Wondering how to boost Verizon WiFi signal at home? If you are experiencing a slow Wi-Fi connection or poor signal, it’s obvious to look for solutions.
Luckily for you, there are several ways that you can take to boost not only the strength of your signal but to unlock the fullest potential of your internet speed as well.
There are several ways to boost your Verizon Wi-Fi signal at home–you can either make a strategic network plan for your home or easily solve your problems through the help of Wi-Fi boosting devices.
You may spend a good amount of money on buying these booster equipment.
However, obtaining a good one that can deliver good results would make any expense worth it.
How To Boost Verizon WiFi Signal At Home?
There are many ways you can boost your Wi-Fi signal at home, but one of the easiest and most effective ways you can do is to simply use Wi-Fi boosting products.
There are usually two types of “boosters” that you can buy, depending on what result you want to have– a Wi-Fi extender and a Wi-Fi repeater.
What makes these two devices different from each other? Aren’t they the same in the way that they improve your Wi-Fi?
Yes, they both do–but in a different way.
1. Use A Wi-Fi Extender For A Better Range
A Wi-Fi extender helps your Wi-Fi signal reach farther areas than your normal router would usually do.
These devices catch your signal and then stretches it further beyond–usually twice or thrice the normal range–without losing any strength and connection speed.
When you buy a Wi-Fi extender, the only thing you must make sure is that the signal type on your router is the same as that on the repeater that you will get.
A different signal type would not work and not extended the range of your signal.
2. Use A Wi-Fi Repeater for Better Signal Strength
If your problem is the strength of the signal you are getting, a Wi-Fi repeater can solve your problem.
Simply put, this device works as a “booster” for your Wi-Fi in a way that enhances the signal that it receives and blasts it as a stronger and wider signal.
The only drawback in using a Wi-Fi repeater is that since the signal travels more paths and is being enhanced along the way, you may experience latency and a little delay in response time, especially in tasks that require a low ping (ms).
3. Consider Investing in A Wi-Fi Mesh
A Wi-Fi Mesh system is the most advanced and most efficient solution you can have.
Simply put, the set of equipment you will use in building up your Wi-Fi mesh network would result in your whole house having a strong signal throughout.
This type of solution is perfect for large homes or medium-sized offices, where the area is larger than a typical house.
4. Test Your Wi-Fi Speed First
Since you are a Verizon subscriber, you have access to a number of Verizon apps and features, including the My Fios App.
You can do a lot of things here, and one of the things you can do is test your Wi-Fi speed.
You must do this to check if the cause of your slow or bad Wi-Fi signal is simply Verizon having downtime or you are in a congested time of the day.
When you are doing the speed test, make sure that you disconnect other devices and stop any data-demanding tasks that may be running.
5. Use Verizon’s Own Troubleshooter
Did you know that Verizon offers its own troubleshooting guide?
This is to help subscribers solve their problems when it comes to the internet on their own, as much as possible.
This is also to lessen trips of service technicians to customers with issues that can be resolved by the customers themselves.
6. Plan Your Home Network Strategically
There is a limit to the distance that a Wi-Fi signal can reach.
So, the key to making sure that you get the most of your Wi-Fi signal is to make sure that your Wi-Fi router is positioned in the best place possible.
Now you’re asking, “how can I boost my Verizon Wi-Fi signal?”
One answer is to be strategic in setting up your home network. Determine the pattern of usage for you and every other member of the family.
Make sure that the router is positioned in a way that the Wi-Fi signal can travel to the devices connected to it without any kind of physical interference such as doors, walls, or dividers.
If the interference of doors and walls cannot be avoided–which is the case for most of the time–at least try your best effort to strategize a location that will keep it at the minimum.
If you wish to have Wi-Fi access outside your house–within your front yard, for example–it may be a good choice to position your router near the front door or the front window.
7. Use the Highest Wi-Fi Security
Your Wi-Fi connection can either be secured or unsecured. If it is unsecured, anyone can connect to it and virtually “steal” your internet.
Any person with enough tech knowledge can do more than just leech from your internet connection–and that is something that you don’t want to experience.
So, make sure you secure your Wi-Fi using the WPA2 Protocol. Set a strong password that cannot be guessed by just anyone.
It would even be better if you will hide your SSID, so your connection won’t broadcast and be visible to other users.
8. Avoid Any Kind of Interference
If you are wondering how can I boost my Verizon Wi-Fi signal, one thing you should know is that your Wi-Fi signal may also be affected not only by physical interference such as a wall or a series of walls.
It can also be affected–in fact, affected MORE–by other devices and home appliances that transmit waves and signal, too.
Take your microwave, for example. The amount of microwave energy it emits may interfere with how the Wi-Fi signal travels if your router or the receiving device is near the microwave.
Some other devices that can interfere with the signal from your router may include Bluetooth devices, refrigerators, cordless home phones, or an analog TV (if you still use that kind of TV).
Do not place your router in an area that is near any device or appliance that can interfere with the signal.
Depending on the device, some may weaken the Wi-Fi reception, slow the speed down or worse, block connection entirely.
9. Lessen Demanding Tasks
Streaming ultra-high definition content across multiple devices at once would really take a toll on your Wi-Fi signal.
Unless you have an ultra-fast connection, it would need as much data to every user as possible, exhausting the allowable bandwidth per user.
Also, if you are using your home internet for demanding devices such as gaming consoles, it is better to connect these through an ethernet cable, so as not to serve as an additional laid for your Wi-Fi router.
10. Disconnect from Your VPN
Although the use of a virtual private network or VPN may give you several benefits, including hiding your activities from your ISP, there is one huge drawback that it can give you: slower speeds.
This is because your speed is dependent on the bandwidth of the proxy connection that you are using based on whatever VPN service you are on.
Most of the time, this is significantly slower than what your ISP may be able to provide you.
Try to check if your speed would change once you disconnect any VPN you are using.
Conclusion
Knowing how to boost Verizon Wi-Fi signal at home may look to be a tricky and complicated thing at first glance.
However, all it takes is the proper guide you can follow and there are steps and “hacks” that you can do in order to solve the problem easily.
Alternatively, and perhaps the easiest way to approach the situation is to simply use additional devices that can boost and extend your Wi-Fi signal.
If you have the cash that you can dish out for these additional devices, it is recommended that you buy a good one.
You can even treat it as an investment for a better internet experience at home.
Read Next: Quick tips to lower your Verizon Bill.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.