The UK is enjoying its second Bank Holiday of May to mark the King’s Coronation and that means your broadband could be facing another weekend of endless punishment. With millions of Brits expected to stay home to celebrate and watch this historical event, now is a good time to check your internet is working to its full potential and make some very simple changes.
One of the easiest ways to make sure the family stays online is to look at the position of the router. Not only should this flashing black box be out in the open and away from other electronic devices – such as TVs, baby monitors and cordless phones – but also NOT placed in the kitchen.
“It’s not just electronics that interfere with your WiFi signal: metal can also wreak havoc with your connection,” Virgin Media explained. “Kitchens are often home to heavy-duty metal appliances (think ovens, fridges and washing machines), as well as signal-emitting electronics like microwaves, making them a particularly inhospitable environment for your router.”
If you happen to have your Wi-Fi router in the kitchen and find your signal isn’t up to strength then it might be time to position it elsewhere in the house.
Martin Lewis explains money saving broadband tip
Another thing to watch out for is mirrors. Yes, your Wi-Fi really isn’t a fan of these home popular accessories as they can reflect the radio waves used to transmit wireless internet. This then has a negative impact on performance by scattering and distorting the signal.
‘It’s not just mirrors, either: be wary of stainless steel countertops, filing cabinets or any other flat, reflective surface,” Virgin warned.
Fish tanks can be another menace as internet signals don’t like travelling through water so keep your router away from these aquatic pets.
One final piece of advice is to keep your router upright at all times as laying things flat can slow down those all-important speeds.
“If you’re trying to tuck your router into a specific space, such as under a TV unit, you might be tempted to turn it on its side. Our advice? Don’t. Keep your router upright with the front lights facing into the room to ensure more of the signal goes outwards into that room, rather than into the floor,” Virgin added.
Of course, it’s worth remembering that these tips won’t make the physical speeds faster as you’ll only get the service you pay for.
However, making some simple changes will make sure you get a more reliable connection and your downloads don’t become as slow as a snail trudging through treacle.
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