Are you not satisfied with the quality of your wireless network? If so, it will help to follow these tips to optimize it.

Center Your Access Point 

A common mistake is putting a wireless access point in a place where it is convenient, not where it is optimized. Putting it in a basement or utility room may get it out of the way, but it is not always the best idea. That is because the signal that the wireless access point produces is sphere-shaped, so you will want to place it in the center of the building you are providing wireless access to. You may be surprised at what a difference moving the wireless access point will make.

Place Your Access Point Away From Dense Objects

The signal that the wireless access point produces is going to have a difficult time going through dense objects, such as metal or concrete. Placing the access point against these objects is going to cause your wireless signal to diminish as a result. Try giving the wireless access point space around the entire device to improve the signal it produces. 

Check The Firmware For Updates

Have you not updated your wireless access point since the day it was installed? Chances are that it is running off of old firmware. There have likely been updates to the wireless access point since it was installed, and updating the firmware will help optimize the performance in some ways. 

Select The Right Channel

Were you never sure what to make of the channel selection in your wireless access point's settings? This is because there are wireless bands that can be overcrowded with other wireless access points in the area. There are apps that you can download that will tell you what channels are in use so that you can select the channel that has the least amount of activity. 

Add The Right Antenna

Another wireless network optimization strategy is, if you have the ability, to add an external antenna to your wireless access point. This can greatly improve the signal. There are omnidirectional antennas, which keep that spherical shape of the network and just make it bigger. However, there are also directional antennas, which can be pointed to a specific part of the building that has weak service.  

Add A Wired Repeater

It's also possible to install a repeater, which is essentially an additional wireless access point that uses the same network. When hardwired with an Ethernet cable, a repeater can extend your network further out into places that have a weak signal.

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