Your home network is probably one of the unsung heroes in your daily life. As it allows you to work, entertain, and stay connected, it’s become a feature in your home that you’ve grown used to having. As technology continues to advance every day, it’s important that home network owners stay up to date to keep their network safe and functioning properly. If you’re not an IT expert, there could be some opportunities to optimize the efficiency and safety of your home network. Here are five mistakes that you may be making.
- Ignoring Updates
Quite often, when many people set up their home wireless networks, they see it as a one-time process. However, firmware updates still need to be done manually. That means downloading new updates that will ultimately enhance the efficiency of your system. Ignoring those updates is a mistake because old settings can cause your network to run slower and some functions may not work at all.
- Router Placement
You may be stalling the performance of your network if you placed your router in a closed-off section of your home. The basement, a corner, or inside cabinets are all locations that inhibit the range of your signal. The best place for your router is a room or other location roughly in the center of your home.
- Wrong Ports
This mistake is a simple fix but it’s fundamental to the proper function of your network. Make sure that your ethernet cord is plugged into the correct port. This is an easy mistake to make, especially for non-IT proficient customers. Your ethernet cord goes into the WAN/Internet port.
- Network Needs
A major mistake you possibly made was at the onset of setting up your home network. It’s possible that you underestimated your network needs and your current set up is not equipped to handle the number of devices that you use or the size of your home.
- Not Customizing Security
Keeping all your router settings in the default mode leaves your network vulnerable to hacking. Create custom, secure, and complicated Wi-Fi passwords and change the SSID name.
Working Nets Can Help You Enhance Your Network Security
Working Nets is IT without the ego. We offer technological help and top-notch service without making you feel out of the loop or left behind. Even today’s top technology professionals still have issues with their gadgets and software sometimes, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if and when you need it! Our specialty is helping you understand the pieces of technology you use in simple ways. By outsourcing your information technology to us (and letting us do the network design planning), we will make sure that your company is up to date and safe, because technology never sleeps. Interested in finding out more about our services? Give us a call at (443) 992-7394 or visit us online. For more technology tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
