How to Conquer Inconsistent Internet in 3 Simple Steps
The internet has been getting a workout; lately, that’s for sure.
::Understatement Alert::
Many of us are struggling with inconsistent internet service.
Sometimes it is the provider or where you live - there are many things we simply can’t fix about our broken internet.
But there are three best practices to keep your internet and computer running as smoothly as possible.
There was a post in my Facebook Group, The Workflow Wateringhole, about this topic, and some great ideas were floated. Some by me and others by our members* (collaboration is da bomb!). When I realized how many people didn’t know my top three internet/computer best practices, I was inspired to share them outside of the group.
One
Reboot your modem weekly
Make this a routine.
Lisa Mueller suggested* getting a cheap timer and putting your router on a schedule. This led me to an “aha moment,” in that everything in my home is “smarted out” - everything but my router. I was rebooting it weekly, manually, but I suddenly realized #IHaveAnAppForThat and put that surge bar on a schedule. My modem automagically has a 10-minute timeout on Sunday nights - all ready to be at full running speed Monday morning.
Two
Install the right router
Do not cheap out on your router.
Even if you keep your modem in tippy-top condition, it’s the router that sends the signal out to your devices. There are so many types of routers, but if you want to extend your service range seamlessly, grab yourself a mesh router system. Mesh routers extend the actual network** as they are series of pods that send the wifi signal to each other. You can add as many as you need to get the coverage you require.
You likely have no choice where your modem cable comes in, making it tough to hardwire to a device - the mesh setup is no longer an issue. You can hardwire your devices to any of your pods - desktops, laptops, Sonos speakers, smart home hubs (many mesh systems are actually hubs as well - boom!).
Hardwiring provides devices with faster speeds and better security than wifi - this is best practice 2B
I live in a small cabin, and I have a #SheShedOffice. I would not have wifi range to my office or the ability to hardwire my desktop, being so far removed from my modem - but with the mesh pods, that’s not an issue. We also have a series of Sonos speakers around our property (15 actually - I have a Sonos problem). The mesh system I set up covers us end-to-end & side-to-side, inside & outside, so our music is seamlessly broadcasting everywhere.
Rebooting your router will still be a “thing,” but rarely, and it’s as simple as turning on/off the surge bar that the master mesh pod is hardwired to (you could also put this on a monthly schedule).
Hint: The routers that come with your internet packages are often a piece of crap.
**There are extenders that you can plugin, but they create multiple network names, there will be drop-out zones, and some devices don’t seamlessly pick up each extender - you need to reconfigure as you change extender rangers manually.
Three
Turn your computer off daily
Yes, daily***.
But not multiple times a day. It’s part of my ending-the-work-day routine.
Turning your mobile and tablets off occasionally is also a good idea.
You save on hydro
There are security benefits - well, duh Kellie, it’s off
Your system will benefit from a rest (cooling fan, battery hard drive, LCD panel…)
Turning it off surfaces faulty hardware clears the RAM and installs necessary updates
If your WTH life means your devices are within hearing range during non-working hours, there will be no distracting beeps, bings and boings :-}
For the bonus round on shutting down, I have a story…
I live rurally, so I am beholden to my provider - I only have one option. I had amazing service until a year ago when a dodgy provider bought my great one. They have a systems glitch and can’t track how much data those of us on the original provider are using. So they throttle my internet whenever I call up data - Zooms, uploading videos and the like.
The bonus is re-starting each morning seems to have thwarted their throttling - it’s like it re-sets not just my system but fools their data-surge monitoring ability.
***This advice is for newer devices, older ones, the surge to re-boot may shorten their lifespan.
Once I instituted these processes, my internet experience improved immensely. I still need to hot-spot my phone on occasion, but rarely.
I am sure by giving these three ideas a go you will also experience a little more joy with your internet and computer systems.
Simply yours, Kellie :-}
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