internet technology

how to increase wifi range in house

Posted on by speedlife

As we keep buying new devices for home use, WiFi is more and more important for quality coverage.

Many families typically use the WiFi routers that are installed by their internet service providers (ISPs).  Some households upgrade to more powerful, state-of-the-art WiFi routers that have all the latest bells and whistles.

One of the main reasons why people upgrade their internet connection is to cover all the devices in the home so, everyone will be able to get their fair share of the internet.

 

the easiest way to extend Wifi coverage and capacity :

1 . Wi-Fi Extenders

A good way to get WiFi all over your house is with a range extender. A range extender brings a separate wireless network that gives you more security and better coverage for your cell phone, streaming music, etc.

While wifi extender will work, they are not without their complexities and limitations.

You must have your devices continually login to the range extender and then log back in to the router when you move around in your home.

Second, the range extender cannot communicate simultaneously with your router and all your devices.

This would mean cutting the range by half, meaning that the router would share its bandwidth with the range extender and all connected devices. All WiFi performance is negatively impacted by this method.

 

2. Install an additional WiFi router.

Some people choose to install a second router in their home instead. While this can provide better WiFi coverage across the premises, it does require some work with cable connections at all of your desired locations.

Installing a new router can also be more expensive up front. Furthermore, installing an additional router does not circumvent the login disruptions, nor the bandwidth issues, described in the previous method.

 

3. Fast Internet Connection

 

No matter what kind of router you have, it won’t have good Wifi coverage in your home if you have too many wireless devices using it.

If your internet connection is not strong enough to power all the devices in your home, then no matter how good your router is, the Wi-Fi signals won’t be strong enough to reach every inch of the house.

One way to solve the problem would be to have a faster connection so that all devices are powered without issue.

First thing, you should do is perform a Speed Test and find out how much internet speed you are actually getting from your ISP.

Once you find out the speed of your internet connection, try to upgrade the plan you are using in order to be able to enjoy a higher speed. That way, everyone will be able to get their fair share of Wi-Fi and download speeds won’t be an issue.

What are the different types of internet services ?

Posted on by speedlife

What service do you need? The answer depends on your location, budget and speed. Explore which one is right for you! Learn more about the four major types of internet services to decide which one will work best for you.

different internet services :

1. DSL

Connection Speed: 0.5 – 75 Mbps

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is another type of internet connectivity. It’s different to cable as the connection relies on a copper telephone line – this system may be similar to dial-up service, which has been in use for many years now. DSL is different from dial-up internet service in that DSL won’t tie up your phone line while you are online. That’s because DSL receives and sends the internet signal in a digital format as opposed to dial-up analog format.

It is most widely used around the world and is affordable and easily accessible, but it still has slower speeds than fiber or cable internet. It also has a slower upload speed than download speed.

 

2. Satellite

Connection Speed: 5 – 25 Mbps

The “satellites” in satellite internet are the same as satellite TV – they’re just higher up, so their signal reaches Earth. Satellite internet is typically available in more locations than either cable or DSL internet because a connection can be accessed anywhere that is not obstructed by trees or large buildings.

Due to the far-traveling of the signal, it often brings high latency, however, due to the updated technology, the process is now much quicker than it used to be.

Satellite internet has a lot of benefits. Not only is it portable, but it also can work in difficult areas where you would otherwise not have a signal.

However, internet speeds may be reduced by latency.

3. Cable

Connection Speed: 25 – 300 Mbps

Cable internet uses the same cable that delivers TV to your home. This cable can be used at the same time to access internet services from your ISP.

When you use these cables for internet, you can avoid the hassle of dealing with slow internet speeds. They’re also extremely simple to install and highly accessible in developed countries.

However, you may experience slower speeds during peak hours when everyone who has the same ISP as you is using the internet

As compared to Fiber Internet, it is usually slower.

4. Fiber

Connection Speed: 50 – 2000 Mbps

Fiber internet service is relatively new to the internet industry, so many people are still unfamiliar with it. You may have heard of Google Fiber which is one of the providers of fiber-based internet speeds.

This service is new and is only available in some cities around the US.

It uses a type of flexible fiber made from glass that transmits data from one location to another. It is all digitally transmitted, so there’s never any delay.

