Setting Up a Home Network

It is just as well that domestic Internet is cheaper and faster than ever today. Devices that never used to have any use for the Internet use it all the time now – television and gaming consoles for instance. If you don’t already have Wi-Fi in place, this could be the time to take the plunge. If you’re planning on setting up a home network with Wi-Fi, here are the mistakes you need to step around.

Not planning ahead

Many people buying their first Wi-Fi router are simply looking for a way to connect a new mobile device to the Internet. The mistake they make, though, is to not plan for the kind of coverage that they need and the number of devices they need simultaneous use for.

Wi-Fi routers usually get placed where the Internet cable enters the house. This point may be far away from the place you actually wish to use your mobile device – out in the garden, the bedroom or bathroom, the kitchen and so on.

People also underestimate the amount of Wi-Fi bandwidth they need. While they may have a fast Internet connection coming into the house, their Wi-Fi router could be a basic model that is capable of only enough speed for YouTube videos. When more people in the house get mobile Internet devices or when someone decides to subscribe to Netflix, it begins to be apparent that the Wi-Fi router’s throughput is inadequate.

The way to sidestep these problems is to do some basic calculations. You need to work out how far away each point is that you might wish to take your mobile device and look at the kinds of the walls you have in between. When you buy a router, it’s important also to plan for the number of devices that you may get in the future and make sure that it is powerful enough for the kind of distances you have in mind.

Buying the fastest router you can afford is easily the best idea.

Neglecting to reconsider where the router goes

The point where the Internet cable enters the house isn’t often the best place for the router. It’s usually a better idea to either place the router in the middle of the house or to place it in a part of the house that’s close to where most people use their Wi-Fi.

Hot swapping the Wi-Fi router

Sometimes, you have a wired Internet modem in place and you only need to buy a Wi-Fi router to connect to it. If you simply remove the old wired router and plug your new Wi-Fi router in, though, the modem will refuse to recognize it. It will be stuck on the old router. You need to turn the modem off before you plug in a new Wi-Fi router.

Neglecting to note down all the necessary settings before getting rid of the old router

Routers can be complex devices to set up. Not only do you need usernames and passwords to connect to your ISP, you need information for all kinds of arcane settings, as well – QoS, port forwarding and so on. The way out is to write down every single setting on your old router before you take it out.

Leaving the channel setting on default

Wi-Fi is popular today – most homes have it. If you live in a crowded neighborhood, you probably have dozens of Wi-Fi routers in the immediate area. This is a problem when everyone uses the same Wi-Fi transmission channel. If everyone uses the same frequency, the channel can become crowded and slow down speeds for all concerned.

It’s a better idea to download a free Wi-Fi channel changer tool to find out which channel in your area is the least crowded. You should then delve into your Wi-Fi router’s settings page and change the channel to the least crowded one.

Finally…

Wi-Fi has been around for years now and many standards exist. If your laptop or other device is a few years old, it could use an older Wi-Fi standard. Upgrading your home network to a modern high-speed standard, you can only make full use of the speed you have if the devices that use the Wi-Fi connection are upgraded to be faster, too.