Month: February 2022

Do you find that your WiFi doesn’t reach all around your home? Perhaps your one too many rooms away from the router and you notice extended buffering and generally slow performance.

Maybe some parts of your property there is no signal at all where even loading a web page seems to take an eternity. 

Usually these ‘black spots’ are often caused by distance, thick walls like brick and interference from other devices.

Nowadays WiFi is essential especially since working from home has become the new norm with video calls and cloud sharing becoming more popular. So when your WiFi keeps dropping out it can get increasingly frustrating and disruptive.

Luckily there are many different ways to extend your routers range all around your property to give you the same performance as if you were right next to the router.

Move the router

The easiest option would be to move the router to a better spot. Sounds simple enough but there are a few tricks to placing the router in the best spot.

Firstly have the router out in the open preferably in a raised place, not in a cupboard or behind the TV. Also getting the router as close to the centre of the house as possible will help distribute a signal evenly.

Although something of the past now some routers still have antennas and adjusting them to be perpendicular to the router will help. Antennas send the best signal out of the sides and less out of the top and bottom. Also if your router has multiple antenna your could position them accordingly to target certain parts of the house.

Upgrade the router

If moving your router around seems to not solve anything then perhaps your router is not powerful enough or too old. If this is the case then maybe its time to upgrade it to a newer one, most ISPs give these out if you ask and being a long-time user of the provider may help you out. Just watch out if they try to sell you a new contract.

The oldest to newest WiFi standards are: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac and WiFi 6. If you have an older “b” or “g” wireless router we really recommend upgrading.

A common misconception is that the latest WiFi standard gives you the best performance and range. While this is partially true the best speeds come at the expense of range so you’ll actually get the best coverage from a router with really good performance using 2.4GHz, not 5GHz.

However, this merges with the next option of a mesh WiFi. 

Mesh WiFi kit

A mesh WiFi network is when two or more routers work together to provide the best coverage than what a single router could deliver. What it does is replace your existing routers WiFi and although this sounds confusing the process has been made very simple so that people with little to no knowledge of IT can set it up.

To set up a WiFi mesh kit connect the main device to the router via ethernet and put the other mesh devices around the house. Depending on what sort of coverage you need and how big the property is you may need one or more mesh devices. All the devices communicate with one another creating a reliable connection around the house even into the garden.

Powerline adapters

One of our most recommended options would be to use your properties electrical circuit. Powerline adapters are similar to mesh kits where a module is in each room that wants to be boosted. These even can work in places such as garages or outhouses. 

All you need to do is plug an adapter into a power socket near the router and connect the two via ethernet. Then plug in the extenders in the rooms that you want a boosted signal in and press a few linking buttons and you’re all setup.

Depending on what model you get sometimes the extenders create new connections which sometimes means you have to switch your internet. However there are some good ones that simply work off the main connection meaning you don’t have to switch around when going into different rooms.

Powerline adapters are more expensive than mesh kits however they mirror the signal that the router provides meaning no loss of bandwidth on each extender.

Wireless boosters

WiFi extenders which also go by repeaters or boosters increase your WiFi signal by capturing the wireless signal from your router and then rebroadcasting it. These do work however are not the best option if you require extremely fast WiFi speeds.

These are very cheap and very easy to install with some models little than £20 or so. However these use the older 801.11n standard. There are newer models if you’re looking for something slightly faster, 802.11ac boosters can be brought for around £35.

They work by having two halves of an antenna, one to receive and one to transmit which effectively halves the potential speed of the original WiFi signal.

Realistically this shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you are doing basic things like browsing the web but you could see some buffering if trying to stream in HD or downloading large files.

Wireless boosters work best when placed in a central location and are not to far away from the main router. If you think that putting a booster in a place where the connection is bad it will do no good as it is just spreading around a weak signal and will reduce the speed of the rest of the network.

So the best spot for the booster is somewhere in the middle between the router and the desired device that you want to be connected.

Using 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz WiFi

If you didn’t know WiFi uses two frequency bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Most people think that the fastest option would be 5GHz. In a technical sense you’d be correct 5GHz is faster than 2.4GHz however you’d have to sacrifice the walls and ceilings in your house or sit right next to the router. 

This is because 5GHz cannot penetrate walls, ceilings or anything because of its wavelength. The higher the frequency the shorter the wavelength.

2.4GHz is much better at delivering a signal over greater distances but at slower speeds. That is why you may benefit from forcing your device to connect to the 2.4GHz network instead. Most basic routers combine the network so separating them can sometimes be a challenge. 

If this is the case then all you have to do is log into the settings web page (type your routers IP directly into a browser) and look for a WiFi menu where you can split the two frequencies into two entities.

Bear in mind some household devices can interfere with a 2.4GHz connection such as baby monitors, Bluetooth, Microwaves and more. These can reduce the speed and range a WiFi signal has. 

Ultimately you have to decide if you want a greater range with lower speeds or shorter range with greater speeds. Mileage may differ but it is very well worth understanding the difference between the WiFi bands and use it for your advantage.

