Fast broadband speed doesn’t always depend on high-tech solutions.
Streaming your favourite movie without the irritation of interruptions caused by buffering could come down to something pretty simple - like not hiding your wi-fi router or modem in the cupboard.
“There are some people who don’t want a router in view,” says Steve Pettigrew, external relations manager at telecommunications company Chorus. “Often this is because they don’t like the look of it and so they will move it away to a discreet corner in the house - sometimes even in a cupboard.
“But that is the worst place for it; you’d be surprised at the number of homes where this happens.
“If you put your radio somewhere like that, the sound would be muffled and hard to hear; well, wi-fi is radio too and it works best if it is positioned high up, out in the open and as close to where you are using it as possible.”
Pettigrew says it is often something like this - not the technology itself - which can affect the quality of broadband performance.
But, he says technology has rapidly improved - a view supported by the findings of the Commerce Commission Measuring Broadband New Zealand 2022 Winter report, which shows download speeds for those on a Fibre Max plan, for example, increased by 27 per cent during peak hours. The report, based on research conducted in May, was released in August.
It also revealed that 99 per cent of people on the Max and other Fibre plans were able to stream four Netflix shows simultaneously. This compared to the performance for those on more standard ADSL plans - 39 per cent of whom were only able to stream one Netflix show at a time.
And the September 2022 Speedtest Global Index which ranks mobile and fixed broadband speeds from around the world on a monthly basis, ranked New Zealand’s as the 16th fastest in the world.
Despite these advances, broadband speed can still be an issue in many Kiwi households, Pettigrew believes. “You can have three children in a house each streaming different shows and the parents watching something else again, so there’s no shortage of devices in use in the home nowadays.
“No one’s got time for the buffering wheel on the cliff-hanger moment of their favourite TV show if wi-fi is not cutting it - nor can you afford your video to freeze when trying to present your latest project via Zoom,” he says.
So, how can people ensure the top-notch broadband performance? If not already, getting on a fibre plan is an obvious way as is having the modem/router in the right location in the home. As Pettigrew says: “A good rule of thumb is if you can see the modem, wi-fi performance should be good. The more walls between you and your modem, the weaker the signal.”
But because people often need wi-fi signal in multiple parts of the home, being close to the modem may not always be practical. In this case Pettigrew suggests investing in a wi-fi extender or mesh system which extends the signal to other areas.
He says mesh systems should be easy to use - often they can be accessed through a smartphone app - and can be bought from local electronic stores. A number of options are available including Google wi-fi, AmpliFi or Orbi.
Another thing to check is the age of your modem/router, specifically whether it’s wi-fi 6 compatible or not.
“Updating your modem/router to a wi-fi 6 router - the next generation of wi-fi - will support the faster speeds which are rapidly becoming available and the ability to handle multiple, simultaneous real-time connections more efficiently,” Pettigrew says. “It will also draw less power from your wi-fi devices, so your phone, laptop and tablet will last a bit longer between charges.”
He says a number of service providers now include wi-fi 6 equipment in their standard offering, including a wi-fi 6 (AX) router/modem and wi-fi 6 (AX) Mesh devices to extend coverage if required. Wi-fi 6 routers are also available at electronics stores.
“Last but certainly not least, a simple but effective way to get a better online experience is to plug data hungry devices like your TV or games consoles directly into an ethernet port in your modem,” he says.
An ethernet cable carries the broadband signals between modems, routers, computers and other wired internet-capable devices and means you’ll have an uninterrupted signal fed directly to your device for a faster, more seamless experience.
“Let’s face it, broadband is a household essential these days and making sure it’s working as best it can, is a smart investment to make,” Pettigrew says.
“But every home is different and every family has different needs, so it is best to shop around to find the options that work best. It (high performing broadband) can help you work more efficiently, help the kids get their homework done quicker and make life that little bit more enjoyable.”
For more information go to: www.chorus.co.nz/blog/how-boost-your-home-broadband-performance