How To Optimize Your WiFi

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These days portability is king. WiFi has allowed devices to be truly mobile while connected to the internet. It also brings several headaches when it doesn’t work or when the signal strength is weak. Luckily, there is something you can do to make that spotty WiFi connection stronger without spending a penny.

Router Placement

Your router broadcasts WiFi signals in a spherical range. To get the most coverage place your router closest to the center of the area. Avoid direct signal passage through walls and floors as this will weaken signal. Thick layers of concrete, metal, or stone will block WiFi signals in their tracks.

Update Drivers and Firmware

Download and install firmware for your routers from the router manufacturer’s website or through the control panel for your router. This will ensure that your router has all the latest software and is free of all known bugs and performance issues. Likewise, be sure your wireless card drivers are up to date.

Choose the Right Channels

Other networks communicating on the same channel can slow down WiFi. Your computer “hears” noise from all networks on the same channel and has to filter for the one it’s connected to. Most WiFi operates on a 2.4GHz band. Within this frequency, there are three available channels to operate on (1, 6, 11). You’ll want to choose the band with the least amount of traffic from other networks. You can use an app like WiFi Analyzer for Android to scan networks and determine what channel they are operating on.

Performing these steps will ensure that you have the best possible WiFi with your current setup. Upgrading your network infrastructure can be as simple as adding a single range extender, and you will soon see performance increases that are leaps and bounds ahead of what you are used to.

Contact us today to see how we make your WiFi perform it’s best.

The 3 Top Advantages of Managed Services

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In the world of small business, your main leverage comes from your ability to cost effectively outsource. If you do not have an in-house IT staff, then managed services add to your security and stability while leaving room in the budget for doing actual business. Here are the three top advantages of hiring managed services.

A Team for the Price of One

You can hire one in-house general IT staff member or an entire team of third-party specialists for the same price. Actually, you pay less for the team, because you are not paying overtime, health insurance or administration costs. Which do you choose?

Paying for Off Hours

Hiring full-time staff means eating some downtime that you will have to pay for. People on salary slack off from time to time; this is just par for the course. Why pay for expensive IT services that you do not need? Emergencies do not occur every day, and outsourcing managed IT services ensures that you only pay for what you use.

Focused Efforts

Outsourcing your IT to a specialized team of managers ensures that you can focus your in-house staff on the tasks at hand. Contrary to what many people believe, wearing five hats is not always the best business strategy for small business owners and employees. There is something in specialization, and outsourcing IT allows more of it to occur in-house.

Please contact us for the managed IT services that you can trust. We pride ourselves on changing the way that you think about technology.