Speed Up Your Internet for a Productive Home Office

These days, with many of us working from home in the lockdown, it’s more important than ever to be productive in the home office. While having your own space to work (away from kids and other distractions!) is essential, it’s also important to have a fast internet connection.

A slow internet connection can have a negative impact on your productivity, especially if you need to hold video conferences with your colleagues and clients. It’s even more important if your kids are studying at home – or streaming videos over Netflix!

So how can you ensure you’re getting the most out of your internet connection? Here are some tips to speed things up.

Use Cables

Make sure you take full advantage of the fast broadband available in Edinburgh and Glasgow by installing data cabling in your home. These days, many people use WiFi because it’s the most convenient way for everyone in the house to connect. But it’s not the fastest option.

You could install data cabling in every room where people need to connect to enjoy faster speeds. Even if you don’t go down this route, you could still connect your own computer via an ethernet cable to ensure your connection is as fast as possible.

Put the Router in a Better Position

If you’re using WiFi, make sure the router is in the best position possible. That means don’t hide it away in the wardrobe. Things like walls and doors interfere with the signal, and simply moving your router could have a big impact on speeds. The more space it has around it, the better. Try to position it as close as possible to the devices connecting to the internet.

Invest in a Better Router

You could also simply invest in a better router, and a simple upgrade could make a big difference to your internet speeds. Get one that you can pair with repeaters, which help to get the signal to everywhere in your home.

Reduce Connected Devices

You could also reduce the number of devices that are using the network. If you have lots of devices all connecting to the internet that you don’t actually use (like smart speakers), this can slow it down.

Plug as many devices as you can into ethernet and unplug devices that you are not really using. Many routers will also let you prioritise a device – make that device be your work laptop.

Protect Your WiFi Connection

If you do not password protect your WiFi connection, other people can connect and slow it down. So set a password, and make sure it is not something obvious. This way, you can keep your network secure as well as fast.

Contact Your Internet Service Provider

If you are experiencing slower internet than you should be after making these changes, you might want to call your ISP, and they may be able to fix any problems. Alternatively, you could upgrade your plan to a faster speed or change providers.

You don’t need to suffer from slow internet, especially when you are working from home. So sort it out and enjoy a more productive home office.

Keith Gunn Electrical Solutions can install data cabling as part of house rewiring work. Get in touch for more information.