Why Does My Wi-Fi Connection Drop? We Unveil the Reasons

Work from home is the new normal, which has increased our dependency on the home wi-fi network. And that’s not all. Besides our daily online meetings and webinars, we need the Internet for Netflixing and online gaming. Amidst this heavy usage, nothing can be more annoying than a dropped wi-fi connection leaving you wondering why this happened. If this keeps happening multiple times a day, or even every day - you need to know the reason. To help you out, here we are discussing the reasons for the wi-fi connection drop.

Weak Signal Strength

If the device that is connected is near the edge of the wifi signal range of the network, there’s a possibility of a connection drop. The more you go away from the device, the more problem increases. While staying closer to the router solves the problem, this can’t be a permanent solution. Installing a mesh wi-fi system could be a solution to the problem. A mesh system will ensure strong signal strength in every part of the house.

Wireless Interference

Besides the router, other devices such as mobile phones, smart TVs, Bluetooth devices, and even microwaves emit signals in the house. Their radio signals can interfere with the signals of the Wi-Fi network. You can keep the router away from these devices, and the problem is solved. However, if you can’t control the signals emitted by the other devices and their interference on a wireless network, try changing the wi-fi ration settings of devices. Upgrade to a dual-band router so that your devices can be connected to both - 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Drivers Update

There’s a device driver in the computer enabling it to connect with the Wi-Fi network. It is based on the firmware that a router generates wi-fi signals. At times, firmware and network can affect the connectivity, if they need an update. In such a scenario, you need to check if your device has any pending driver update. Router manufacturers provide download links for new firmware on their website, and you can install the same from there.

Heavy Usage

When downloading, gaming, streaming - everything is going on simultaneously over the network, the connection might drop. This is a common problem with an easy solution. Instead of accommodating all the devices at one band, switch to a dual-band router. This might be an additional expense, but worth the time and wait. Another solution could be to limit the usage of the Internet on specific devices, especially if you have kids at home. Most kids are hooked to YouTube videos that demand high bandwidth. Look for the best wifi router with parental controls to restrict the amount of time kids spend on the Internet, block specific websites, and also turn off the Internet for a specific duration on these devices. This could be a good idea to prevent heavy usage while ensuring your kids are being exposed to the right content.

Final Words

Wifi connection drop is an indication that you need to pay attention to your home network and make upgradation, as required. We recommend investing in an advanced wifi router so that it can deal with heavy usage, weak signal strength, and wireless interference on its own.

Mark Jepson is an IT Engineer and his recent presentation about having parental control on computer has made many parents think about having parental control router settings enabled on their computing devices.