Fiber internet is great because it provide you with the most expensive bandwidth without any data caps and allows for fast downloads and uploads which can benefit the work environment a lot.

However, it is a really expensive service and is available in select cities only.

5. Mobile Internet

Mobile internet is provided by cellular network providers like Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. The internet connection is transmitted from cellular towers to your internet device, so mobile internet is available anywhere there is a signal from that specific cellular provider.

Depending on your needs, you can choose between using a smartphone hotspot and a mobile hotspot. With a smartphone hotspot, your smartphone connects to the connection from the cellular towers and then allows other devices to have access. Smart phones like the iPhone and Android are capable of doing this by default.

What is the difference between bandwidth and latency?

Posted on by speedlife

The Untold Story of Bandwidth and Latency: How They Affect Our Lives

What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent from one point to another in a given time frame. It’s measured in bits per second (bps).

When you have a high bandwidth on your internet connection, it does not always mean that the connection actually feels very fast. Bandwidth is usually measured in terms of Mbps or megabits per second.

But you will find that most of the ISPs will talk only about download speed and most people only care that. Upload speed only matters when you are uploading and sending files.

In order to measure bandwidth, it is necessary to know how many bits of data are being transferred and how long it takes for them to get there. Most internet connections today are measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps).

What is Latency ?

Latency is the time delay between a cause and its effect. In the context of trading, latency refers to the delay between an order being placed and it being executed.

Latency is one of the most important factors that traders need to consider when they choose a trading platform. It affects how quickly you can enter or exit trades, and how much risk you are exposed to.

When you ask for a web page to load, it takes a period of time which is known as latency.

Most people will notice about 100-150 ms od delays between their requests.

Is latency and bandwidth related?

Latency and bandwidth are not related. Latency is the time it takes for a packet of data to get from one point to another in a network. Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transferred per second over a connection.

“Latency” refers to the length of time it takes data packets to reach their destination. If you have low bandwidth, they will take longer and your latency will be higher. Conversely, if you have high bandwidth (faster internet), your latency will be lower: packets go faster because they need less processing time.

How does bandwidth and latency affect internet speed?

 

A lower latency, or response time, is always desirable for all types of applications. The question is, does increasing bandwidth reduce latency?

The answer to this question is not straightforward and depends on the type of application and the type of network. For example, a voice call over a VoIP connection will have a much lower latency than an online game with many players.

Gaming

Most games with online connectivity don’t require a very fast internet connection, so bandwidth is unlikely to affect your gaming experience (unless lots of people use the same connection at once)

Everything you need to play is already installed on your computer or console.

Streaming

Consider how high-bandwidth you need when selecting a streaming platform. This is because streaming takes little input on your part and begins automatically as soon as you click the link to start broadcasting.

Low bandwidth will usually show itself in two ways. It will either manifest as a painful amount of buffering as your connection tries to keep up with the size of the content. When you try to stream something, your device has to compensate for the slow download speed by lowering down the streaming quality.

Video chat

Video chat apps, like FaceTime or Skype, can be hard to use at times. Low bandwidth will affect the quality of your chat, making things hard to see. Latency also causes sync issues and freezing and reduces the overall experience.

Browsing

Low bandwidth can drastically slow down your web browsing experience. Pages may load slowly and in segments (like they did in the old “dial-up” days)

And with high latency, pages may load super fast but there will be a maddening delay at the beginning where it seems like nothing’s happening.

Why Does It Matter How Fast My Network Is?

A high speed internet connection is important in today’s world. It is not just about being able to download a movie or TV show in minutes. A fast internet connection can help you with tasks such as uploading a video, sending emails and transferring files.

It is important to have an internet connection that is fast enough for all of your needs. Not only will it make your life easier but it will also save you time and money.

Improve Your Wifi Speed in 8 Simple Steps

Posted on by speedlife

Slow Wi-Fi can interrupt Zoom meetings, cause chaos in online worlds, and pause your video stream for buffering. When your world relies on near-instant connections, these little inconveniences add up quickly and become frustrating obstacles to work, school, and life in general.

No one wants that—so we’ll walk you through ten simple steps to get faster Wi-Fi connections.

How to improve your internet speed

1. Restart your device

First, let’s power cycle everything to see if your Wi-Fi speed improves.

Restart your modem

Unplug your modem or wireless gateway, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. This process allows the modem to clear out any glitches.

Your modem translates the signal from your local wireless or Ethernet connection to a wireless provider’s or telephone company’s internet signal. If you are having issues, try a power cycle – this usually fixes your connection problems.

Restart your router

Next, repeat the process if you have a standalone router. Like with the modem, a power cycle clears your router’s memory and gives it a fresh start on tasks that were bogging it down before. 

Finally, turn off the Wifi on all your wireless devices. Wait a few seconds and then toggle Wifi back on. Allow these devices to reconnect and see if your connection improves.

Rebooting your home networking equipment tends to work wonders. We advise doing so at least every few months. But keep in mind that doing this will leave you without internet for a few minutes, so plan to restart your equipment at a time when no one needs an internet connection.

2. Finding out the Speed of the connection

On paper, your ISP may tell you that your connection is really fast and has such and such speeds, but you shouldn’t just trust them blindly.

You should perform your own tests to find out how fast your connection and what speeds are you getting.

Before doing a speed test on your Wi-Fi, make sure to connect your Laptop/PC to the Router/Modem using an Ethernet cable and turn off the Wi-Fi functionality for a while.

Once that is done, you can use our website’s Speed Test Tool to perform a speed test and find out the speeds of your connection.

You will get two numbers, Download Speed and Upload Speed.

Download Speed is what really matters.

You should perform the test three to four times as the speed can fluctuate and one result won’t be enough to find out how much speed you are actually getting.

3.   Move your router to a better location

Wi-Fi can travel only so far, and its signals can get interrupted or blocked by walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, appliances, and basically any large physical object. The signals can get interrupted by various alternating devices, including cordless phones, baby monitors, microwaves and Bluetooth speakers.

So if you place your router at an edge of your home’s space, you may have issues with Wi-Fi at the other end. The best place for your router is in a central and elevated location, near where you use the internet most often. Don’t relegate your router to a basement or closet—that’s just setting yourself up for connectivity issues.

4. Adjust your router’s antennas

For some routers and wireless gateways, the internal antenna is fixed. As a result, you won’t be able to adjust it or move it. If that’s the case for you, skip the step below

But if you do have adjustable antennas on your router, try configuring them. Router antennas are usually omnidirectional, which means they send out signals in all directions perpendicular to the antenna. For example, a vertical antenna sends out WiFi

So if you need to stretch your Wi-Fi signals to multiple floors, adjusting an antenna to sit horizontally to spread Wi-Fi signals up and down could help.

5. Reset your Router/Modem

Let’s assume for this article that your ISP is delivering the speeds it promised and your Modem/Router is the cause of the low speeds that you are getting.

For the first step, you should usually reset your router or modem. These devices usually have a button at their back, which needs to be pressed and held for 5-10 seconds then released. This will reset the router or modem.

Consequently, if there is no reset button then you can unplug the power cord, wait for about 10-15 seconds, then plug it back in. It will do the same thing.

If you are getting faster speeds than before, this would have been the cause of your problem and you need to reset your router/modem occasionally to prevent it from happening again.

6. Logging into your Modem/Router

The next thing you should do if you are still facing slow speeds is log in into your router. While your computer is still plugged into your router via an Ethernet cable, you should log in into your Modem/Router.

To log in into your router, you will need to access the router’s IP address. For most routers, the default IP address is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.

Once you open the default IP address of your router on any web browser, you should log in into your router using the default username and password(if you haven’t changed it already).

7. Upgrade to faster internet

While we hope these tips will do the trick for you, sometimes your internet connection is simply too slow to sustain your internet consumption. If that’s the case, you’ll need to upgrade to a faster internet plan to get better speeds.

Unsure what internet speeds you need to support your online habits? Check out our guides to internet speed for online gaming and video streaming requirements.

And if you’re confused because you’re sure you’ve paid for enough internet speed but your connection still doesn’t cut it, that might be because your internet connection doesn’t always perform at 100%.

Internet providers advertise speeds up to a certain speed—they don’t promise that you will always get those speeds. So even if you have a 100 Mbps plan, you might not always get that much bandwidth. In that case, you might need a bit of a buffer or a plan that’s actually faster than you think you would need. That way, network slowdowns will still happen, but you’ll probably notice them less.

 

How much speed do I need for online gaming?

Posted on by speedlife

You don’t have to have a high internet connection in order to play online games. Most games don’t require a lot of bandwidth and an average speed is around 5 Mbps or higher.

But keep in mind that no amount of speed is going to stop your game from lagging if your latency ranges into hundreds of milliseconds. There’s a lot more to having a good gaming experience online than signing up for the fastest internet plan on the planet.

The best internet speed for gaming is 20Mbps download and 10Mbps upload.

Download speed and upload speed

 

Playing games like Halo Infinite and Fortnite online doesn’t require a lot of bandwidth. Unlike an online video that is streamed over the internet to your device the graphics chip in your computer, game console, or mobile device renders (draws) the virtual world locally on your device and displays it on your screen. In fact, very little information passes between the gaming server and the gamer. Both sides exchange the following data:

—

Internet speed is a crucial factor in online gaming. A faster internet connection will reduce the waiting time between the player and the server, which will lead to smoother gameplay.

There are three important factors that affect your internet speed: download speed, upload speed, and latency. Latency is the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another point on a network. If you have high latency and less upload speeds, your gameplay experience will be worse than if you have low latency with high upload speeds.

Is 100 Mbps fast enough for online gaming?

 

Internet speed is a crucial factor in online gaming. A faster internet connection will reduce the waiting time between the player and the server, which will lead to smoother gameplay.

There are three important factors that affect your internet speed: download speed, upload speed, and latency. Latency is the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another point on a network. If you have high latency and fewer upload speeds, your gameplay experience will be worse than if you have low latency with high upload speeds.

The recommended internet speed for online gaming is 100 Mbps, but this may differ depending on what kind of game you are playing. For instance, if you are playing an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game like World of Warcraft or League of Legends, then 100 Mbps might not

Our speed recommendations for playing games online are :

 

1- Windows/Mac PC:

A lot of people use PCs to play games and consider them to be the standard for playing online. They do require a certain level of performance, but it’s in the middle of the range.

 

Minimum Download Speed Required: 3-6 Mbps

Minimum Upload Speed Required: 1 Mbps

Maximum Latency/Ping Rate Allowed: 100-150 ms

2-PlayStation 5 & 4 (PS5 & PS4 ):

PlayStation 4, the most popular gaming console, lists in its manual that online gaming on PS4 requires a broadband connection. It does not work with dial-up internet.

They may be referring to the broadband connection, which needs at least 25 Mbps, but that is not the case. It works well with these minimum requirements:

 

Minimum Download Speed Required: 3 Mbps

Minimum Upload Speed Required: 1 Mbps

Maximum Latency/Ping Rate Allowed: 150 ms

3-Xbox One:

 

Xbox One makes it clear for everyone how much speed it needs for online gaming. Along with the average speed rates, it also mentions the maximum ping rates allowed.

 

Minimum Download Speed Required: 3 Mbps

Minimum Upload Speed Required: 0.5 Mbps

Maximum Latency/Ping Rate Allowed: 150 ms

4-Nintendo Wii:

 

Nintendo does not provide any information on the minimum speed required to play games online, but if you check their troubleshooting guide, you’ll see that they recommend a download speed of at least 1.5 Mbps.

Minimum Download Speed Required: 1.5 Mbps

Minimum Upload Speed Required: 1 Mbps

Maximum Latency/Ping Rate Allowed: 100-150 ms

5-Nintendo Switch:

Nintendo doesn’t mention anything about the speed required for gaming, but in their troubleshooting guide, they recommend a download speed of 3 Mbps and an upload speed of 1 Mbps.

 

Minimum Download Speed Required: 3 Mbps

Minimum Upload Speed Required: 1 Mbps

Maximum Latency/Ping Rate Allowed: 150 ms

If you have a connection with a download speed of 3 Mbps+ and upload speed of 1 Mbps+ and Ping Rate under 150 ms, then you are good to go for online gaming.

 

The best internet connections for gaming online are

The best internet plan for gaming is a fiber-to-the-home connection

1. Fiber 50–10,000 Mbps

2. Cable 15–1,200 Mbps

3. DSL1–100 Mbps

How to tell if your Internet service provider is Throttling Your Internet Speed?

