Keep in mind that channel congestion can change over
time, so if you choose a channel manually, you may
want to check in once in a while to make sure it’s still
the best one.
- KICK OFF WI-FI INTRUDERS
It’s entirely possible the problem has nothing to do with
interference or Wi-Fi range. If your network is open, or
has a weak password, you could have an unwanted
guest or two piggybacking on your network. If the
neighbor is downloading all eight seasons of Game of
Thrones on your Wi-Fi, your video chats will suffer.
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Wi-Fi, which may help you sniff out uninvited
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your own kids is sucking up bandwidth without you
realizing it. (If so, here’s how to kick them off).
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secure your network with a strong password—
preferably WPA2, as WEP is notoriously easy to crack—
so others can’t join in.
- CONTROL QUALITY
Most modern routers come with Quality of Service
(QoS) tools to limit the amount of bandwidth that apps
use, like the Netgear menu below.
For example, you could use QoS to prioritize video calls
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won’t drop just because someone else is grabbing a big
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grandma is more important.) Some QoS settings even
allow you to prioritize different apps at different times
of day.
It’s entirely
possible your
home network
problem has
nothing to
do with
interference or
Wi-Fi range.