WiFi in a business has become a necessity. It drives collaboration between employees, connectivity to clients and allows for a better experience for guests and customers.  WiFi can be directly tied to the success of a business – it increases customer loyalty and sales – so it is crucial to have a network that operates fast and is reliable… even during the busiest hours.

Use these tips to make sure your WiFi connection is operating at peak performance.

Tighten Cable Connections

Over time, the cable connections into your equipment or into the wall outlets can become loose. When this happens, you may start to see issues with your service. A loose connection can cause slower internet speeds or spotty WiFi coverage. Check your internet equipment to ensure your cable connections are tight as your signal will be stronger.

Place Your Equipment in the Best Location

Whether it is your gateway, router or modem, make sure to place your equipment near the center of the area where your computers and other devices operate, and preferably within line of sight to your wireless devices. Place it at least a couple of feet off of the floor such as on a high shelf, keeping the number of walls between the router and your other devices to a minimum. Try to keep it away from electrical devices that are potential sources of interference, such as ceiling fans, security systems, microwaves, computers or cordless phones. Placing it in the right location will ensure that each device in your workplace will have the best connection possible.

Regularly Reboot Your Equipment

Rebooting (or restarting) your gateway, modem or router is good for the device's health and for your WiFi performance. Doing this allows the device to update its software, if necessary, which can help optimize your connection and speed.

Connect High-Bandwidth Devices via Ethernet

Whenever possible, plugging stationary devices directly into your gateway or router using an Ethernet cable may provide optimal connectivity. For example, video streaming devices are bandwidth intensive, so to minimize the impact this has on other devices they should be connected with an Ethernet cable instead of connected wirelessly.

Turn Off or Disconnect Devices Not in Use

Unused devices and apps can interfere with your internet equipment and hog your signal. Turn off or disconnect devices not in use to help save your bandwidth for the devices that need it. 

If All Else Fails, Consider a Different Speed Option

If the above tips don’t help, and you still find your WiFi connection to be slow, you may want to consider a higher speed to improve your network's performance. This should help speed up your connected devices, and allows for growth in your company.

The speed your business needs depends on how many devices are connected to the WiFi at one time, and what those devices are doing.  For instance, video conferencing can use up to 4 Mbps at one time, while streaming a video for one user can use up to 3 Mbps.  Remember, these numbers are just for one device, if your business requires multiple people to stream videos at once, it’ll be 3 Mbps multiplied by the number of people streaming. 

Find out what speed you have here.

Use these tips for an optimal WiFi network. And for WiFi that goes above and beyond, consider WiFi Pro from Comcast Business. With separate public and private networks, you’ll be able to offer your guests and customers internet without interfering with your businesses’ bandwidth or putting confidential files at risk. Coupled with a splash page that allows for promotion of specials and your social media pages, WiFi Pro can help your business stand out from the competition.

For more information, visit ComcastBusiness.com/WifiPro.