Tune up your home network

Improve your network

Think of the network as a chain, consisting of four parts:

Your computer,
The connection between your computer and your home’s wifi router (The router is the device the phone company or cable company installed. It creates the wifi network in your house, and manages communication with the network outside your home),
Your home’s connection to the internet,
The web site or resource you’re trying to access, like Zoom, or Google, or Canvas.

Your connection is only as strong as the weakest link in that chain. So how do we figure out the weakest link? A little research.

Start Local: Your Computer

Restart your computer. I know, every tech support person always says that. Over time, your computer will start some things it doesn’t finish properly, or a web page will be using more resources than it should. Restarting clears everything out.

Figure out if it’s just one thing that’s slow or everything. Does Zoom fail, while YouTube and Netflix work great? If so, check the app that’s failing for updates.

Are you using the version of Zoom where you download and install software, or is it running in your web browser? Make sure you download and install the software, and use that. The web version is slow.

Check your wifi

If that doesn’t fix things, move one link along the chain. This is probably where the problem is. It doesn’t take much to block your network signal: metal ductwork, lathe and plaster, brick, and concrete are all good at it. So are appliances like microwaves and modern washing machines. Yes, the Maytag man has it in for your class.

If you’re on a laptop, move around your living space and try a few different spots.
Check your signal strength with your smartphone. Get the WifiSweetSpot (iOS Links to an external site. | Android Links to an external site.) or WiFi Signal Strength Meter (Android Links to an external site.) app. Walk around the house with that. (Print out Marc’s test spreadsheet Links to an external site. and give your kids something to do for a few minutes).
Keep notes on when you have problems.
Does your network drop when someone turns on the microwave or laundry machine?
Does your network drop when other people are using it a lot (e.g. the kids are Zooming for school)?

Solutions

Cheap:

Switch your home wi-fi to the 5GHz band Links to an external site..
Move your workspace to an area of the house where you saw better speeds.
If you can’t move your workspace, move the router. Small changes can make a big difference here, especially if you’re moving it away from metal or concrete.

Fairly cheap:

Connect to your router with a cable. This takes the wifi out of the picture and replaces it with a high-speed physical connection. Most routers have a few plugs available for this.

Ethernet cables are available at OfficeBox, Amazon, Best Buy, etc.

Not cheap:

Switch to a mesh network. This costs around $300. A mesh network replaces your existing wireless network with a more powerful network based in two or three different locations. They’re especially useful in big houses. Recommendations:

Note: don’t bother with a “Wifi extender.” They don’t really help.

Your Internet Connection

Fixed your computer and wifi, but still having issues? The next link on the chain is the connection between your house and the internet. Go to Speedtest.net Links to an external site. or fast.com Links to an external site. and run their network test. Anything less than 10Mbps is a problem.

Unfortunately, state regulations prevent the college from paying for home internet connections. But… contact your cable or DSL provider.

We’ve found that providers like Centurylink and Comcast are cutting deals for increased bandwidth on small or no increases in cost.
There may be a technical problem with the internet connection, and the provider isn’t going to look at that until you bug them about it. When you contracted for Internet, the provider promised a certain level of speed. If Speedtest or Fast aren't showing something close to that speed when your computer is connected by a wire to your router, then call them on it.

The resources you use

This is, frankly, the least likely suspect. Microsoft, Canvas, Zoom, and Panopto are built to take a lot of traffic, and have been aggressively adding power to their systems since the start of the pandemic. You can check the status of many of these:

Canvas status Links to an external site. - at the top of the page, you can even check Highline’s specific instance
Panopto status Links to an external site.
Zoom status Links to an external site.
Microsoft Office status Links to an external site.
Google status Links to an external site.