The wireless strength between your router and computer is a very big deal, strong wifi strength means a fast resilient connection.
Did you know if the strength of a wireless signal is reduced by 30% it can result in a weak signal this means a much slower connection which will be much more flaky and liable to frequent network drops.
By hovering the cursor over the wireless connection icon you will be able to see your current wireless strength.
Most wireless networks are based on 802.11g technology, this means the wireless speed should be around 54 Mbps to make the most of this.
Other technologies include 802.11b, which is an older technology with a speed of 11 Mbps, and 802.11n which is the newest offering a speed of 300 Mbps.
What causes a reduction in wireless strength
This can be caused by 3 factors
- Computer
- Router
- Area or space between the devices
Computer
Easiest way to check is by using another computer or wireless device, can it connect ok from the distance than the other device is having issues from?
If it can’t then it’s a problem with the router or the space
If it can then it points towards a problem with the computer,
The easiest fix is to simply uninstall the network cards drivers and re-install them; this will cause the network cards settings to revert back to their defaults.
To uninstall and reinstall the card go to device manager, right click on the wireless card and select uninstall, then right click on computer at the top and select search for new hardware, this will then reinstall the card.
If you still have problems you need to ensure that Windows is set to using the full power of the network card, this can be accessed from network cards properties.
Another possible reason for reduced wireless strength is a poor aerial connection, if you have a laptop that has a build in network card it will have two aerial leads running from this to increase its signal range, over time the connections from the aerials to the card can lose its efficiency and just need to be removed and replaced, the network card can be accessed by a small cover on the bottom of the laptop.
Router
If all computers or devices connecting to the router are suffering from poor wireless strength make sure the routers aerial is secure and pointing upwards.
It’s also worth checking with the router manufacturer to see if there is a later revision of the firmware, this can make a pretty big difference to the overall performance of it.
Make sure you backup your routers configuration before applying any firmware update as the current configuration will be wiped.
Area or space between the devices
If the space between the router and any devices connecting wirelessly is too great the wireless strength will diminish rapidly, in many cases this also occurs due to either interference from devices such as other wireless networks, baby monitors and even microwaves.
Older properties with thicker walls and ceilings are also a problem.
If your wireless strength issue occurs due to this make sure the router is placed centrally in your property.
It can help to walk around with a laptop or other mobile wireless device that’s connected to your network and monitor the wireless strength to see whereabouts it begins to drop off.