Basic question Start your journey today!
Basic question Start your journey today!
I'm looking to improve my current networking setup, but I have limited understanding of how networks work. My router offers solid speeds (250-300 Mbps) nearby, but it's not in a central spot and is hard to move. We have an access point in a more central area, but it's been overloaded during the quarantine period—usually handling about 25 devices—and now only provides around 20 Mbps. Recently, congestion caused significant slowdowns. The access point connects to the router via a Cat5e cable, which is also problematic for relocation. You mentioned a range extender might help. Is that a reasonable suggestion? And what alternatives should I explore for my home? Thanks ahead.
Currently, you have an access point ready to use. It could be a model or a product from Ubiquiti, which are designed to support many devices efficiently.
Encourage family members to pause or test speeds at night around the home. If even without anyone nearby the speed remains slow, consider a range extender or similar fix. With everyone working remotely, internet speeds near 325 Mbps can drop to around 6 Mbps due to node overload. Essentially, verify if the problem lies with range or connection quality.
Many devices attempting to connect face challenges with WiFi performance. This stems from their design. Paradoxically, they struggle to boost weak signals effectively. Even at a reasonable distance, half their bandwidth is used for client communication and the other half for the wireless base station, which cuts available bandwidth in half. Adding the complexity of handling multiple clients and WiFi constraints—like interference, obstacles, and range—makes it unwise unless other solutions are exhausted. With Ethernet already in place to a wireless access point, upgrading the existing AP is the best path forward. If funds allow, an Ubiquiti access point can help, but you’ll need details: How big is your home? Is it single or multi-level? Do you have a floor plan showing current equipment locations? Provide the exact make/model of each network device. If any existing gadgets can be wired, it will ease the load on access points and improve reliability for all connected devices. Run WiFi Analyzer near the router and your current AP, then again at another spot inside the house. Capture screenshots of the 'Networks' and 'Analyze' pages (hide MAC addresses; include for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands).