Poor WiFi is an annoying modern day affliction and can be helped in a few ways. First work out what is it that is annoying you – is it when you’re watching TV that streaming is causing a problem. Are you getting the “spinny wheel” constantly or is the picture pixellating here and there on certain channels? Is the WiFi a problem when you’re only in certain parts of the house? Or is it all over that it’s consistently poor? Is it usable in the house but not in the garden?
The first thing is to make sure that the speed you are getting coming into the property is decent and if that is the case, the issue is with the WiFi. Check with your provider about the speeds coming in, there are speed checker sites you can use such as speed test which will help and are free to use.
Also think about the router position – is it in an optimal position for what you need it for? If you moved it to another part of the property would it help? This may not be possible of course, but worth consideration.
Hopefully we can help with a few ways to improve your systems in the house.
TV issues & extra data points
If the picture is pixellating on certain channels or it’s coming up “no signal” it’s probably the aerial that’s causing a problem. This could be an old aerial, cable problems, weather damage, many things. Our sister company The Aerial Man is used to dealing with lots of aerial related issues so we can get that sorted out for you quite easily.
If it’s a problem with the internet and it’s just your TV causing you stress, then it’s a good idea to hardwire the TV. This involves installing a data cable from the TV to the router so it’s not reliant on WiFi. Hardwiring is also good if you do a bit of gaming too as it improves the speeds and reliability generally.
Can I hardwire myself?
If you feel comfortable then can do it yourself, it’s not actually a difficult thing to do. The skill is to use good quality CAT6 cable and make it look neat. If the router is nearby then this should be fairly easy to do but if it’s further away then it’s a bit trickier. If in doubt, get in touch and we will install a nice, neat data cable.
Another option is to have some hardwired ethernet points in the property (eg an office) if you want to guarantee the speeds. This is good if you work from home a lot and you don’t want to be stressing over internet speeds while you’re trying to work.You’ll probably need to incorporate a switch too, depending on how many ports are on your router and how many points you want to add.
Access points and Range extenders.
This is a great way to improve the WiFi – we hardwire and connect wireless access points around the property to create a mesh of great wifi. There are lots of types of access points and they vary enormously in price. Basically the cheaper ones are fine if you’re doing some surfing and you don’t have many pieces of kit sitting on the WiFi. Typically we’ll do 2-4 access points in a 4 bedroom property (again depending on the build).
There are various companies that do plug in range extenders and they’re fine if you want to increase a bit of range to a certain area (eg a Ring doorbell that requires WiFi). But if you require something a bit more solid then hard wired access points will work better. There are various types available – in-wall, on-ceiling, long range, external etc. We can fit in a loft and give range down stairs so a WiFi survey is a good idea.
You might also want to think of updating to WiFi 6 which is the next standard in WiFi technology. We’ll cover this soon in another blog post.
WiFi extenders can also be used in the garden so good for orangeries, conservatories and sheds. Also good to just sit in your deck chair and surf the net or play music using your wireless speakers. If you’re going to fit them yourself, make sure it’s external access points that you’re using so you don’t have any issues with our fine Scottish weather.
Cable
Good quality cable is definitely worth investing in. Sites such as Amazon sell data cable in smaller lengths if you only want 5-10 metres but it’s worth checking and getting good quality cable. We use Connectix cabling systems for most of our data cable as it’s certified, flexible and well made. Our results are consistently good as we use the exact type required for that job.
It’s worth taking note that if you’re installing internal cable, then a reliable company will use cable which is used for internal use and will not cause an problem if there is a fire. If you’re using cheap cable bought on the internet, then it’s not always easy to see what it’s made of. Is it low smoke or does it comply to any fire regulations?
There are also options like shielded cable, external cable and armoured cable for more extreme environments. Armoured cable is more difficult to work with so we would recommend against that unless it’s necessary for the job.
Costs involved
The cost to hardwire a TV can vary a bit on the cable run – it can be around £95 – 165 altogether. Time wise it can take around a couple of hours to do neatly. There are various ways we can do this – along or behind skirting boards, under carpets, into lofts or using crawl spaces/dry risers. We will discuss this with you before going ahead with it to make sure you’re happy with the cable run. It’s actually a similar cost to extra data points too – it varies on the cable run but tends to be around that.
We have a couple of simple plug ins which we can use here and there if required, they’re normally around £18 and are fine for the odd job. They’re also easily picked up on various sites and shops so sometimes it’s worth giving them a try first if you only need a wee boost to the system. Just don’t expect too much from them. That being said, if it’s just something simple that’s required, then they’re a handy wee addition and relatively cheap.
Access points – these can vary a bit and that’s why we do a site survey first. We tend to use Ubiquiti and Cambium products as they’re great for range and are pretty solid.
The size of the property will make a difference to the amount you need along with the build (thick walls and insulation hate WiFi) and also how many people are using it. If it’s something like a cafe or a bar, then definitely you will need a good quality kit that will enable the different users to do what you want without any lag. To be honest though, with more and more gadgets and homes with domestic appliances sitting on the WiFi, we would always say to get something decent. Even products such as Philips Hue lights and some fridges now sit on the WiFi, never mind TV and audio systems. If it’s a simple one or two hardwired points in a property, the cost can go from a couple of hundred pounds but it can increase if it’s a bigger system with longer cable runs.
We do a full range of networking services, if you’d like to discuss further or want a site survey arranged, just get in touch and we’ll book in a time that suits you.