Do I Need to Download Wireless Software to Make a Netgear Wireless Updated FREE
Do I Need to Download Wireless Software to Make a Netgear Wireless
Browsing slowing to a crawl, the inability to stream, dropped Wi-Fi signals, wireless dead zones—every one of these problems is maddening in a earth where getting online has become, for some, equally necessary every bit animate. (Well, possibly not that critical...only still important.)
If you feel like your Wi-Fi has gotten sluggish, there are many tools you can employ to exam the speed of your internet. There are too a few tricks you can try to troubleshoot your network issues. However, if the only fashion you tin can become decent reception is past standing next to your wireless router, these simple tips tin help optimize your network.
1. Bank check Your Wired Internet Connexion
Earlier you blame the Wi-Fi, make sure the internet coming into your house is performing as it should. Find an Ethernet cable and plug your computer directly into your modem—you may need a USB to Ethernet adapter if your laptop doesn't have an Ethernet port.
Run a speed test to see your internet speed. If it doesn't match the speed on your net beak, yous may demand to phone call your ISP or replace your modem. If your speed test does match your internet nib, but it still seems ho-hum, it may be fourth dimension to pony up for a better programme. (My grandmother was convinced her Wi-Fi was faulty, simply for me to tell her she was subscribed to a snail's-pace 3Mbps connectedness.)
If the modem seems okay, try running the test again wirelessly, standing right adjacent to the router. If you get similarly good speeds side by side to the router, but not elsewhere in the house, then your Wi-Fi coverage may be to arraign. If your cyberspace is still slow standing right next to the router, you may have some outdated gear that needs an upgrade.
ii. Update Your Router Firmware
Before you start tweaking things, it's a good idea to update your router. Router manufacturers are e'er improving software to eke out a scrap more speed. How easy—or how hard—it is to upgrade your firmware depends entirely on your device's manufacturer and model.
Virtually current routers have the update process built right into the administration interface, so it'due south just a matter of hit a firmware upgrade button. Other models, particularly if they're older, withal require you to visit the manufacturer's website, download a firmware file from your router'south support page, and upload it to the administration interface. It's boring, but nevertheless a good thing to do since information technology would be such a simple prepare.
In fact, even if your wireless network isn't ailing, you should get in a signal to update your firmware on a regular basis for performance improvements, amend features, and security updates. For help with this, nosotros have a guide on accessing your router'south settings.
If you really want to get the most out of your electric current router, the adventurous should wait at a tertiary-party firmware, like the open-source DD-WRT. This tin ramp upwards operation and requite you lot access to more advanced networking features, including the ability to install a virtual individual network (VPN) right onto your router. It'southward a bit more than complex to prepare, but for tech-savvy users, information technology may be worthwhile.
iii. Achieve Optimal Router Placement
Not all homes will distribute Wi-Fi point equally. The fact is, where you place the router tin hugely affect your wireless coverage. It may seem logical to have the router inside a cabinet and out of the way, or right past the window where the cablevision comes in, but that'southward not always the example. Rather than relegating it to a far end of your abode, the router should be in the center of your house, if possible, then its point tin can reach to each corner with ease.
In improver, wireless routers demand open spaces, away from walls and obstructions. And so while it's tempting to put that ugly black box in a closet or behind a bunch of books, you'll get a amend signal if it'southward surrounded past open air (which should prevent the router from overheating, likewise). Keep it abroad from heavy-duty appliances or electronics as well, since running those in close proximity can touch Wi-Fi performance. If you can eliminate even ane wall between your workspace and the router, y'all can drastically improve performance.
If your router has external antennas, orient them vertically to bump upwardly coverage. If you can, it even helps to elevate the router—mountain it high on the wall or on the superlative shelf to get a meliorate signal. There are enough of tools to help y'all visualize your network coverage. We similar Ekahau's Heatmapper or MetaGeek's inSSIDer, which show you both the weak and strong spots in your Wi-Fi network. There are plenty of mobile apps, besides, such equally Netgear's WiFi Analytics.
(Editors' Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent visitor of PCMag.com.)
four. What's Your Frequency?
Take a expect at your network'south ambassador interface and make sure you lot take it configured for optimum functioning. If you have a dual-band router, you lot'll likely go ameliorate throughput past switching to the 5GHz band instead of using the more common 2.4GHz band.
Not simply does 5GHz offer faster speeds, just you'll likely run across less interference from other wireless networks and devices, considering the 5GHz frequency is not as commonly used. (It doesn't handle obstructions and distances quite as well, though, so it won't necessarily reach as far equally a two.4GHz signal does.)
