How can I improve the speed of my wireless connection
1. Ensure the wireless network you’re using is actually yours
- Go to What Is My IP to check your IP-address.
- Copy the IP-address.
- Go to Who Is, paste your IP-address in the search field and check whether it belongs to edpnet.
In case this is not an IP-address belonging to edpnet, you are connected to some neighbouring Wi-Fi network. Find your wireless network and reconnect.
2. Avoid abuse
Most routers show on their user interface which internal devices (computers, smartphones, wireless printers, etc.) are connected to them. They also allow to exclude some device from the list and block it.
If you suspect your Wi-Fi is being abused, you can also change your network name and Wi-Fi password.
3. Check the maximum speed your router can support
There exist different wireless standards (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11g, etc.). Every wireless standard has the maximum speed that it can support. This is why it’s important to know which wireless standard your router is using and what the maximum speed is that it can offer.
4. Check the wireless antenna(-s)
In case you router has one wireless antenna, point it straight up or in the direction of the area where you use your wireless connection most of the time.
In case your router has more wireless antennas, check if they are fastened securely and aim them in different directions to maximize the signal reception.
5. Find the ideal place for your wireless router
The most optimal position for a wireless router is:
- in the most central room
- not in the corner of a room
- in open space (not behind or under other objects)
- as high in the room as it is possible (e.g., on a table, on a bookcase, etc.)
- away from other transmitting devices (e.g., cordless phones, microwaves, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, etc)
- away from any other electronic devices (e.g., TV, acoustic system, etc.)
- so that there are no metallic objects, concrete objects, and objects containing water (like, an aquarium, a refrigerator, etc.) between the router and wireless devices
When testing the wireless speed, place the router and the wireless device as close to each other as possible to exclude the location factor.
There exist apps for smartphones which help to analyze your wireless network (e.g., WiFi analyzer).
6. Install the latest software for your wireless devices
Sometimes your wireless device lowers its Wi-Fi speed because its firmware is outdated. This is why it’s important to keep the firmware of all wireless devices (router, smartphone, tablet, etc.) up-to-date.
7. Change the name of your wireless network
If there are other wireless networks with the same name in the vicinity, wireless devices may automatically try to connect to the wrong wireless network. In this regard, it may be useful to change the name of your wireless network.
8. Enable WPA2-encryption
The maximum Wi-Fi speed can be reached only when the security of your router is set to WPA2-encryption. All other encryption methods cannot guarantee more than 54 Mbps which may create an issue on a VDSL-line where speed can get up to 100 Mbps.
9. Choose the best wireless channel
If your router is set to 2.4 GHz frequency band, you may choose channel 1, 6 or 11 for your Wi-Fi. These three channels do not overlap with each other and show better Wi-Fi performance than other channels.
10. Increase the wireless transmit power
The wireless settings of most routers contain a setting which allows a user to set the maximum transmit power.
11. Set your wireless connection to 5 GHz frequency band
Most modern routers provide both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. A 5GHz frequency band can transmit higher amounts of data and it is less congested in comparison with a 2.4 GHz frequency band which is often overcrowded because it is used by most wireless devices. Thus, setting your Wi-Fi to 5 GHz frequency may help to increase the speed of your wireless connection.
