How to Maximise Wifi and Minimise Home Tech Hassles During Corona
Power, wifi, ventilation – having everyone in iso puts serious strain on your home's resources. Here's how to manage it
Do you feel like your home is labouring under the pressure of having everyone under one roof 24/7? Tech experts reveal how to prevent wifi lag and your power circuit from tripping, plus we’ve included a few handy hacks to lighten the load during lockdown.
Manage wifi usage
“Try to manage who is online at the same time, particularly if members of your family are gaming and/or streaming,” says Jason Blair, head of home at Optus Australia.
Increasing the bandwidth and speed of your wifi can also help, says Wright. “This may mean updating your internet plan to ensure that you have enough data. Ideally, you’re looking for broadband that can handle multiple devices. The best solution is to sign up to a plan that offers unlimited data and increased bandwidth, such as Optus 5G Home Broadband.”
Need an electrician to see whether you can get more from your power set-up? Find a local electrician on Houzz
“Try to manage who is online at the same time, particularly if members of your family are gaming and/or streaming,” says Jason Blair, head of home at Optus Australia.
Increasing the bandwidth and speed of your wifi can also help, says Wright. “This may mean updating your internet plan to ensure that you have enough data. Ideally, you’re looking for broadband that can handle multiple devices. The best solution is to sign up to a plan that offers unlimited data and increased bandwidth, such as Optus 5G Home Broadband.”
Need an electrician to see whether you can get more from your power set-up? Find a local electrician on Houzz
How to maximise your wifi
Blair says:
Blair says:
- Ensure you have the latest wifi modem that is designed to run multiple devices at once.
- Position your modem in a central location in your home. Ensure it has plenty of space around it – don’t put it in a cupboard or on the floor.
- For large or multi-storey homes, consider investing in a wifi mesh system, which will extend your wifi range. For a single room with a weak wifi signal, consider a powerline adaptor or a wifi extender.
- Minimise connected devices.
- Avoid downloading movies on the hour and half-hour during the day as these are popular start times for video conference meetings. Download them overnight when the network is less used.
- If you’re working from home, consider starting a video conference at a quarter past the hour.
Linksys Velop Mesh WiFi system, which retails for AU$599 for three nodes
Get more with mesh
So what exactly is wifi mesh and how can it improve your internet connection? Mesh systems consist of individual nodes that work together to give you 100 percent wifi throughout your home – whether you’re streaming from the top floor of your house or video chatting in the corner of the garden.
The system works out where you are inside (or outside) the home to deliver wifi signal strength where you need it. Each node in the system increases wifi range by around 185 square metres.
Get more with mesh
So what exactly is wifi mesh and how can it improve your internet connection? Mesh systems consist of individual nodes that work together to give you 100 percent wifi throughout your home – whether you’re streaming from the top floor of your house or video chatting in the corner of the garden.
The system works out where you are inside (or outside) the home to deliver wifi signal strength where you need it. Each node in the system increases wifi range by around 185 square metres.
Don’t overload power points
When there are a lot of you at home, it’s important not to put too much pressure on power points or you can risk tripping your circuit protection, says Jason Neophytou, lifestyle expert at HPM Australia. “As a rule of thumb, only connect one power board to each socket and avoid connecting extension leads or piggybacking additional power boards to each other,” he says.
When there are a lot of you at home, it’s important not to put too much pressure on power points or you can risk tripping your circuit protection, says Jason Neophytou, lifestyle expert at HPM Australia. “As a rule of thumb, only connect one power board to each socket and avoid connecting extension leads or piggybacking additional power boards to each other,” he says.
Upgrade your power boards
If you need more power sockets but can’t add them to your home, look to purchase a power board with individual power switches, circuit protection and USB charging ports, says Neophytou. “HPM USB Charger Powerboards Type A+C allow you to charge your laptop or smart devices via the USB ports and connect four products via the power sockets. The individual switches mean you can turn off the appliances you’re not using to conserve energy,” he says.
If you need more power sockets but can’t add them to your home, look to purchase a power board with individual power switches, circuit protection and USB charging ports, says Neophytou. “HPM USB Charger Powerboards Type A+C allow you to charge your laptop or smart devices via the USB ports and connect four products via the power sockets. The individual switches mean you can turn off the appliances you’re not using to conserve energy,” he says.
Put them where you need them
“Powerboards with USB connections are incredibly useful in bedrooms,” says Neophytou. “You can use one by the bed to charge your phone and smart device while also connecting other items such as a lamp, alarm clock and television,” he says.
“Other practical spots to use a USB power board include the home office for computers, printers and lamps, and high-traffic areas such as living rooms and kitchens where the family comes together.”
“Powerboards with USB connections are incredibly useful in bedrooms,” says Neophytou. “You can use one by the bed to charge your phone and smart device while also connecting other items such as a lamp, alarm clock and television,” he says.
“Other practical spots to use a USB power board include the home office for computers, printers and lamps, and high-traffic areas such as living rooms and kitchens where the family comes together.”
Smart habits to start
You can reduce the risk of overloading your power points and cut your energy usage by getting into a few practical habits, says Neophytou. These include:
You can reduce the risk of overloading your power points and cut your energy usage by getting into a few practical habits, says Neophytou. These include:
- Don’t plug a power board into another power board. This could overload the socket causing your home’s circuit protection to trip and even damage your electrical wiring.
- Where possible, charge devices via a USB port as the amount of power required is less and reduces the load on a single power point.
- Track your usage: the trick here is to know your consumption and which products are using the most energy. Consider investing in smart switches and sockets that allow you to monitor the consumption of individual appliances and lights.
- In the cooler months, flick your ceiling fan to the winter setting, which will make the blades turn in reverse and push hot air down from the ceiling.
- If you have air conditioning or heaters, only turn them on for a short time until the room is warm, then turn them off and let your fans do the rest.
- Set a timer to limit power usage throughout the day and activate appliances only when you need them.
Laser’s Smart Doorbell, which retails for AU$149.95
Other handy tricks
Other handy tricks
- Boiling the kettle consumes a lot of power in a short time (in Australia, the cost of boiling a kettle can be as much as $4.30 a day). If you’re having a coffee or tea break, only boil the amount you need for a cuppa when you need it – the water will boil faster, which reduces the amount of power used.
- Smart doorbells mean you don’t have to get up and down every time there’s a knock at the door or someone comes within 1.5 metres – a big help if you’re in an online meeting and the other members of your household can’t be interrupted. Instead, you can use an app to see who is at the front door and decide if you want to let them in.
Dyson V11 Outsize cordless vacuum, which retails for AU$1,299
- You’re probably cleaning like mad right now, and companies are putting out various useful appliances to make this side of things easier. For instance, you can cut down on time spent vacuuming with newer models that feature powerful suction and a bigger bin.
- Not using an appliance? Flick off the switch at the power point. Even when the items are not turned on, they’re still consuming power if they’re in standby mode.
Your turn
What are you doing to keep things running smoothly at home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more isolation advice? Don’t miss 30 More Things to Do at Home When Boredom Kicks In
What are you doing to keep things running smoothly at home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more isolation advice? Don’t miss 30 More Things to Do at Home When Boredom Kicks In
“With families working and studying together at home right now, there is more pressure on the internet. Traffic on our network is up between 10 and 30 percent,” says Harvey Wright, head of 5G at Optus Australia.
“If there are too many people on the internet at once and your internet cannot handle it, you will get bandwidth issues, which will result in streaming lags and video conferencing calls that are slow and will drop out – something you may notice when you and your partner are on work calls at home at the same time,” says Wright.