People frequently look for ways to improve their WiFi speed. Nowadays, having a reliable broadband internet connection is a necessity. The internet now acts as a key resource for education, entertainment, work, shopping, and more.

Many feel helpless when their internet connection has issues, thinking they cannot do anything to improve their connection. Luckily, that's not the case. There are quick, simple fixes for slow internet speed, starting with your current subscribed plan. However, sometimes your internet plan is simply not up to par. Vistabeam specializes in providing trusted broadband internet to homes throughout previously underserved communities in Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. 

With that, here are three simple ways to tackle slower internet speeds and additional measures you can take when these steps are insufficient.

Router Placement

When it comes to boosting your WiFi speed, the location of your router inside your home is critical. Walls, appliances, and physical obstacles made of raw materials can affect your connection across your property. Depending on your router’s location, these barriers can significantly impact your internet connection speed.

Different types of material barriers can cause varying degrees of interference. Plaster, concrete, and metal have high amounts of interference, whereas wood, synthetic material, and glass have low levels. There will be a considerable difference in your WiFi speed if you install your router in an awkward area prone to a lot of interference.

Nearby appliances could also be the culprit. Many people often overlook the adverse effect of devices like baby monitors, cordless phones, microwave ovens, and wireless security cameras that can cause interference. Interference can be caused not only by the device's material but also by the wireless frequency in which the device operates. Devices such as baby monitors and older cordless phones operate in the same 2.4GHz frequency range as your "2G" wireless network that you see on your list of wireless networks. You can usually find labels indicating the used frequency on the bottom of these devices or in the battery compartment. If that isn't possible, you can also skim through the manual or an internet search to determine the frequency. Whatever the case, placement of your router away from these devices is ideal.

Material interference is not the only factor that can influence your router placement. The level of your home and the location your router resides in is also important. Avoid putting your router in the corner of your basement or an upstairs office. Typically, customers are encouraged to have their router centrally located in their house or near the area they’ll be utilizing the connection most. This placement ensures that the connection is uniformly distributed throughout your home, allowing everyone to enjoy the same experience.

Restart Devices

Note that not all ISPs recommend that you follow this step because you might wipe out valuable information needed to troubleshoot your device and network. However, in customer-owned routers, this method can help fix a device or firmware issue by clearing the device's memory.

Unplug your modem or WiFi gateway for 30 seconds before reconnecting it. This procedure permits the modem's virtual head to clear. Your modem translates internet signals between your home network and your internet provider. A power cycle is smart to start troubleshooting if your internet is acting up since it frequently resolves connection issues. Alternatively, you may be using power over ethernet (PoE), which supplies power to the antenna outside your home. In this case, you can power cycle PoE ports for 15-30 seconds and resolve the most common issues.

If you have a standalone router, follow the steps again. A power cycle clears your router's memory, much as it does with your modem, and offers it a fresh start on activities that previously slowed it down.

Turn off WiFi on all of your wireless devices at the end. Toggle WiFi back on once a few seconds have passed. Allow these devices to rejoin and see if the quality of your connection improves.

A power cycle may appear trivial, but turning your home networking equipment on and off can give your network a significant boost. However, keep in mind that doing so will disconnect you from the internet for a few minutes, so plan to restart your equipment when nobody needs an internet connection.

Close Applications

Excessive applications can lead to your devices being slow, such as streaming large videos or gaming. Close your browsers and avoid having too many tabs open simultaneously. The more tabs open on your device, the harder your WiFi works to produce all of the content. Try to keep only the relevant tabs open at a time to enhance efficiency.

Closing inessential applications are even more important if your devices are older. Browsers and programs can take up a lot of memory, disk space, and computing power. Having an older hard drive with less space and memory can make it more challenging to support faster internet speeds. Plus, older devices commonly have slower WiFi capabilities than their newer counterparts

Upgrade Your Plan

If you tried these out and your WiFi connection is still slow, it’s likely your current internet plan and equipment aren’t up to par. Vistabeam specializes in providing trusted high-speed internet to homes throughout previously underserved communities in Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. You can check our plans here to see which suits you best in your quest to boost your WiFi speed.

While Vistabeam has been quickly expanding through rural Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, many areas are still outside our network. If you happen to be located in one of these areas, please submit this form to request a partnership. Vistabeam has an extensive and robust broadband infrastructure system—we can readily expand connectivity to homes, businesses, and schools. We welcome the opportunity to engage and assist county administrators and school district administrators with applications for broadband funding.

Several key factors differentiate Vistabeam from our competitors, allowing us the ability to boost your WiFi speed over others. 

Managed Routers

Managed routers are a great way to maintain fast-speed WiFi, and Vistabeam offers this coveted service at a very reasonable price. A managed router service allows a household or company to delegate router management to a managed service provider. The provider will handle provisioning, configuration, change management, and hardware monitoring. By outsourcing router management to experts like Vistabeam, you will experience fewer issues and resolve problems faster. With a low and predictable monthly fee, you will have peace of mind with both budgeting and internet quality. Additionally, your in-house IT team can focus on other priorities with your WiFi issues sorted by us.

Maintenance Plan

We provide a great package for users with our low-cost maintenance plan, which includes equipment replacement and two service calls annually. While our customers tend to enjoy undisturbed and fast-speed internet year-round, our maintenance plan offers an added layer of comfort and assurance, ensuring your problems are always under control.

Boost Your WiFi Speed Today with Vistabeam

While there are many fixes you can institute before resorting to a change in internet plans, sometimes the latter is inevitable. Vistabeam is the internet service solution of choice for rural Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. With our cost-effective and illustrious plans—as well as distinctive add-ons like our managed router service and maintenance plan—you can enjoy your WiFi speed according to your needs.