Improve wireless network performance

What do we need to do first?

Wi-Fi wireless transmission, when everything is placed in place, connect the router power supply, enter your security settings. The next thing to do, is to adjust the router to the maximum rate of operation. Many routers are set to run at a 75% rate or are automatically adjusted, and I find it best to adjust the signal rate to as large as possible.

The router is then set to use only one 802.11 protocol, because mixing mode (most Wi-Fi devices are available for 802.11a/b/g, or even 802.11n clients) lowers the data rate. By using only 802.11g clients, you can increase the performance of the router nearly one times, up from 1Mbps to 2Mbps at a distance of 20 meters. Of course, you must make sure that all connected devices are set to use the protocol you have chosen. If they don't all support the agreement you choose, you either have to give up the proposal or pay to buy new equipment.

First, put a good position

The location and placement of routers is the most basic (and most overlooked) means of implementing efficient wireless networks. Most people put routers in the first place they think, which is a big mistake.

You can imagine the wireless router as the center of the sphere, and the network connection extends from its antenna to all directions. My advice is to place the router as close to the physical center of the home or office that must be covered. Start with a building plan or sketch and draw a diagonal line from every corner to determine the center position.

Of course, some people cannot adopt this proposal. Perhaps the center of the building is a wall of stone or a brick chimney, or a network cable can be introduced into a building from the worst possible location. If for some reason, you can't put the antenna in the ideal central position, please do not be disappointed, we will also introduce other solutions. Now, please look around and find a good home for the router. Avoiding the corners (especially in the old house) is the first step, because the corners will weaken the signal as the signal passes through. In addition, do not put the router in the closet, bookcases or entertainment center is a good place to place the router inconspicuous.

Of course, the wireless router requires an AC outlet and a connection to your cable or DSL data source. If the building's DSL or cable modem lines are in an inconvenient position, please don't panic, you can use directional antennas (we'll mention the next serial article), or extend your DSL and cable lines.

If you choose the latter, you will find that the wall-broken wiring is a laborious and costly project to keep your router in the right place and can cause damage. As an alternative, consider using a thin coaxial cable or an ethernet cable, which can easily be inserted into a wall by a cable wrapped in tape. After you lead the cable to the desired position, apply a thin layer of adhesive or plaster, then paint, and it will be your little secret. The length of this cable is 3~5 meters, the cost of the entire project should be between 80 to 120 dollars.

One, set your good QoS

Most of the wireless routers sold have a "QoS" feature, but you may want to be able to update the router's firmware to solve the problem. Take a Linksys Router for example, if you want to optimize wireless network performance, we can configure the program to make some changes. First make sure your device supports "WMM" (Wi-Fi multimedia), and if support for "WMM" is available, you can find the QoS menu in the "Apps and games" option. Then, configure Internet access Priority (Internet access priority) to your voice and multimedia applications. Then in the Drop-down menu for each specific application to choose, you can choose the priority level (high, medium, Normal or low), and then click the "Add" button. For example, you can set the "BitTorrent" and other download services a lower priority, while giving your "VoIP" service a high priority, reasonable allocation of network bandwidth, improve wireless network performance.

Speaking of "WMM", it is actually a subset of the IEEE 802.11E Standard, which defines the quality of service (QoS) for Wi-Fi. Without QoS, all applications running on different devices have the same opportunity to transmit data frames. This works well for data traffic from applications such as Web browsers, file transfers, or e-mail, but this is not a good way for multimedia applications. VoIP, video streaming, and interactive gaming are highly sensitive to increased latency and reduced throughput, and WMM shortens the transmission time of packets with high traffic priority.

"WMM", based on enhanced decentralized channel access (EDCA), defines a prioritized set of media access categories that can shorten the transmission time of packets with high traffic priority. The Wi-Fi Alliance has also introduced the WMM node authentication feature, which allows you to customize the power mechanism based on specific applications, save power without sacrificing service quality, and extend the battery life of 15% to 40% of terminal equipment. At present, there are more and more products supporting the WMM function, as well as the related wireless router devices, which support the Wi-Fi function of VoIP telephone, TV, game consoles and other consumer electronic products.

In addition, some devices can also help you set priority to specific voice devices, to optimize the performance of wireless network. For example, a VoIP phone connected directly to your wireless network. At the same time, not all routers can be configured with a priority on a specific application or device. However, you can at least start the "QoS" or "WMM" features, they will help you automatically optimize the multimedia transport stream, these settings in many routers are closed by default, as long as they open, it helps to reasonably allocate limited network bandwidth, improve the performance of the wireless network.