No one likes it when their internet is constantly slowing to a snail’s pace or going in and out of a useable state. It can interfere with the searching, streaming, gaming, and video calling you are trying to do. Additionally, a large number of people are still working from home as a result of the COVID-19 situation. Bad internet goes from simple annoyance to an outright source of frustration when your ability to work depends on it. Give these solutions for an unstable internet connection a go to solve your problems.
Reposition You Router
Wi-fi connection stability relies on the transmission of radio waves between your router and the devices that you use directly. There may be instances where the low position of your router relative to your computers makes it difficult for them to receive signals, thus resulting in poor connection. Any large objects, such as furniture, or other radio wave-using appliances can impede the path of communication. Try relocating your router to a higher, more central area in the home so that you can get rid of possible interference. The corner of your living room or office floor is not an optimal spot for the router to sit.
Change the Router’s Channel
Routers can utilize different frequencies to connect with your computers which range from 2.4GHz to 5GHz. Within each frequency, there are several channels that you can choose to work in. For example, a 2.4GHz frequency is broken into channel 1 (2.412GHz), channel 2 (2.417), and so on. If there are other routers nearby that also use the same frequency with either the same channel or channels that overlap with yours, the signal can become backed up.
You can check whether your router is competing with others by downloading a wi-fi analysis application which will show you this information. You can then change your channel accordingly based on the steps outlined by its manufacturer.
Try Using Ethernet Cables
When you’ve tried the other solutions for an unstable internet connection and still have issues, you could choose to bypass the limitations of radio waves altogether by using ethernet cables. These will connect your computers and other devices physically so that communications between them and the router are direct.
As a result, you won’t need to worry about outside interference nor the position of the router relative to your devices, as long as the cables are long enough to reach the computer. Ethernet is reliable and won’t give you the same lag because data travels through those wires only. Weigh whether wiring your network is worth it for you, and consider switching to ethernet over wi-fi in light of its advantages.
