Imagine working from home or being in midst of an exciting duel when your connection starts to lag or buffer. We feel your pain and frustrations. There are various reasons for your slow internet speeds. We want to help you improve your Wi-Fi experience and eliminate dead spots in your home. Here are several common factors that may contribute to poor Wi-Fi performance – We will show you how you can overcome them!

Walls Obstruction:

Your router’s surroundings directly impact its signal & performance. Walls near your Wi-Fi router or mesh system will block your signal and contribute to a weak signal or dead spots in your home. Reposition your router to align it in sight with the furthest end of your house. The path that passes through the least number of blockages is the one with the best positioning in the home to optimise your coverage.

In a common 4-room HDB, you may notice that your signal tends to be weaker in the rooms as they are the furthest distance from the router. Aside from your thick walls, the size of your home may impact your signal. Switch to a Wi-Fi mesh, if your home is large. This way, you can eliminate dead zones and your mesh can provide stronger and continuous Wi-Fi signals throughout your home. 

Interference from Appliances and Other Connected Devices:

As devices like earpieces, speakers and microwaves operate on the same spectrum as your Wi-Fi routers, they tend to interfere with your signal. To get the best experience, position your router away from these home appliances or objects or switch the devices off when they are not in use.

Alternatively, you may have noticed your Wi-Fi router allows you to toggle between 2.4GHz and 5GHz on certain devices. A 2.4 GHz connection travels farther at lower speeds, while 5 GHz frequencies provide faster speeds at shorter ranges. Your choice of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz will depend on where and how you use your Wi-Fi connection most. If you are facing slower speeds on your 2.4GHz, switch to your 5GHz if you are closer to your router. Changing connections for some of your devices (if possible, as not all devices can switch frequencies) from 2.4GHz SID to 5GHz SSID will prevent congestions of connections.

 To connect to 5GHz, open the Wi-Fi settings page on your device. If the Wi-Fi SSID shows VIEWQWEST-XXXX(5G), it means that your device can connect to the 5GHz band. We suggest connecting to both 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands so your devices can automatically select and swap to the most optimal band.

Devices Overload:

You will overload your router and slow your Wi-Fi connections down if you have too many devices connected to it. If your home is a smart home system, opt for using a wired connection (LAN) for your devices like TV and laptop to free up your Wi-Fi . For users of cloud extensive work, having a LAN connection would also help offload strain on your Wi-Fi network.

Consider upgrading to a Wi-Fi 6 router or mesh system (with a higher antenna power of at least AX4000 and above) if you have too many devices reliant on your Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6 allows more devices to be connected simultaneously at a stronger signal speed than Wi-Fi 5. Your needs as a smart user with a smart home can be fulfilled with the right router for your home.

VPN Connection Issues:

Many of us have started working from home since the pandemic. The tools of work we use at home are usually installed with advanced security capabilities such as VPN.  Before you reboot your Wi-Fi network, check if your Wi-Fi is only slow with your work laptop and devices? If so, it might be caused by your company’s VPN or other special company applications. Your speed and web access are controlled by your company’s VPN gateway performance and surfing policy when using VPN.

Contact your company’s IT support to resolve any VPN-related issues. For a smoother connection, switch off your VPN when you do not require it. For instance, you need not switch on your VPN for your Zoom meetings or video conferences.

Unstable/Intermittent Connections:

If the above recommendations don’t improve your Wi-Fi strength, reboot your Optical Network Terminal (ONT) modem and router. Follow these steps to reset and update your hardware to kickstart your Wi-Fi network again. Locate your Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and router (illustrations shown above).

Step 1: Unplug your router and modem (Optical Network Terminal) from the power outlet.

Step 2: Plug in only your modem after 30 seconds. Switch it on.

Step 3: Wait for a minute before plugging in your router. Switch it on.

Step 4:  After your ONT and routers are on, wait 5 minutes before re-testing your connection on your devices. (LED status on your router indicates if your router is on).

You can do a speed test via Speedtest by Ookla app before and after applying these WiFi tips to confirm that WiFi speeds have improved. To obtain a better result, use LAN during the testing of connections. Join ViewQwest’s network for the fastest internet speed in SG. Build your own plans customised to your needs and lifestyle to live the best digital lifestyle that you deserve. Check out our latest promotions here.