Virtually modern dual-ring routers should offer y'all the option to utilize the same network name, or SSID, on both bands. Cheque your router's administration interface, expect for the 5GHz network option, and give information technology the same SSID and password every bit your 2.4GHz network. That way, your devices will automatically choose the best point whenever they tin.
(If your router doesn't offer you the option to utilise the aforementioned SSID, simply give it another name—similar SmithHouse-5GHz—and try to connect to that one manually whenever possible.)
5. Modify That Channel
Interference is a big issue, specially for those who live in densely populated areas. Signals from other wireless networks can touch speeds, not to mention some cordless telephone systems, microwaves, and other electronic devices.
E'er play with walkie-talkies equally a kid? You may remember how the units needed to be on the same "channel" in society for you to hear each other. And if you happened to be on the same channel equally your neighbors, you could listen in on someone else's conversation, fifty-fifty if they were using a completely different set. In that same vein, all modern routers can switch across unlike channels when communicating with your devices.
Most routers will choose the aqueduct for yous, but if neighboring wireless networks are likewise using the aforementioned channel, you'll run across signal congestion. A skilful router set to Automated will try to cull the to the lowest degree congested channel, just older or cheaper routers may just choose a predefined channel, fifty-fifty if information technology isn't the all-time 1. That could be a problem.
On Windows-based PCs, you can encounter what channels neighboring Wi-Fi networks are using. From the control prompt blazon netsh wlan show all, and you lot'll run into a list of all wireless networks and the channels being used in your vicinity. The same network analyzers can too prove you this information, often in an easier-to-read graphical format.
At the PCMag role, for example, most of our networks and those of our neighbors are using channels 6 and 11. In general, for 2.4GHz you lot want to stick to channels 1, 6, and 11 since they're the merely ones that don't overlap with other channels (which tin degrade performance). 5GHz generally uses non-overlapping channels, still, which should make selecting the right one much easier.
If you find the Machine setting isn't working well for you, sign into your router'due south administrator interface, caput to the basic wireless category, and try selecting ane manually (ideally, ane that isn't in employ by many networks in your area). Run another speed test to see if that provides a better signal and faster speeds over the Automatic setting in your problem areas.
Go on in mind that channel congestion tin alter over time, so if yous choose a channel manually, you may desire to check in once in a while to make sure it's yet the best i.
6. Kick Off Wi-Fi Intruders
Information technology'due south entirely possible the problem has nothing to practice with interference or Wi-Fi range. If your network is open, or has a weak password, you lot could have an unwanted guest or two piggybacking on your network. If the neighbor is downloading multiple 4K movies on your Wi-Fi, your video chats will suffer.
These tools can help you find a list of devices on your Wi-Fi, which may aid yous sniff out uninvited neighbors. Your router'due south admin interface may likewise exist a traffic analyzer of some sort that will tell you which devices are using lots of data—you may even notice 1 of your own kids is sucking up bandwidth without you realizing it. (If so, here's how to kicking them off).
One time you find the intruder and remedy the problem, secure your network with a strong countersign—preferably WPA2, as WEP is notoriously easy to scissure—so others can't join in.
seven. Control Quality
Almost modern routers come up with Quality of Service (QoS) tools to limit the corporeality of bandwidth that apps use, like the Netgear menu higher up. For example, you could use QoS to prioritize video calls over file downloads—that way, your call with grandma won't drop only because someone else is grabbing a big file from Dropbox. (Sure, their file will take longer, but grandma is more than important.) Some QoS settings fifty-fifty permit you lot to prioritize different apps at different times of day.
QoS settings can typically be found under avant-garde settings in the network's administrator interface. Some routers may even make it easier by offering a one-click multimedia or gaming setting, and then y'all know those applications volition exist prioritized. If you're trying to stream games while sharing a network, there are steps you tin take to make things better.
8. Replace Your Antenna
If your router uses an internal antenna, adding an external one would be a good thought, as the latter tends to ship a stronger signal. Your router may accept come with antennas you can add on yourself, but if not (or if y'all threw them away long ago), many router manufacturers sell antennas separately.
Recommended past Our Editors
In many cases, y'all tin choose between omnidirectional antennas, which send a signal to all directions, or directional ones, which transport a signal in one specific direction. Most built-in antennas tend to be omnidirectional, so if you lot are buying an external 1, it should be marked "high-gain" to really make a difference.
