Ah, winter.
The season’s cold and freezing temperatures and lack of exposure to sunlight have a tendency to drive us indoors for several months out of the year. More of our time during winter months is spent huddled under blankets on the couch, consuming hot drinks while streaming shows and movies; playing gaming consoles; and running our thermostats and other smart home devices – all of which compete for the bandwidth coming off our routers.
Winter doesn’t just take its toll here in the north. Globally, internet traffic increases by 10-20% during the winter months, and streaming services report a 30-50% increase in traffic during the evening hours in particular.
This means that when the Wi-Fi goes down during the winter months in particular, it creates a disruption that’s hard to ignore. So what can you do to keep your router and all Wi-Fi enabled, connected devices working as they should? Here are a few tips:
Where you Place Your Router Matters
Often times, routers are placed where they are convenient for us, not where they work most effectively in our homes. To get the most of your router, place it in a central and elevated location in your home, away from interference that can be created by things like windows, walls, mirrors, microwaves, and other appliances.
Get a Dual Band Router
With the kids streaming and gaming, the smart thermostat running, and the Wi-Fi-enabled Christmas lights, among many other connected devices, everything on your network is competing for the bandwidth you need to finish out the work day. The solution? Don’t just have any router; make sure you have a dual band, Lynxx Networks router. Lynxx routers can broadcast Wi-Fi signals on two different frequency bands simultaneously at 2.4 and 5 GHz. The 5 GHz signal gives you faster speeds over shorter distances, while the 2.4 GHz signal offers more range. This means you can put the smart appliances on the longer-range 2.4 signal, and the TVs and laptops on the faster 5 GHz signal. Having devices connected to different signals gives you less-congested networks – so much so that households with more than 4 connected devices saw a 45% improvement in performance when upgrading to a dual-band router.
Add a Mesh Unit
Mesh units help to bring Wi-Fi coverage to the far-reaching corners of your home, eliminating “dead zones” and working to provide a strong and consistent Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. These additional access points work to enlarge your existing network by “meshing” with your router to create a Wi-Fi network with coverage that extends beyond the range of the main router. Studies show that households using mesh units report a 30% increase in overall satisfaction with their overall internet experience.
So don't just survive this winter; thrive in a home where the Wi-Fi is winter-proofed and ready to handle the inevitable increase in network traffic.