Want perfect broadband over Christmas? It might be a good idea to switch off your Wi-Fi router and give it a reboot. That’s the latest advice from Virgin Media who say turning things off and on again will not only clear any bugs and gremlins but also make sure all of your devices are connected to the strongest channel.
“Wi-Fi modems remain static on a single channel setting, which can become congested,” Virgin explained.
“If another gadget nearby is also using one of the same channels (for example, your neighbour’s router), the two devices could be competing for airtime. You can solve this by turning your Hub off and on again. When you reboot, the Hub’s channel switching mode instantly kicks in. It will automatically pick up the best channel to operate on.”
With millions of us wanting to stream movies, download games and make video calls over the festive period, having good Wi-Fi is more vital than ever and a quick reset before the big day could help to improve connections around the home.
To reboot your router, simply reach around the back of the box and flick the power switch. It’s then a good idea to wait for around one minute before turning things back on again.
Once power has been restored it can take around five minutes for a full reboot to take place so make sure you don’t have any impending work Teams meeting to attend or your children aren’t in the middle of an important game download.
As soon as things are back up and running your devices should then be tuned into the best connection with any interference.
One final thing to be aware of is your Christmas tree as this tinsel-filled decoration can be Wi-Fi’s biggest enemy.
Make sure your router is well away from those branches and don’t tuck it behind all the presents as this could seriously slow things down.
“It’s surely not the festive season without streaming your favourite Christmas film, so it’s good to be aware of the impact a piece of tinsel or fairy lights can have on your broadband,” said Richard Dowden, broadband expert at Uswitch.com.
“Pretty as they may be, the lights and tinsel could potentially slow down your connection speeds. You should keep them and other electronics such as lamps, speakers, TVs and monitors as far away from the router as possible.”
