Experts from Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert site have revealed five tips people should follow in order to get a stronger wi-fi signal, including where to place their router.
The website, founded by the financial guru, revealed that placing your box certain places can lead to faster speeds.
Many people will know the pain of slow internet speeds when trying to stream a film or load a game, particularly during poor weather like that seen in Glasgow lately.
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Money Saving Expert has stated that there is a free way to check your broadband speed as well as your upload speed, which refers to how fast you can send data over the internet.
Websites such as Broadband Genie, Fast.com and Speedtest.net can all be used to check your speeds.
It is recommended to run multiple tests during different times of the day so that you can check what times your wi-fi seems to struggle the most.
The "internet rush hour" — also known as its peak times — occurs between 7pm and 9pm, and is when there will likely be a higher number of people near you on the same network at the same time.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, this could cause a drop in speeds.
If your broadband and upload speeds are slow throughout the day, it may be worth looking into another provider.
However, for those who are not interested in switching — or are just looking to maximise their speeds — Money Saving Expert has compiled a series of tips.
1. Put your router in the right place
We all know that the closer you are to the router the better your internet speed will be.
Wi-fi can't travel through thick walls or large objects, so where you put your router can make a huge difference.
The best places to put routers are:
- In central locations
- High up with no obstacles
2. Use wires not wi-fi
Going wireless is obviously a lot neater, but going old school and plugging your computer or laptop into the router directly can massively improve speed.
An Ethernet cable means faster data transfer and less interference.
3. Keep routers away from other devices
Wireless routers can also be subject to interference from other electrical goods.
To test this, run a speed test then try switching off all electrical devices except your router and run another test to check any difference.
Items like cordless telephones, halogen bulbs, baby monitors, dimmer light switches, TVs and screens can all affect your broadband speed if you are too near the router.
4. Use a wireless booster
Wireless boosters are gadgets that can supercharge your signal across your home.
This is normally done by people in large homes or in properties with blackspots for signals.
But these boosters only extend the signal you have, they can't improve it.
Your broadband supplier might send you a free booster if you can't get signal in certain rooms.
5. Turn off wi-fi devices not being used
The more devices that are connected to your wi-fi, the slower the overall speed.
Switching devices off can help get better connectivity, so try turning off the wi-fi reception off when these items are not in use.
