Artech House Assistant Acquisitions Editor Soraya Nair has put together useful tips for working at home in the current climate:
Amid the current Coronavirus pandemic, the best way to combat the virus is first and foremost, to stay at home.
With that in mind, it is important to try and make the most of our time at home. The thing that we will all come to heavily rely on, perhaps even more than before, is our WIFI. After speaking to our Mobile Communications Series Editor, William Webb, about how WIFI is going to be crucial for people during this pandemic, he has some tips on how to get the most out of your WiFi:
- Elevating your WiFi router off the floor can help the signal go a little further.
- Putting your WiFi router in a hallway, if possible, is a good location for it.
- If you have a large house, or it is a strange shape, using a WiFi extender like BT’s Whole home WiFi would help boost the signal.
Overall, the key to using your WiFi well and getting the most out of it is ensuring you have a good signal, as the data rate is reduced when the signal is weaker and therefore slowing down the connection and takes time away from other devices that are connected.
In an article on the BBC, Ofcom have suggested avoiding using the microwave at the same time as the WiFi in a bid to improve internet speeds, however, some of the advice given is slightly misleading and would not make a difference. For example, Ofcom suggests that if you’re carrying out video calls or meetings, turning the video off and using audio will use much less of your connection. In fact, WiFi can usually handle video calling quite easily and if there is an issue, it is more likely to be an issue with the platform you are using or the broadband in the home, rather than the WiFi itself.
You can read the BBC article here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52027348
William Webb is director of strategy at Motorola. He is a fellow of the IEE, a senior member of the IEEE and a well respected Artech House author and Series Editor.
I thoroughly recommend that during this health crisis, you put your WiFi to good use binge watch some shows on streaming sites and browse the Artech House website. Do not go outside if you do not need to!
