Here are 10 suggestions on how to get more out of your home or office network.
By "more", we mean more speed, more savings, more flexibility, and more features.
These 10 tips range from very basic/easy tips (1-7), to a few more advanced suggestions towards the end (8-10).
- Move to a faster Internet speed tier, or switch Internet providers.
Upgrading your internet speed would seem to be obvious, but a lot of users don't think to ask. Or they are aware of faster options, but are locked into their current provider, due to a contract, equipment, limited alternatives, or just due to the hassle of doing the leg work to change. But it is easier than you think. The key is to have your own router (see tip 3), so you can change services if necessary.
Start by calling your current internet provider, to ask how much the next faster speed tier is. Then check with their competitors to see what they are offering. Pick the best deal. Easy as making a few phone calls.
If you're locked into a service due to bundling of TV, alarm, phones, etc, you'll need to unbundle those. But that's a good thing. You'll find there are much better options in each category of service, and you'll pay the same, or less, than the bundled rate. For example, you can get advanced broadband alarm monitoring for under $20, and maybe under $10. You might want to review our separate FAQ Article on Cord Cutting Tips.
If you're stuck with an internet service due to using their equipment, don't worry, that is an easy fix too. See tips 2 and 3 below, and get your own modem and/or router.
By the way, if you're really into pinching pennies, a good strategy with regards to internet service is to get a 1 year promotional rate, then switch services every 12 months. This is similar to what many people due with their electric service. In fact, we recommend treating your internet service just like electric service. Then use your own electrical equipment... everything from Air Conditioning to Light Bulbs. More on this later.. - Get your own Modem
If you're using the provider's modem, they may be charging you a rental fee, so you can save by getting your own modem.
But the bigger issue is that their modem may have a router built in. That is called a "gateway" or "combo modem/router", and it discourages you from switching services, due to hassle of redoing wifi, etc.
No worries, once you get your own router (see tip 3), you can change internet providers anytime, without messing with your local network or wifi settings.
Start by asking your internet provider, or checking their website, for a list of compatible modems. This is particularly easy with most Cable Internet services, like Comcast, Cox, Charter, Spectrum, Time Warner, Road Runner, etc. You can search for "Comcast Modem" on sites like Amazon, or click HERE. Just be sure to get a Modem ONLY, not a Combo Modem/Router. So you can buy your own router, see tip 3.
If you're using a provider that doesn't allow 3rd party modems, still no worries. Just ask them to put their modem into "bridge" mode. This turns it into a pure modem, and disables the router. So now you can buy your own router, see tip 3.
Recommended Cable Modems on Amazon - Get your own WiFi Router.
Don't use the router provided by the internet service. If you do, you're kind of tied to them, and they know it.
Instead, get your own router at a minimum. The after market routers have MUCH better wifi signals, plus MUCH better firewalls, and even MUCH better "backplane" network speeds... kind of an under the hood performance thing. In short, the rental routers are slow, and prone to glitching up, locking up, stalling, etc. And the WiFi range is usually terrible.
We like routers from Netgear and Asus. There are others, but those two have great equipment, excellent performance and stability, plus they have well refined interfaces, making setup a breeze.
You should try to get a new WiFi 6 (802.11ax) router. The older a/b/g/n/ac routers were fine in their day, but the new AX routers are faster, have more stable streams, and wider range capabilities.
We suggest something like the Asus RT-AX3000 (aka RT-AX58U) or higher, such as the AX6000, AX6100, or the beastly AX11000. We slightly prefer Asus slightly over Netgear, due to excellent AiMesh capability, which lets you add routers for more coverage, see tip 5. Netgear routers are also excellent, and can also be extended, so you can't go wrong with either brand.
Once you have your own router, you're no longer tied to any particular internet service. You can easily change between cable internet services, or upgrade to fiber when it comes to your area. All that changes is the modem. And if you're switching between cable services, you can often use the same cable modem.
Asus RT-AX3000 (AX58U)
Asus RT-AX6100
Asus RT-AX6100 w/ Mesh Extender
Asus RT-AX11000 - Optimize your WiFi channel.
There are only a few wifi channels to choose from, and many routers are defaulted to the same channel. So you and your neighbors may all be competing for the same frequency. This causes congestion, interference, lag, dropped signals, etc.
So here's what you need to do. First, temporarily disconnect your wifi, either by disabling the wifi antenna in the user settings, or by just unplugging it. Then download an app for your Android or Apple smart phone, called something like "WiFi Analyzer". There are a couple, so just get the one with highest review ranking. Run the app and go to the "star" tab. This will recommend the best channel for your location, based on least interference from other routers. It is important to disconnect your own wifi router, otherwise the app thinks that is a bad channel, and won't consider it.
