video call dropping because your device is bouncing around between bands.
It isn’t a particularly difficult task; the admin panel of your home broadband allows you to split your connection, and details of where and how to access it are usually printed on your modem. Then you can regain control over your devices.
Stay updated
Your home internet hub is just like any other device and needs occasional updates to make sure it is working correctly. If your modem was provided by your internet service provider, it should have been set to receive updates automatically. But if you aren’t sure, power cycling the device – turn it off, unplug it for 30 seconds and turn it back on again – should force it to look for an update,
Upgrade your modem
The broadband providers have been upgrading networks in recent years, offering faster speeds and fibre connections that promise more than 1Gbps. So if you have changed provider or upgraded your line speed recently, your new modem will be capable of delivering those speeds.
But if your home internet hub has been in situ for years, there is a good chance that it needs an upgrade. Get in touch with your broadband provider to see what they might offer you – free of charge – before putting your hand in your own pocket to throw money at the problem.
Boost it
If you have done all of the above and still have blackspots, you have come to the point where spending a bit of money might be necessary. How much though will depend on the extent of your problem and what you need.
There are three main options here.
Power line adaptors: These use the electrical wiring in your home to carry a signal to the affected area in your home. You plug one of the devices in beside the modem, connecting it to your internet hub with an Ethernet cable, and the other goes into the wifi dead zone. You pair the devices and voila, you extend your internet.
On the negative side of the scale, the signal can degrade over long distances. While your rooms may only be a matter of 3m or so away, the electrical cabling may cover a longer distance.
Look for power-line adaptors that support wifi – they usually have a W in the model name – rather than just Ethernet, and also ones that have a plug pass-through, so you don’t unnecessarily block a power socket.
Range extenders: These devices will rebroadcast your wifi signal to boost it to poorly served areas of your home. They can be a cheap option, but they come with some drawbacks, including cutting your wifi speed in half or causing congestion on your home network, and they can introduce a delay to your connection that makes them unsuitable for gaming or other high-speed activities. They also create their own network that you have to connect to, so they aren’t seamless.
Mesh kits: These kits create a seamless network in your home, using a series of nodes that overlap and blanket your home in wifi. One hooks up to your broadband hub, creating the connection; you can then place the satellite nodes around your home. They form a seamless network that your devices can log into and stay connected to regardless of what node is closest.
You can also add more nodes in the future, should you decide to extend upwards with an attic conversion or outwards into a garden room. And there is a range of devices that will suit all budgets and uses, with TP Link, Tenda Nova, Asus and even Google getting involved.