A directional antenna tends to be a improve option, since odds are that you aren't experiencing weak spots in your network in every direction. Indicate your external antenna in the direction of your weak spot, and it will circulate the bespeak accordingly. Check your router manufacturer's website for details on what to purchase.
ix. Upgrade Your Obsolete Hardware
TP-Link Archer AX11000 tri-band gaming router
It'south a proficient idea to go the most out of your existing equipment, but if you're running old hardware, y'all can't await the best functioning. We have a tendency to subscribe to the "if it own't broke, don't fix it" mentality with back-finish devices, especially networking gear. However, if you bought your router years agone, you might notwithstanding be using the older, slower 802.11n standard (or God forbid, 802.11g).
Older routers may cap at adequately low bandwidths, and may even accept shorter ranges. Thus, all the tweaking we've outlined in a higher place will just get you so far—the maximum throughput for 802.11g is 54Mbps, while 802.11n caps out at 300Mbps. The latest 802.11ac supports 1Gbps, while adjacent-gen Wi-Fi 6 routers can theoretically hit 10Gbps. Our listing of the best wireless routers is a good identify to start the search for a faster router.
Even if your router is new, you might have some ancient devices that are falling dorsum to older, slower standards. If y'all bought a PC within the last couple of years, yous probable have an 802.11ac wireless adapter, or at least 802.11n. But the older your devices, the less likely they are to have modern tech built in. (You lot might be able to purchase a USB Wi-Fi adapter that makes things a bit better on those old machines, though.)
Remember, a college-quality router won't merely support those faster standards—it'll also do all the things we've outlined higher up better. Information technology'll have better channel selection, perform better band steering for 5GHz devices, and include meliorate QoS features.
Others may take features like Multi User-Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO), like the Editors' Pick TP-Link Archer AX11000 tri-band gaming router. MU-MIMO routers tin send and receive multiple data streams simultaneously to multiple devices without bandwidth degradation and require specialized testing with multiple clients, just the clients demand to be MU-MIMO compatible.
If you do finish upwards buying a new router, the setup process won't be too scary. We have a guide on how to set up and configure the device.
10. Achieve Further With a Range Extender or Mesh Wi-Fi
Amazon Eero Pro half dozen
Some newer routers may take improve range than your old beater, but in many homes, you may still non get the range you need. If the network has to embrace an expanse larger than the router is capable of transmitting to, or if in that location are lots of corners to go around and walls to penetrate, performance will inevitably take a hit. If all of the above tips neglect, it's possible that your business firm is merely besides big for a single router to send a good betoken everywhere. In that case, you'd need another device to extend your signal.
Range extenders receive a betoken from your router, then rebroadcast it to your devices, and vice-versa. However, while they're inexpensive, they're often not as effective every bit mesh Wi-Fi systems, which replace your existing router entirely. Instead of just repeating a router's signal, multiple units work together to intelligently route traffic back to your modem, blanketing your house in a single Wi-Fi network that reaches everywhere y'all need.
When setting up these mesh points, you should nonetheless apply the same rules for figuring out placement: one node will be connected to your modem, and each of the other nodes should exist close enough to pick up a solid betoken, while nevertheless far plenty to extend coverage to dead zones.
The traditional downside to Wi-Fi mesh systems has been that they're generally more expensive than simply adding a range extender to your existing router. However, we await to see that modify in the near futurity, spurred past Amazon's Eero 6 and Eero Pro 6, which come up in around $100 to $200 less than much of their mesh competition while offer Wi-Fi half-dozen compatibility and fifty-fifty a Zigbee smart home device hub congenital into the main router.
Fifty-fifty with a mesh system, nonetheless, annotation that you may yet incur some functioning loss on the far ends of your house, peculiarly if your Wi-Fi has to make multiple "hops"—once again, placing the main unit in the center of your house is best, and connecting the nodes with Ethernet will produce the all-time results. Trust me: if yous truly want problem-free Wi-Fi, it'southward worth having an electrician run a couple of Ethernet cables to each mesh unit, because in my feel, anything else is a compromise that may or may not measure up to your standards.
Mesh Wi-Fi Systems aren't cheap, particularly if you have a large home, which will require multiple nodes. However, if you're in the market for a new router anyway, they're absolutely worth considering as an alternative. If you're tech-savvy, you might be able to save some money by setting up a few cheaper-but-more-circuitous Ubiquiti UniFi Calorie-free admission points.
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Do I Need to Download Wireless Software to Make a Netgear Wireless
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/10-ways-to-boost-your-wi-fi-signal
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