Networking any home
Most people rely on a simple wireless router to provide wireless internet access at home. When they require wider coverage, the solution is to add an extender in areas that need the coverage. The problem here is that the router that comes with the connection is likely to have weak wireless coverage and each extender loses half of the available bandwidth for each extension. This causes a lack of bandwidth when there are more users and devices. As services like Netflix need more and more bandwidth for 4K and HDR streams, the network will eventually choke. Here are some steps to set it up differently.
Step one – First replace the router that comes with the connection. Alternatively, disable the wireless on that router and connect a dedicated access point for wireless.
Step two – Extend the network using same brand hardware. Normal extenders lose bandwidth, however, there are protocols used by some manufacturers that use their own mesh networks for inter-access point communication.
Step three – Whenever possible use Ethernet (network) cable to connect devices. Desktop computers close to an access point or router should be connected with a cable. Even when there are no nearby ports, use an access point as a bridge and connect to that physically.
Step four – Finally connect any devices that have a wired option direct to the network. For example, the Google Chromecast is connected to the network wirelessly. However, there is a separate wired network adaptor which can be purchased. For any device, this provides a more stable connection with additional bandwidth.
