6 Simple Tips To Boost Your Home Wi-Fi

1- Take a look at the ports on your router. If you see a USB port, your router can do more than just broadcast a Wi-Fi signal.

Depending on your router model, the USB port can be used to connect an external hard drive (this will be available as network storage to all connected devices on Wi-Fi making it easy to share content) or to connect a printer (this will make the printer wireless and share it for anyone on the network).

2- To some, Wi-Fi is a requirement as basic as electricity and running water. Most internet service providers install a basic modem/router that stays untouched in a corner. Here we show you some easy ways to solve common Wi-Fi issues at home.

3- This is one of the easiest ways to improve Wi-Fi coverage. Most users prefer to keep their routers in a corner of the house (usually near a window). While this does minimize wire clutter, it also limits your Wi-Fi range because the Wi-Fi signal spreads omni-directionally.

The ideal place to keep a router is in the center of your house so that it provides an even coverage across the home. Try and place the Wi-Fi router at eye-level or higher — this further improves the signal strength. Finally, keep the router away from other interference causing devices (cordless phone base stations, other routers, printers, microwave ovens).

4- Have friends and family coming over for a party and you don’t want to share your primary Wi-Fi password? Just enable a guest network on your router with a separate, simpler password. Login to your router’s admin settings and under the Wireless tab you will see an option of Guest network.

You can give a name to your network, set a password and even limit the number of users who can connect to the network simultaneously. Moreover, some routers also give you the option to block and remove a connected device if you feel that it is hogging up all the bandwidth.

Once your party is over, you can disable the guest network — this way no one will know your home Wi-Fi password and you will not have to worry about your network being used later without permission.

5- Unless you live in a single room or studio apartment, the router provided by your ISP will not be able to provide coverage through the house. You can swap out the existing router for a more powerful one but a simpler and cheaper way is to use a repeater. This takes the Wi-Fi signal from your router and ‘repeats’ it to improve coverage area.

The WPS method is the simplest way to connect a repeater: Enable WPS on the router and press the WPS button on the repeater. Everything is automatically configured in just a minute. There are several options available from D-Link, NetGear, TP-Link priced at Rs 1,000 onwards.

If you have an old (but functional) router lying around, you may also be able to use it as a repeater — though this requires a bit of configuration in the settings page.

6- Have you ever changed your Wi-Fi password? It might still be the same basic password from when it was first installed. You might have also shared the password with friends during a party and your neighbours could have the password too. This means someone could be stealing your Wi-Fi, leading to slow speeds and your monthly limits being crossed quickly. The best way to avoid this is to change your Wi-Fi password regularly – once in 6 months should be good enough for most users.