A reader is having problems getting a good WiFi signal. But in this case, the WiFi is provided by the apartment where he lives. He writes: “I live in an assisted living establishment with furnished WiFi. Often I can only get download speeds of 1 MBPS or less. Is there anything I can do to get better reception. I have tried a Netgear WN111v2 adapter and it does not seem to help. Any advice would be appreciated.”
Do you know what speed connection your facility is offering? It’s possible they may not have enough for all the residents who need to use it. Is anyone else having a similar problem? If so, it’s time to talk to the management. They either need to pay for a better connection or perhaps put in a few WiFi extenders to make sure the signal reaches everyone.
How’s your signal strength? If the signal isn’t very strong, you might want to try a USB WiFi antenna to see if that boosts it. The location of your apartment in the facility could play a role in the problem.
~ Cynthia
I would suggest that you do a little walking around your apartment/unit with a portable network device and watch the WiFi signal strength. If you find a strong signal spot, purchase a NETGEAR N330 (about $30) and configure it for your WiFi network. Then plug it in at the strongest location possible. This will work as a bridge and simply transfer your data in both directions. If you don’t find a strong spot, Cynthia’s is mostly on target. You should contact the management in your facility. If the have sufficient data rates, it could be that the WiFi spots are insufficient or not properly placed. In any event, while any one of the solutions is simple, determining which is THE solution will take some work.