The Road to Faster Internet Connections

The Road to Faster Internet Connection Starts With a New Router

By Mark Stachiew, Postmedia Content

With more families working, studying and entertaining themselves from home, the internet has become a crucial link to the outside world, which is why the experts at Quadro Communications, a local Internet Service Provider, are seeing so many people looking for ways to upgrade their connections with a better router. Here are some of the most common questions they have been answering on the subject:

Does the age of my router matter?

Router technology is constantly improving so if your device is more than a few years old, you are missing out on faster connection speeds, greater security and other technological advances. Today’s state-of-the art routers use the Wi-Fi 6 (or 802.11ax) standard, but not a lot of devices actually support it yet. Your best value is to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 5 router (or 802.11ac), which is vastly superior to ones using older technologies like 802.11 a/b/g/n.

How can I optimize the settings on my router?

Every router has a configuration page with a dizzying number of settings. To tweak your router for maximum performance, read the manual to better understand these advanced settings. For example, you can set your router to broadcast on a specific channel so as to avoid interference from your neighbour’s router, You can also change the Quality of Service settings on your router to prioritize certain devices or services, which means you can make sure your connection to your office network isn’t affected by your children’s online games. One of the advantages of renting a router from your Internet Service Provider is their technicians can tweak these settings for you.

Where should I locate my router?

Probably the greatest factor affecting Wi-Fi coverage in your home is the location of your router. Because data is transmitted as radio signals by the router’s antennas, you can dramatically improve reception by moving it to a central location. Try also to minimize the number of obstructions that can block or weaken your router’s signal, such as stone or brick walls, large metal appliances and ducts. There are smartphone apps you can use that measure the strength of the Wi-Fi signal throughout your house, which will help you find the optimal location for your router.

Is it better to rent or buy a router?

One of the biggest advantages of renting a router from an Internet Service Provider like Quadro is that their customer support team is intimately familiar with the device and is able to quickly assess its performance and quickly resolve any technical issues. They can also upgrade customers to newer technology as it becomes available. Quadro’s current preferred router, provides more than enough Wi-Fi coverage for your home, no matter how many devices are connected. For larger homes or businesses that require more coverage, they also offer a Mesh Wi-Fi solution that integrates with Quadro’s managed Wi-Fi experience.

To learn more about Quadro’s Wi-Fi router solution, call 519-229-8933 or drop into one of their three locations in Kirkton, St. Marys and Mitchell. You can connect and learn more on the web at quadro.net/internet/.

This piece originally appeared on Postmedia’s Stratford Beacon Herald website and in print (published on the 17th of August online and in print on the 2oth of August.

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