Understanding Wi-Fi
Many wireless routers are advertised with gigabit speed on the box, but that's not wholly accurate. The advertised speed is tested in a highly controlled lab environment without the day-to-day obstacles that'll slow your connection down. Walls, distance from the router, and even other devices will stop that wireless connection from reaching its potential top speed. A wireless router in the average home can only expect to reach around 25-33% of its potential speed. Learn how to get the fastest speed possible with our Gigabit service.
The Wi-Fi compatibility of the device you're trying to connect with is also important. Older devices are limited by the Wi-Fi technology at the time of their production. Think of it as an older car with an older engine not being able to get to the same speeds as a modern car with a more advanced engine.
Wireless Router's 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz Network Bands
Most modern routers (including the Ting Router) can communicate with your devices in two different ways: the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band.
The 2.4 GHz band has a broad reach and isn't much hindered by physical obstacles like walls. There's a catch, though--service speeds are pretty slow on 2.4 GHz. This is because most household objects operate on this frequency. Things like microwaves, baby monitors and game controllers all clog up your router's communication with the device you're trying to use and this slows it down.
On the other hand, the 5 GHz band can process a lot more information and is less clogged. This makes the 5 GHz band a much faster network to operate on. Unlike 2.4 GHz, physical obstacles do affect this connection much more. The 5 GHz band operates best when there's a "line-of-sight" between the router and a device.
Connecting to the 5 GHz Band
Your device must be close to the router (within range) and support 5 GHz connectivity to detect and connect to that band. Many newer (from 2013 forward) laptops, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs have built-in 5 GHz support. It's always best to check with the manufacturer's website or user guide to confirm the device's available connection options.
When to Use the 5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz
You should connect to the 5 GHz band when you're within line of sight of your wireless router or if the signal strength (number of bars) is equal to or better than your 2.4 GHz network. Most devices will connect to the first network it encounters instead of picking the one with better performance, so you will need to manually select it from your device settings to get the best experience.
Wi-Fi Connection Dropping
This usually happens when the signal strength to the router is weak or something is interfering. The best way to solve for this is to move closer to the router or add Wi-Fi extenders into your home network to improve the overall wireless range.
Wi-Fi will also drop from time to time if the router has been running for a long time without being restarted. We recommend you reboot your router by turning it off an back on, also known as power cycling.
- Unplug the power cable from the router or the wall plug.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Plug the power back in.
- Wait for the router to restart and automatically reconnect to the Internet.
This process may take up to 3 minutes, and all lights will turn back on.
Only One Wi-Fi Name
When you see only one network name on a newer router, it means your router is set up in mesh mode. Mesh mode is smart enough to connect your device to the best network possible based on signal strength and how far your device is from the router. The router does all the work and you won't have to worry about picking one network over another. We've got a whole article on mesh networks if you want to learn more.
Determining Device Signal Strength
Most Wi-Fi devices will have a graphical indicator showing the wireless signal strength between the device and your Wi-Fi router. Others will also show an actual value for signal in decibel-milliwatts, which can provide an even more meaningful understanding of your wireless network.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No service 0 bars |
Weak 1 bars |
Fair 2 bars |
Good 3 bars |
Excellent 4 bars |
Apple iOS devices
Settings > Wi-Fi
MacOS devices
Android devices
Settings > Wireless/Network & Internet
Windows 10 devices
Settings > Network & Internet
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