Besides not having to wake up so early and commuting to work, one rather huge difference we probably noticed (for those of us working-from-home, or just stuck at home) is the WiFi speed. Compared to the WiFi speed at uni or the office, your home WiFi suddenly feels extremely sluggish, no?
Well, unfortunately, that was to be expected. According to MCMC, the surge in bandwidth demand during this Movement Control Order (MCO) has led to slower internet speeds across Malaysia. The increased use of video conferencing, learning, shopping, even streaming shows online is just some of the many reasons your connection is slower than a snail. Aside from these, there are also a few other (very common) things you’re doing that’s slowing down your connection, here are some you might be guilty of:
1. Not switching off or restarting your router
Just like our phones, some of us like to leave our routers running 24/7 because, what if I suddenly want to Netflix in the middle of the night, am I right?
TIP:
- Just like any other electronic device, your WiFi router needs a break too
- The connection can get disrupted after long hours of usage or during peak hours where traffic on the networks is at its heaviest.
- Restarting your router or shutting it off at night can help refresh your WiFi connection and give you better work productivity. Your YouTube videos will probably stop playing at 720p instead of 1080p too! 😛
2. Your router isn’t placed at a central location
You can have the fastest, most seamless WiFi connection in the world but it won’t matter if the router is not placed in a strategic location in your house.
TIPS:
- The best spot to place your router is usually at a central part of your home
- Make sure there are no concrete, brick walls or metal objects surrounding it that could cause interferences
- Other wireless equipment nearby could also mess with the connections.
- Try and place your router on high places
- This is simply because routers channel internet signals downwards
- Doing so can give you the 5GHz band you’ve always dreamed of for faster WiFi connection.
3. You allow ads to pop-up left, right, and centre
If you’re one of those who are unfazed by the ads that pop-up on your browser ever so often, what is wrong witchu?! Not only do these ads increase congestion on the internet, but some of these malicious ads can contain phishing scams, malware and viruses!
TIPS:
- Download an ad blocker for your computer’s web browser
- To block ads on Android smartphone (yes, ads are notorious on smartphones too), follow these steps:
- Go to your Settings and search ‘Google‘
- Tap on ‘Google‘ > ‘Ads‘ > Switch on ‘Opt out of interest-based ads‘ or ‘Opt out of Ads Personalisation‘
- For iPhone users on the other hand:
- Go to your Settings
- Find ‘Ad Personalisation‘ and switch it off
Blocking ads on all your devices can reduce congestion and lead to quicker load times for web browsing or even loading Insta Stories!
4. You auto-sync all your apps
This is especially for those of you who have cloud-based apps which you rarely use or 19,287,981 different apps synced to your Google account. While the auto-sync function can be useful for apps we use often (especially if we’re constantly interchanging between our computers and handheld devices), they can also cause a lot of background data usage.
TIPS:
- Check through all your cloud-based apps (Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, Todoist, etc.) and disable the auto-sync function for any of the apps you barely use.
- Manually syncing your apps will help stop background data usage
5. If all else fails, plug in the ethernet cable for faster & reliable connections
For those of us who’ve had to endure video calls on Zoom or download massive files from clients, you’d know that it definitely takes a toll on your internet connection. It doesn’t help that the rest of Malaysia is also fighting for reliable internet connections.
TIP:
- If your connection starts pissing you off and it’s crunch time at work, try using an ethernet cable to connect to the internet
- A cable gives you a wired connection which is faster, stable and more consistent
- You’ll also get double or triple the speed compared to a wireless internet connection
It goes without saying that the internet and WiFi connection have always been a crucial part of our daily lives, more so now than ever with the implementation of the MCO.
So if you want to make sure you can focus 100% on work and not on fixing terrible WiFi connections, make sure you remember these tips! For more neat tips and tricks to make the most of your WiFi and data connections, watch this incredibly helpful video by Celcom:
Above all else, together with Celcom, we also want to remind Malaysians to continue to #StayIn and help keep Malaysia safe during this MCO, regardless how fast your internet connection is.
Remember, it takes every single one of us to make a difference, so be a responsible citizen and play your part! Remind your friends and family to do the same too!
One way you can do that and to show your support is by changing your display photo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so forth with Celcom’s very own #StayIn visuals! Simple yet powerful, it serves as a great reminder to all your friends and followers to stay at home and to show everyone you support this cause as well.
What’re you waiting for? Remember to share these important WiFi tips with friends and remind everyone to #StayIn!
