The holidays are a magical time. No matter how you celebrate, the winter months signify the end of the year and new beginnings. For many people, this means celebrations, family, and feasting. Whether sitting around a table, heralding the new year, or rocking around the Christmas tree, there are moments to share and memories to create with friends and family.
Connection
As the holidays draw near, your mind may be focused on decorations, menu planning, or what to wear, but another consideration should be at the top of your list: strong Wi-Fi.
Sharing all of those holiday memories, well wishes, and festivities requires strong connections. According to a study funded by Google, some 28% of people say that they can’t live without Wi-Fi, and more than 80% of respondents have experienced Wi-Fi issues at their homes. Give your family what they REALLY want this year — a dependable Wi-Fi connection.
The Issue of Routers
Having a fast connection has little to do with your router. While you do need to be strategic with how you place your router, even fast routers start to slow down with enough distance. Instead, keep in mind how much bandwidth you use in your home. If you are like most people, you may have a streaming device on your tv, a laptop or two, and smartphones for most members of your family — but that is just scratching the surface. The smarter your home, the more devices you need to consider. Intelligent home assistants like Alexa, Wi-Fi-enabled security cameras, and online gaming can gobble up your bandwidth.
Preserving Speed
With so much to tax your home’s internet, it would not be surprising if it ran slowly sometimes. Now the holidays add an extra complication. More people mean more devices, and the holidays mean more reasons to connect. To keep everyone connected — literally and figuratively — make sure your provider offers as much bandwidth as you need. Something like 25 Mbps is fine if you are just streaming movies and have few people under your roof, but if you have a gamer at home, stream 4k, or host a ton of people, you will save your sanity by having 100 Mbps or more. Just make sure you have a router that can handle it!
Network Security
Your wireless service also needs to be secure. Last-minute Christmas shopping, next-day delivery, and buying groceries for pickup could make your family or your guests vulnerable to hackers. Lock it down by adding a password to your router and changing the default network name. Your default login info is fine for getting your home network set up, but hackers can guess them easily. Instead, choose a name for your Wi-Fi network that doesn’t make where you live or who you are obvious, then add a secure Wi-Fi password. Ideally, you will want to change your password every month or so. Make sure it isn’t something easy to guess. For extra protection, encrypt your Wi-Fi network via your router settings too.
Setting Up your Wi-Fi for the Holidays
Make sure that as you prepare for holiday parties, dinners, and guests, that your Wi-Fi is set up correctly so loved ones can easily connect and document memories. Optimize your network for the best speed, the strongest connection, and the most security. With a little effort, you can make this holiday season one to remember — and not because of Wi-Fi issues at your house! Your friends and family deserve the best.