You can repeat test for the 2.4 and 5.8 frequencies to see what channels are best for each.
Once you get an idea of what channels are best, turn your WiFi back on, go into the settings, and set the channels for 2.4 and 5.8. Now you're likely to get better wifi speeds and stability than before. - Extend your WiFi signal range.
You could just buy a Mesh or Whole House WiFi kit, which includes little pucks you place around the house. Google, Amazon, and others make excellent systems.
However, an even better option is to use a network of full sized WiFi routers, complete with big honkin antennas, and full sized processors.
Example, you can put an Asus AX6100 as the main router, then add something like an AX6000 or AX3000 to reach a far corner of your home or office.
The 2nd (or up to 5 total routers) can reach back to the main router, either via a WiFi backhaul signal, or even better by an ethernet cable. Use a cable if you can. Very fast!
We won't go into setup details, but you can find this on the Asus or Netgear websites. - Upgrade your Network Switch.
If you're still using a 10mbps or 100mbps, or a 10/100mbps swtich, you can easily swap it for a 10/100/1000mbps switch.
Just buy a new switch, with at least the same number of ports. We recommend stepping up to a few more ports, just in case. Extra ports can come in handy, especially if you plan to convert some phone jacks into network jacks, or if you may add more network devices, such as a remote WiFi extender, IP phones, cameras, network printers, home automation hubs, and so on. - Upgrade your patch cables.
If you're using any cables that have loose connectors, with lots of exposed wire, throw them away. Any exposed wire acts like an antenna, sending and receiving interference. There should be no more than 0.5 inches of untwisted wires, including from the tip of the clear plastic network connector, to the shielded outer jacket of the network cable.
Get nice new cables, and you may notice better stability and performance. - Convert your old inwall phone jacks to new high speed network jacks.
Many homes and offices have wall jacks for old landline telephone services, that are not being used. You may be able to convert them over to network jacks instead.
You can DIY, or hire a network cable installer to do the conversion. Cost should be fairly reasonable, since the cable is already pulled. They just need to change the connectors on both ends.
The advantage to this, is you can then use a hardline connection back to the router, instead of a WiFi connection. Hardline connections are typically faster, more secure, and not as vulnerable to interference from other neighboring networks. Example, a hardline gigabit ethernet connection is rated for 1000mbps, and may achieve something in the range of 500mbps or more in the real world. Meanwhile, a WiFi connection might be rated for 1200mbps, but real world speed might be more like 50 to 100mbps.
So in residential networks, you can connect your Smart TV, or a streaming TV box (Fire TV, Roku, etc), or setup an extra WiFi router extender (see tip 5 above) with hardwire backhaul to 1st router.
In a business network, you could also extend WiFi with a 2nd router, plus connect a multi-port switch to connect more hardline devices, such as PCs, printers, IP phones, cameras, etc. - Test and Certify your Inwall Network Cables.
If your inwall network cables are not run correctly, or have poorly terminated wall jacks, they will operate at reduced speeds, or cause interference, or fail completely.
Examples of 2 most common problems to look for include: cables running through the ceiling in parallel with flourescent lighting tubes, or wall jacks with way too much untwisted wire exposed.
Network cables should run perpendicular to tube lights, if they must cross. Or run them several meters away from tube lights.
Wall jacks are easy to inspect. Just unscrew the plastic cover, and inspect the wire going into the back of the jack. If there's more than 0.5 inches of exposed, untwisted wire, from the jack connector pins, to the outer shield layer, then you might want to cut that off and re-terminate it with a tighter fit. This will reduce the "antenna" effect, and improve performance of that particular network outlet. - Use separate, dedicated network runs for IP Phones and PCs.
If you are connecting your PC through your IP Phone's extra network port, essentially sharing a single network line back to the router, then your PC may be suffering from a bottleneck.
Many IP Phones have only a 10/100mbps network passthrough switch, which can slow things down.
Upgrading to a phone with a 10/100/1000mbps passthrough can help, if you don't mind buying a new phone. This can be easier than pulling a separate network cable. But pulling a dedicated line for the phones and PCs is even better. This isn't so important in small networks, such as around 1 to 8 users. But with medium to large networks, you'll likely want the ability to separate your voice and data networks. This can improve bandwidth control, security, privacy, etc.
Those are just a few ways to upgrade your home or small office network.
Some of them may not apply to your situation, but all of them are worth considering, especially if you are experiencing frequent network performance issues and can't figure out why.
Of course, if you have a larger or more complex network, you should seek the advise of a network professional or network architect.
We're not in the network support business, but we can often answer some basic questions for our clients.
Thank you,
CloneLine Team
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