Tips From The Top

We’ve all asked ourselves this question: Why is my Internet so slow? Everything seems to be connected, online and working … it’s just slow. Painfully so. These days, when so many of our everyday tasks depend on the Internet, a slow connection can be more than just frustrating. But a slow Internet connection isn’t a problem you have to just accept. Here are the three top strategies, straight from the experts at Jackson Hole AV, to help you get your Internet back up to speed.

Check your WiFi

You probably already know that your Internet tends to be most reliable through a hardline connection. WiFi is great in many ways, but it definitely degrades the stability of your connection. There are ways to finesse your WiFi to get the most speed possible, though.

• Location, location, location. As behind as WiFi routers might be in the design department, you can’t hide them away in a closet if you want the speediest connection. Put them up high, away from walls, and as close to the center of your house as possible. When considering location, keep in mind that appliances like microwaves and cordless phones can interfere with your wireless signal, too.
• Security matters. If you aren’t using a secure WiFi connection with a strong password, this could be the (scary) culprit. If others can hitchhike on your connection, not only can the slow down your WiFi speed, but they can also access anything on your network.
• Automatic reboot. We all know the “turn it off and on” trick, right? Well, you can actually program your wireless router to do this on its own, rebooting periodically. The easiest way to do this, however, is to use an outlet timer that turns just your wireless router off and on during an interval of time when the Internet is less used.

New hardware. Last, but not least, you might simply need to upgrade your router. A Wireless AC router will give you the fastest speeds available. Here are CNET’s top choices for 2016.  

Check with your housemates

Another problem with WiFi is that if you’re sharing your bandwidth with others, such as a Netflix binger or fanatical online gamer, you might be getting less of the share of that connection speed than you need. You can schedule your own high bandwidth use around the schedule of these connection speed hogs, or you could ask us at Jackson Hole AV: we can help you create Quality of Service (QoS) settings within your router’s control panel. These settings tell your router to prioritize certain Internet activities over others. Video games can take a backseat to your work video conference from now on.

Check your ISP

Your ISP might be the offender if your Internet is slow. If, for example, you’re using a modem you rented from your ISP, beware. They tend to be problematic because they’re old and used. Buying your own modem could be a good fix if that’s the case. Wiring might be another problem, resulting possible from a technician who did a less-than-stellar job connecting the ISP’s wiring to your home. A call to your ISP is one way to find out if that’s the case, but be prepared to walk through all the “turn off and on” steps before they are willing to send someone out to test or monitor your line.

Call the experts.

If your slow Internet is taking a toll, we can help. Call us at Jackson Hole AV, and we can provide some ideas about how to get you back on the fast line in no time.