Your WIFI network is one of the most critical components of business operations and is used to access proprietary data and files, communicate internally and externally, and so much more. Having an ageing Wi-Fi network can result in unreliable connectivity, vulnerabilities to cyber threats, and barriers to integrating next-generation tools and applications. There are a lot of signs that the health of your Wi-Fi network is lacking, but here we will outline the first 5 signs that it’s time for an upgrade. Be sure to come back for part two.
The first and most obvious sign that it is time to upgrade your Wi-Fi network is slow connection or internet speed. The goal is to have consistent and strong connectivity regardless of the time of day. If you are noticing a network slow-down during busier workday times, it is a sure sign that you need to upgrade your routers or access points, increase and/or upgrade your low voltage cabling, and/or increase your bandwidth. It is important to note that your hardware must be able to support the bandwidth or quantity of devices you require. For example, if you have a two-lane highway but you have Los Angeles level traffic, you are going to have some serious issues. If you have questions on this reach out to us and we can help you understand your network and the upgrades you may need.
We are using more and more collaboration tools at work and while they are extremely helpful in keeping projects on track and communication high, they can become a hinderance when they aren’t working properly. If you are noticing your project or job dashboard freezing up, or latency while navigating your CRM it may be the Wi-Fi network. When this happens, it is easy to believe it’s the tool or application having issues, but in many cases your Wi-Fi may lagging out resulting in a poor connection. It is important to understand the network requirements of the tools and applications you are implementing at your business. This will help you understand the network maintenance and upgrade schedule you should uphold.
Page load errors are self-explanatory, we have all tried to access a website and gotten hit with a “page not found” or something similar while knowing the URL is correct. This can be caused by quite a few different things, but it is possible that your Wi-Fi network is to blame. This type of issue will most likely coincide some others such as slow speeds at peak times, or applications freezing. If you notice an increase in page load errors, it may be a sign for you to investigate your Wi-Fi network health.
Video conferencing and virtual presentations have been a game changer in the business and education world. It reduces business travel, allow for remote work and learning, and enables quick collaboration between teams. It has also provided a window for us to inspect our Wi-Fi networks and connection availability. Video conferencing and screen sharing requires a seamless connection and high bandwidth when used by multiple users at once. It is common to hear someone say, “I’ll just turn my camera off to see if that fixes our connection.” If you find yourself saying that or have trouble getting through a presentation without screen freezes, your network needs some attention. Matrix-NDI is a one-stop-shop when it comes to UCaaS, collaboration tools, and wireless networks, so reach out to us for a solution to this issue.
A dead zone is a room or area in a building that has no internet or phone service. For our purposes we will focus on the Wi-Fi portion of a dead zone. It is common to have little or no wireless connectivity in storage, closets, or unused areas of an office or building. However, having pockets of low or no connectivity in offices or common areas can be extremely frustrating. This can be caused by interference from various building materials like concrete or metals, poorly placed access points (APs), higher volume of IoT devices in an area, and more. Regardless of the cause of the dead zone, there are ways to mitigate the issue with strategic access point (AP) placement, increasing cable drops, and upgrading existing cabling or hardware. If you are experiencing dead zones in your building or office space, we can come out and do a wireless site survey to provide a visual map of what is happening. From there we will develop a plan with you to get your network up to speed (no pun intended).
We have gone over 5 of the top 10 signs that your Wi-Fi network needs an upgrade. Be sure to tune in for part two as we will be touching on cybersecurity, cloud applications, and more!
If anything in this article resonated with you and you would like to hear more, we are all ears and would love to help. Reach out to us at ContactUs@matrix-ndi.com or call 763-475-5500.