In spite of investing huge sums of money in Wi-Fi equipment, many businesses suffer from poor Wi-Fi connectivity. This results in employees staying tethered to their desks by the ethernet cables instead of working where they can be most productive. Getting to the root of Wi-Fi connectivity issues can help you take the right steps towards fixing it and helping restore flexibility and mobility at your workplace.
And that is exactly what this blog post aims to do. In the following sections, we will talk about the common reasons for slow Wi-Fi and poor connectivity at workplaces and what you can do to remedy them.
6 Common Reasons For Slow WiFi In The Workplace
1. Lack Of Network Management
We often forget how complex business networks really are. Our frame of reference for networks usually is the home network that is pretty much plug-and-play. Once you hook it up, it keeps running without you having to do anything. A network in the business environment is a completely different entity because it is very dynamic. The addition or removal of every new device or technology to your stack has an impact on the network performance.
The growing complexities of modern businesses, including work processes, security needs, compliance requirements, threat landscape, and customer and employee expectations make the optimal performance of networks a never-ending challenge. It needs real-time monitoring and constant maintenance.
Rectifying a lack of network management is pretty straightforward- you implement a network management solution. There are both commercial and open-source solutions available and depending on your in-house expertise and business requirements, you can choose one. While you are at it, it will also be a good idea to implement network management best practices.
But before you get to network management, it is important to understand your network performance. What are the benchmarks? What are the network performance expectations and what are you actually getting? To do this you can use network performance metrics such as bandwidth, throughput, latency, etc. Armed with this information, you will be able to set the right expectations and work towards achieving optimal network performance.
2. Poor Network Design Or Configuration
The performance of a network depends on many factors, the chief among them are network design, components, configurations, and security settings. During the network design process, proper consideration should be given to sizing, the study of the floor plan, selection of network topology, and the physical network infrastructure such as cabling, faceplates, patch panels, etc. The position of access points (APs) is especially important for offices with complex layouts with large windows, closed spaces, and a variety of building materials.
Even with multiple access points, Wi-Fi dead spots are common because the obstructions such as walls, beams, cupboards, partitions, etc. can hamper the proper functioning of Wi-Fi networks. Therefore, office spaces require multiple access points that are strategically located based on a careful study of their floor plan. Additionally, the access points need to be programmed to different channels to prevent co-channel interference, which impacts Wi-Fi performance negatively.
Proper utilization of dual-bands- 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz is another area where most businesses struggle. For example, a good practice is to reserve the 5 GHz band for technologies that require high bandwidth such as video conferencing and VR while the 2.4 GHz may be used for mobile devices.
You can also put certain kinds of devices such as IoT devices on a separate service set identifier (SSID) or virtual LAN (VLAN) to ensure that they receive adequate bandwidth and do not suffer from network congestion.
3. Poor Installation
Poor installation is another common cause of slow Wi-Fi and poor connectivity. Even if you have the right design and configuration, the installation still plays a significant role. Simply hanging the access points on the wall, tucking them inside an equipment rack, or stacking them is not the right way to go.
The installation depends on the type of AP - with external directional antennas or with an internal Omni-directional antenna. The height the APs are mounted on and the direction the antennas are facing also impact the coverage area and the connectivity experience. Installing APs on the ceiling is usually the best practice but they should be no more than 10 feet above the floor.
In fact, the placement and mounting of APs have many nuances and are best done by a professional. It is worth investing in a professional installation because that helps you get the most out of your equipment.
4. Bottleneck On The Wired Network
A wireless network doesn’t mean that wires are completely eliminated. In fact, the lack of proper utilization of cabling can negatively impact Wi-Fi performance because if the APs do not receive the necessary bandwidth via the cables, they will not be able to give optimal performance.
Connecting fixed network devices such as printers, network storage devices, etc. with Ethernet cables frees up the bandwidth for wireless dependent mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, etc. It may also be possible that the wired network connecting the APs is not able to handle the capacity. Robust underlying cabling is, therefore, absolutely essential for a healthy and high-performance Wi-Fi network.
5. Malware Infection
In spite of your best efforts, malware can sometimes infiltrate your network. But not every malware will hold you to ransom or cause outright damage. The malware may just hide somewhere in your network and do its best to evade detection. Such malware often uses network resources for activities such as crypto mining or exfiltrating data. In such cases, they will hog network resources and cause slowdowns.
To prevent malware infection and consequent network slowdowns, you need to employ network defenses and network security best practices. Effective use of security controls such as network firewalls, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), web and spam filters, etc. can safeguard your network from a wide range of cyberattacks including brute force attacks, Denial of Service (DoS), etc.
6. Higher Requirements Of Your Technology Stack
When was the last time you upgraded your network equipment? What has changed since then? It is likely that since then you have added more devices to your network. Those devices are surely faster than they used to be. You may have also added new technologies such as higher quality video conferencing equipment, virtual or augmented reality, more software and applications, and you are very likely downloading and uploading more and larger files to your servers.
To keep up with such growing demands, the network needs to keep up with the latest technologies. The performance of your ethernet network is usually a lot better than Wi-Fi when it comes to keeping up with the latest technologies. So most organizations prefer to use wired networks when working on bandwidth-intensive technologies. The lack of flexibility due to the inability to use certain technologies on Wi-Fi can limit productivity.
However, with the arrival of Wi-Fi 6E, the performance of wireless networks has received a serious boost. With a maximum throughput of 9.6 Gbps across multiple channels and up to 75% less latency Wi-Fi 6E bridges the gap between wired and wireless connectivity. Additionally, it is also less susceptible to interference even in areas with dense Wi-Fi signals.
Thanks to this performance boost to wireless networks, your employees will be able to better utilize technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, 8K video streaming, etc. without having to compromise on mobility.
Conclusion
Every modern workplace requires WiFi and it is unlikely that any office operates today only on a completely wired network. Wi-Fi has rightly become an integral component of business networks because it offers employees flexibility and mobility, helping build an employee-friendly workplace.
Unlike the Wi-Fi equipment at homes, Wi-Fi at the workplace is never plug-and-play. It requires concerted efforts, real-time monitoring, and constant maintenance to make it work right. With the right tools, processes, and expertise, Wi-Fi will work seamlessly, enabling everyone at the workplace to make productive use of digital tools and resources.
Is your business suffering from slow Wi-Fi and poor connectivity? Are you paying for high bandwidth, invested in high-end wireless equipment but not getting the expected speeds? Reach out to us by clicking the button below and we will help you solve any and all of your wireless network-related problems.
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About The Author
Hari SubediMarketing Manager at Jones IT
Hari is an online marketing professional with a focus on content marketing. He writes on topics related to IT, Security, Small Business, and Mindfulness. He is also the founder and managing director of Girivar Kft., a business services company located in Budapest, Hungary.