Posted on by speedlife

At the moment, the easiest and simplest way to find out if your ISP slows down your internet speed is to run a speed test, then install a VPN, and then run the speed test again. If your connection seems to be faster after using a VPN than it was before, it’s likely that your Internet service provider (ISP) is intentionally slowing it down or “throtting” it.

A VPN connection creates a secure privacy wall around your internet connection so that your ISP can’t see what you’re doing online. In addition to having a secure, well-encrypted connection, your ISP won’t be able to slow down your internet speed. But before you can say for sure that your ISP is slowing down your connection, you need to know the difference between throttling and other ways your internet connection can slow down.

 

Technology Network

Why does the speed of the internet slow down?

If you notice that your internet connection is slower than usual and that the speeds you get are also slower, then one of these three problems is probably what is slowing down your connection.

1. Your network provider has to deal with a lot of traffic.

Internet connections are like roads for digital information. Just like real roads, when there is a lot of traffic on the Internet, it can slow down or even stop moving. Your ISP’s network or your home network could be causing these slowdowns. If either of these have a lot of traffic, it would slow down your connection.

If a lot of people in the same area are online at the same time, the data they send back and forth on the network can fill up the network’s bandwidth and slow down the internet connection. If this happens, it’s usually in places with a lot of people and during busy times like evenings and weekends. Call your ISP’s customer service and ask them to speed up the network in your area so that the connection doesn’t slow down.

If it’s not your ISP’s network, it’s probably your home network, which may be slowing down because you have a lot of devices connected to it at the same time. To do this, you will need a faster Internet connection to handle all of your online tasks.

2. Your device is stuck.

One of the most common reasons your internet connection is slow is that your modem or router is old and often gets clogged.

Modems and Routers can sometimes get too much information for them to handle, which can slow down or stop your internet connection completely.

The most common way to fix this is to reset your modem or router. This will erase all the data stored on the router and get your network speed back to normal. If your internet connection is slow because of this, you can also look for a new, better router.

3. Your connection is being slowed down by your provider.

Your ISP uses “throttling” to slow down your internet connection. Internet throttling means that your Internet connection is slowed down on purpose.

Most of the time, ISPs do it, but sometimes a user has to do it themselves to get a stable connection.

On the other hand, if you have a limited data plan, you might want to slow down your connection to save data. This is called “throtting” your connection.

When your internet connection slows down because of a lot of people using it, this is not considered throttling. This is because many devices are connected to the same network, which slows down the connection speed.

But it would be throttling if your ISP purposely slowed down the connection speed of one customer in order to speed up the connection speed of another customer.

Why do ISPs slow down internet speeds?

This process is done for a number of reasons.

1. When you sign up for an internet plan from a certain ISP, there may be a clause that lets them slow down your connection if you go over a certain amount of data. So, if you use more data than you are allowed, your ISP may slow down your connection.
Some ISPs have been accused of slowing down a customer’s connection based on what he does on the internet. Even though there is no law that lets ISPs do this, they do it anyway to keep the speed up for other users. For example, an ISP may slow down a user’s connection speed if the user is doing something that needs a lot of bandwidth, like downloading very large files through torrents.

2.ISPs can also slow down their networks where they connect to other parts of the internet. This may give the ISP the power to charge more to content providers whose traffic goes through that connection often.
Speed tests might not be enough to tell if someone is throttling.
If your modem/router is working fine and there isn’t a lot of traffic on your network, it’s likely that your Internet service provider is slowing down your connection.

 

3. Doing a speed test is the best way to find out if your connection is being slowed down. A speed test could give you information about how fast your internet connection is. Even though a speed test might not be the most accurate way to find out how fast your connection is, it would be close.

For example, if you have a 10 Mbps connection, your speed will vary. Sometimes it will be around 8 Mbps, and sometimes it will be between 9 and 10 Mbps.

But it’s also important to note that most ISPs know when a user starts using a speed and stop throttling for the time being. The speed test result looks normal, but after the test is over, the ISPs go back to throttling. So, you should try a VPN to see if your ISP really is slowing down your connection.

How can a VPN help in these situations?

The best way to find out about throttling is to use a VPN, which can hide what you are really doing on the internet from your ISP.

Your ISP won’t know if you are running a speed test or downloading large files via torrent.

You can also get an accurate speed test through a VPN, which will help you figure out if your ISP is really slowing down your internet.