7 Common Wireless Network Mistakes

Common wireless network issues include inadequate bandwith, outdated equipment, signal interference, and poor cabling problems. Resolving these requires updates, adjustments, and sometimes additional wireless access points.

When you want lightning-fast performance, you often go out and buy new technology. It’s then SUPER frustrating when your wireless connection is still slow or spotty.  

You may have experienced times that you have four bars on your phone – but still can’t connect to the Internet. Or you just bought all new computers, and applications are still lagging.  

What’s the problem? 

That’s the million dollar question we’ll do our best to answer here (for free!).

1. Inadequate bandwith from your ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Think of internet bandwidth like a hose. Just like a firehose will deliver more water than a garden hose, higher internet bandwidth will deliver more data in less time. One of the first things we look at is your contract with your ISP to see what type of Internet package you purchased to make sure it’s adequate for your business needs. With higher internet speeds you should see shorter load times, less buffering and the ability to handle more internet-connected devices.   

2. Not isolating the guest network

Having a guest network is a good idea for a number of reasons. You can give office visitors a simple password to use and set policies around internet usage. A common mistake is forgetting to isolate the guests from the private network. If your guest access is the same as your regular use access, your guests will be able to see all users, devices and files on your network. You’ll want to setup device isolation to prevent guests from accessing the private LAN network.  

3. Outdated wireless access points (WAPs)

Most WAPs are small, white and often installed on a white wall or ceiling. The esthetics of blending into the environment have a downside – the devices quickly become invisible. Numerous times, we’ve seen WAPs become hidden bottlenecks that slow down a company’s entire computer network.  

4. Not enough WAPs

The more users and devices you have – and the more data you consume – the more congestion you’ll see on your wireless network. You may not realize how much your wireless network needs have changed over the years. Each employee may have 2-3 wireless devices. As you expand in employee count or expand geographically, like adding wireless capabilities in your warehouse, you may need additional wireless access points.   

Wireless Access Points (WAPs) manage traffic between wireless devices and the local network. In a typical home or small office, the router includes a built-in access point. Offices and larger buildings often have a router, plus multiple dedicated wireless access points that are used to: 

• Create a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) for wireless device connection
• Broadcast the wireless signal across more square footage. The signal from a typical router may extend 10 meters versus a WAP that can cover 100-300 meters
• Provid WiFi access to more users and devices across the network
• Distribute WiFi to areas with poor signal
• Connect wireless devices to a wired network

However, keep in mind that adding more WAPs may not necessarily solve the problem. Too many WAPs in a small environment can start creating signal interference. (See next point)  

5. Signal interference

Wireless signals can be blocked by physical objects (buildings, walls, etc) or by electrical interference (cell phones, microwaves, competing wi-fi signals). You may need to relocate your router / wireless access points or change the bandwidth frequency to get a clear signal.  

6. Outdated firewalls

Most firewalls have a lifespan of three to five years and it’s important to routinely keep the security settings up to date. Letting security lapse can leave you vulnerable to malware. Additionally, obsolete firewalls may slow down productivity. The purpose of a firewall is to inspect the data that flows into and out of your network – outdated software may not be able to keep up.   

7. Outdated network cabling

People often forget that even on a wireless network, network cabling is still an important factor in Internet speed because wireless access points are connected by cables. However, there’s a massive difference between Cat5 and Cat 5e or Cat6 cabling. (Cat6a and Cat7 cables also exist, but they are usually used in enterprise environments.) Cat5 cables were once widely used but are now considered outdated. Cat5 cables can only support data transfer speeds of up to 100 Mbps and have a maximum length of 100 meters. By contrast, Cat5e cables have 10X the data transfer speed (1Gbps) and Cat6 10X over Cat5e (10Gbps). You can identify cables by the imprint on the wiring and replace any aging cables. Also look to make sure the wires don’t have a kink in the line.  

Why choose Eclipse Consulting? 

Our team gets asked about spotty or slow wireless performance every day. Sometimes the only way we can find the issue is to put on our detective hats and investigate your specific scenario. Our team works with clients across the country so if you are stumped and our crack IT team on the case, please reach out!