Break up with your ISP’s modem if you want a happy WiFi relationship

Let’s face it, the WiFi in your home is one of your most important personal relationships. You live with it, use it every day, and still it gets treated like an afterthought. Bad WiFi costs you time, lack of productivity, frustration, and keeps you from enjoying the benefits of the space age. Whether you like it or not, it’s not about just laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and game consoles, it’s about the smart era with 4K TVs, security systems, smart appliances, streaming services like iTunes and Netflix, and a plethora of apps you can’t live without.

So much necessity, yet all of these desires are left to be powered by a cheap, cable modem/wireless router combo which your ISP dropped off and ran away. Are you kidding? An ISP modem/router combo is NEVER going to deliver the power, speed and range you want. ISPs sell bandwidth but they are not in the business of wireless internet. Eddy Wong, President of Slice Managed Solutions, a leading wireless internet service provider, agrees that an ISP modem/router combo will never work properly without supporting equipment. However, if you want to improve your chances without taking on a huge expense, you first need to understand the version of DOCSIS standard your ISP modem supports. Having the latest modem can boost bandwidth performance. He recommends trying to upgrade from DOCSIS 3.0 to 3.1 if possible. DOCSIS 3.1 technology provides significant value including greater speeds, up to 10 Gbps downstream and up to 1 Gbps upstream network capabilities, queue management to significantly reduce network delay as your home data traffic grows, higher capacity to transmit up to 50 percent more data and even smaller electric bills with a greener, more energy efficient system.

Next, you need to understand the 802.11g wireless standard is sometimes unreliable, can have poor range, and seldom achieves its maximum 54Mbps transfer rates, unless you’re very close to the wireless router. Also know that your wireless router is not currently in an optimal position sitting with the cable box.  To improve internet reach so your bathroom doesn’t become a dead zone, simply move the wireless router to the center of the house. This may take extending the cord and it will look unpleasant unless you are willing to pay the bigger bucks to put the cord behind the sheetrock or moldings. Now, if you want to do a more professional approach you can leave the wireless router where it is, but you’ll have to open your wallet. A way to guarantee a more reliable network is with the purchase of an HD Powerline adapter. Generally speaking, a powerline connection is basically an attractive alternative to running a long network cable. You simply extend the wireless coverage through your electrical outlets. The Powerline adapter provides almost four times the speed of a regular Ethernet connection, is unaffected by range and less likely to suffer connection problems. Just locate the center of your home and plug in the adaptor with no setup or configuration required at all. In most cases, a pair of Powerline adapters are actually much cheaper than the total cost of installing a network cable, which involves the cable itself, the two network wall ports, and installation time.

If you find yourself suffering from lackluster WiFi coverage and don’t want to break the bank by running and hiding a new Ethernet cable, we have the perfect product for you. Our Home Internet Kit includes a ZyXel PLA 5206 and is coupled with a Ruckus ZoneFlex R300 to help create ideal WiFi coverage wherever you’re seeing a weak or complete lack of WiFi signal. This home kit is self-provisioning and extremely easy to hook up. First, connect one of the adapters to the existing routers using an Ethernet cable (two are included with the kit). Next, you connect the second adapter to the Ruckus R300 (for WiFi coverage) or to an Ethernet-ready device (for wired access), such as a printer at the far end of the house. Then plug each adapter into a power socket and you're done. The adapters now use the electrical wiring in between the two sockets as a network cable. For more information on this amazing consumer product, please contact Slice Managed Solutions today.