In today's day and age, whether you're working from home or simply coordinating various devices for personal and entertainment uses, you can't afford to lose network Wi-Fi coverage in any part of your home. A common culprit here in the past has been what are known as "dead zones" that are sometimes found in certain home networks -- but modern technology is helping make these a thing of the past.
At AVI Systems, we're proud to offer the very best home networking solutions in Salt Lake City and nearby areas, ensuring that all our clients are connected at all times within their homes. Removing dead zones is one of our key functions here -- if you're still utilizing an older or less effective network, here are some of the possible causes of these dead spots, plus how to identify them and why an upgrade to one of our systems will remove this issue for good, in this two-part blog series.
Causes of Wi-Fi Dead Spots
The simplest cause of Wi-Fi dead spots is this: Most buildings, including homes, were built before Wi-Fi even existed. This means that the building's layout, plus any furniture and appliances within it, were not designed with network coverage in mind. As a result, there are going to be certain areas of your home where the signal just doesn't reach as well as others.
This is often especially true in larger homes, or those with more walls or other physical obstructions between the router and various rooms. But even in smaller homes, there can be trouble areas where the signal doesn't seem to reach as well -- and these are the dead spots we're talking about.
Another common cause of Wi-Fi dead spots has to do with your router itself. Older routers often have a very limited range, and may not be able to cover a larger home effectively. Additionally, if your router is placed in a central location but there are still physical obstructions between it and the dead zone areas, that can also contribute to the problem.
How to Find Dead Zones
There are a few different ways you can go about finding dead zones within your home network. One is simply to walk around your home with a device that uses Wi-Fi and see where the signal is strongest and weakest. If you have trouble accessing the internet or loading apps in certain areas, chances are you've found a dead zone.
Another way to pinpoint dead zones is by using a special tool like a heatmap. This will show you, visually, where the signal is strongest and weakest in your home. This can be a helpful way to identify problem areas so that you can make changes to your network accordingly.
In part two of our series, we'll go over how to get rid of dead zones, including how products like the ones we offer will benefit you. For more on this, or to learn about any of our home automation services in SLC or nearby areas, speak to our team at AVI Systems today.