Does your wireless internet network seem slow or unreliable? Human nature dictates that most people answer “yes” to that question but this is simply because no matter how fast the connection may be, everyone wants more speed than what they are getting. Studies have shown that in most home wireless installations it is common for about a third of the data transmitted wirelessly to be lost, requiring it to be retransmitted. This automatically translates into a wireless network that is operating about one-third slower than its maximum capacity.
Computer networks are designed with automatic error correction to detect signal loss and to retransmit failed connections. A key to improving wireless performance is to minimize the causes of signal loss so that the network has to do less error correction.
Radio interference originating from some household electronic devices, including microwave ovens, baby monitors, and cordless phones can be sources of Wi-Fi performance issues. More common is for neighboring systems to interfere with each other. The problem is that most existing Wi-Fi equipment operates on the crowded 2.4GHz radio band. If you live in a densely populated area, the signal from your Wi-Fi hardware has to compete with other signals and this hinders your wireless performance … and you are interfering with your neighbor’s too.
A qualified network technician will have the necessary tools to troubleshoot these issues and in many cases it is possible to reconfigure your network to use a less-heavily used radio frequency. This is something that should be done from time to time to cope with the fact that your neighbors may install new wireless hardware or may also be changing the radio frequency they use.
Many newer wireless devices, including laptops, Apple iPad, internet-connected televisions and other state-of-the art devices, now are “dual-band” meaning that they can use either of two radio frequencies rather than just one. In addition to using the aforementioned 2.4GHz band, newer dual-band hardware can also use the newly-licensed slightly less crowded 5GHz frequencies. These devices deliver much better wireless performance, but only if your home Wi-Fi network hardware supports the newest technology.
It is important to have a wireless router that supports simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz usage. The operative word in the preceding sentence is “simultaneous” because some bargain-priced dual-band routers allow only one band at a time. Buying one of these cheap dual-band routers is not likely to deliver any improvement at all in Wi-Fi performance and would be a waste of money.
The more expensive dual-band routers will be identified as “802.11n MIMO” or “N600” in the specifications. MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology provides greater range by using multiple antennas to transmit and receive data just as can your new laptop. “N600” refers to two radio frequencies each capable of transmitting at a maximum of 300 megabits per second.
So, if you have bought a new laptop or tablet in the last couple of years, it may be time for you to also upgrade your home network hardware. If you are using an old wireless access point or the wireless-enabled modem provided by the cable company or phone company this is very likely the older 2.4GHz technology. This old hardware will degrade the performance of your new laptop, iPad or smart phone. For the best results you will want to have a new dual-band router too.
Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with more than 20 years IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at SMAguru.com.