Is Your WiFi Up to the Task? Work From Home Tips

Working from home has become the new normal for so many people in these uncertain times, and making the transition can be a big adjustment. You may not have had to worry much about your home WiFi network when it was used for browsing, streaming, or gaming, but working from home makes strong WiFi performance a necessity. Our real estate agents have had to adapt along with everyone else, with virtual open houses and videoconferencing becoming the norm in our industry. So let's take a look at some tips to get the most out of your home WiFi, to make the work from home transition as smooth as possible.

• Is Your WiFi Network in Need of an Upgrade?
  There are a wide variety of tech tools available to improve your WiFi network, and while the cost is rarely prohibitive it can add up quickly. So it's worth considering whether your home network truly needs an upgrade, especially if you've purchased new WiFi equipment relatively recently. If you do need an upgrade, then it's important to decide whether you need to improve speed, coverage, reliability, or all of the above. Once you know exactly what you need to fix, it's easier to find the right tools for the job.
  
  
• Mesh Networks for Full Home Coverage
  Is your primary concern getting a strong connection throughout your home, for all of the devices that everyone in the home may be using? Mesh WiFi, which works differently from a traditional router, can be a great solution. A mesh network uses "stations" around the home to broadcast a quality signal to all devices and is able to handle a high level of traffic with no downtime. If you need to improve coverage, you can add another station to a key area of the home. It's a great solution for homes with lots of devices, or if you want to be able to work from different parts of the home seamlessly.
  
  
• Improving Coverage with a Traditional Router
  If you're happy with the performance of your current router or want a hard-wired connection for your work computer, then you can still improve performance without switching to mesh WiFi. Wireless signal boosters are fairly affordable, easy to set up and can boost your signal to provide better coverage in "dead zones" throughout the home. If you'd rather stick with a traditional router but aren't happy with the performance of your current router, then upgrading to a newer, more powerful router can do the trick. A new router can boost speed and reliability, while providing features that may not be available with older models.
  
  
• Upgrading to the Next Generation with WiFi 6
  Do you want to get ahead of the curve and get a head start on setting up a strong network for years to come? WiFi 6, the next generation of WiFi technology, has begun to hit the market, but prices aren't cheap. WiFi 6 promises better speed and performance, especially in high-traffic places like universities and large offices. While WiFi 6 is also becoming available for home networks — including mesh WiFi — it's not as widespread as the other solutions on our list. If you don't mind the cost and simply want the latest, greatest technology, then WiFi 6 support is worth considering.

Are you already thinking about how your improved WiFi connection will help you shop for homes, after the workday is complete? Contact us to buy and sell homes throughout the Long Island, NY area.