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Tips for improving your Wi-Fi experience at home

As we move our work, learning and family activities indoors, our Internet and Wi-Fi demands are increasing. Most modern devices don’t require a wired connection, so your experience often depends a lot on your Wi-Fi performance. In this post, we will be providing some tips to make the most out of your experience at home.

Modem placement

Your modem placement in your home can have an impact on Internet performance. We recommend placing modems in a central location, near the area you use most of your devices. This is because Wi-Fi signals degrade as they travel away from the modem, so you want to be as close as possible.

Avoid placing your modem in a closet and keep your modem away from other electronic devices to prevent interference. For example, microwaves and baby monitors have been especially notorious for interfering with modems communicating at the 2.4GHz band.

2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz bands

Access modems offer dual-band wireless networks: 2.4 GHz for broader Wi-Fi coverage and 5 GHz for faster speeds.

When using devices far away from your modem, you may notice improved performance on the 2.4 GHz band, but it should be noted this band is more commonly used, which means more devices can interfere with it.

When using devices near your modem, you should notice improved performance using the 5 GHz network, commonly displayed with a “5G” label. It is a faster, broader wireless band with less interference and ideal for connecting to when accessing business applications, teleconferencing or transferring large files.

Our Smart Wi-Fi modem has band steering enabled by default. This feature improves your experience by automatically connecting your devices to the frequency that offers the strongest signal.

Secure your Wi-Fi network

Your modem comes with a default Wi-Fi network name (also known as SSID – Service Set Identifier) and password. A good practice is to change the default network name and password, if you haven’t done so.

Changing your Wi-Fi’s default network name makes it harder for malicious attackers to know what type of modem you have, and which service provider you subscribe to. We also advise not to include personal information, such as first or last names (such as “John’s Wi-Fi”), when renaming your Wi-Fi network.

Set a strong and unique password to secure your network.

  • You can change your Wi-Fi network by logging in to My Account and clicking on Wireless Settings.
  • If you have Smart Wi-Fi, you can use the MyHitron App to easily make changes.

Remember that you will need to reconnect all your devices after changing your network name and password.

Update your devices and anti-virus software

Make sure all devices on your home network including the ones you use for business have the latest software update and ensure your anti-virus software is up to date.

Leverage Smart Wi-Fi optimizations

A lot of devices competing for throughput on your network can cause internal traffic issues and downgrade performance when working remotely or performing other online activities.

Smart Wi-Fi makes automatic network optimizations that ensure peak performance and coverage throughout your home. It identifies and correct network issues in the background, without the need for you to act on it.

Another benefit of Smart Wi-Fi is the visibility and control of your Wi-Fi network with the MyHitron app. For example, you can set schedules to prevent late-night video gaming sessions or create buzzwords to safeguard your kids while they surf the web, directly from your smartphone.

You can also access self-help troubleshooting tips, allowing you to determine if any issues might be related to your Internet or Wi-Fi.