Conclusion

There are many different ways of boosting a WiFi signal over your property. Some options are much better than others but really it depends on what property that you have. There are many different things that can influence the choice of WiFi extender, such as what your properties internals are made out of such as brick or plaster, also the size of the coverage that you want should influence your choice. It is easy to forget the reliability of your broadband causing an issue. If your property can’t currently get FTTP then SoGEA is the best alternative for speed and reliability.

All the options that we’ve covered in this article are viable options but if you’re having trouble deciding what would best suit you, don’t worry. 

Here at ATS Connection we can find the best option for your property and install everything to ensure that you receive top-notch WiFi everywhere.

If you do want a professional opinion feel free to call us at: 01903 357002 or alternatively email us at contact@aruntechsupport.co.uk 

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Whether your business is transitioning back to an office atmosphere or your workforce will continue to work remotely, you are more vulnerable to network security attacks than ever before. Threat actors (those who represent a security risk to your network) are after the data on your network and are working hard to obtain it. Here are the top four network security concerns to assist you comprehend the issue.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a serious threat to your business, especially because it is so difficult to detect. 

Gone are the days when you had a virus and it just showed up and said hello. Ransomware infiltrates your system, embeds itself in everything, and then attacks! 

It can take weeks or even months for a breach to be discovered. The time it takes to identify something is increasing. 

In 2016, Fireye reported a global average of 146 days. According to IBM calculations, it is already 228 days, according to a Varonis report from 2021. 

A data breach’s cost is calculated in terms of time, money, and reputational damage. You must have the assurance that you are safe.

Social engineering

Why should threat actors put forth the effort to get past your endpoint and network protection when they can use your employees to do so? This fundamental concept is what makes social engineering such a danger to network security. 

“Psychological manipulation to fool users into making security blunders or giving out sensitive information,” according to the best definition we’ve seen. 

Phishing assaults (emails posing as a senior member of staff in order to obtain information or money) are the most popular tool in the social engineering toolkit. 

Another example is hacked websites. Cyber hackers are always trying to break into trusted websites in order to steal information or gain access to your network.

In the real world, a developing method of attack is being used. Malware-infected USB sticks are put outside of targets in the hopes that they would be picked up. 

People are intrigued when they are referred to as “staff bonuses” or “salary raises.” When they plug them into their laptops, the malware is released, and the problems begin. 

This is a staff education challenge for you, and our blog has a number of items that can help.

Crypto-mining

You can obtain crypto-currencies in one of two ways: by purchasing them or by mining for them. Crypto-mining necessitates a significant amount of computer power. 

Breaching your network and using your devices’ computing power is a growing issue. 

According to Cisco statistics, 69 percent of businesses have faced some kind of harm as a result of this. As the value of crypto-currencies rises, so does the degree of activity. 

Bitcoin was trading at £45,000 per coin at the time of writing, a new high.

Although this threat appears to be minor at first, it frequently serves as a stepping stone to more serious cybercrime. They can do a lot more than just use your processing power once they’re in. 

You may have been hacked by a cyberminer if your AWS computing charges have increased or your bandwidth is always blocked.

DDoS attacks

Although Systems IT does not provide website hosting, this is an increasing issue, which is why we’re talking about it now. 

DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks grew by 55% in the 15 months leading up to March 2021, with NSFOCUS reporting that they had detected over 152,000 attacks by December 2020. 

The majority of DDoS attacks appear to be motivated by people disagreeing with your policies/beliefs or by you offending someone – whether intentionally or unintentionally. In the first half of 2021, the biotech and pharmaceutical industries were the most targeted. 

A network security breach has three costs, as previously stated:

1. Time: a significant amount of time is lost, both in attempting to repair the damage and simply in downtime as your staff is unable to function. 
2. Money: Whether you pay a ransom to get your data back or merely calculate the cost of lost revenue, it can soon add up. 
3. Reputation: there are three considerations to consider here:
   1. Do you wish to inform your clients that your company has been hacked? What will they think of you, and will they decide to work with you again? 
   2. If your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data has been accessed, you must notify everyone who may be affected, according to ICO regulations. The combination of a reputational risk and an increase in “ambulance-chasing” legal action can be devastating to your company. 
   3. What will your colleagues think of you if you refuse to increase the security around your network? Of course, enhancing security has a cost, but isn’t it far less than the costs we’ve discussed?

Survival

In the end, it could be the difference between your company growing and surviving. 

Within six months, 50% of organisations that have had a data breach have shut down. 

Even if they do survive, the impact of all of the above on the bottom line will be felt for a long time. 

These risks frequently go undiscovered for weeks or months, as stated earlier in the essay. 

Over time, the amount of damage is steadily increasing. 

The sooner you identify a breach and begin responding, the less damage is done.

The purpose of this article was to inform you about the threats that your network and business face. 

The next one will focus on how you can defend yourself. Simply subscribe here if you don’t want to miss that article. 

If none of the expenses listed above appeal to you, let’s discuss how ATS can assist you in protecting your network. Call us on 01903 357002 or send us an email. With cyber crime kill chains on the rise, it has never been more important to ensure you are protected than now. Check out out cyber security services here

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