Home Internet/Wi-Fi Troubleshooting Tips

Quick fixes
If you are connected wirelessly, try moving your laptop closer to your wireless access point or router.

Try connecting your computer directly to your router via a wired Ethernet cable, instead of relying on the WiFi in your home (newer laptops may need an adapter).
Limit non-essential activities (such as Netflix streaming or gaming) by family members on your home network while you are working. Consider scheduling internet time for family members who are using bandwidth for non-essential activities.

To prevent or address issues with Zoom:
Test your audio or video connection on the Zoom test site at https://zoom.us/test

If you are connecting from a laptop, plug the laptop into wall power. Battery use can adversely affect video quality.

If you are experiencing audio or video issues, turn off your Zoom video camera during a call. Sending only audio to meeting participants preserves bandwidth and improves audio quality.

See our section “Tips for Using Zoom on a Chromebook” https://mo02202299.schoolwires.net/Page/23494

OTHER OPTIONS TO ADDRESS BANDWIDTH PROBLEMS
Restart your Modem
Try unplugging your modem from power, waiting 10 seconds and then plugging it back in. It is possible that it’s been running for a very long time and just needs to clear its memory.

Note: Your internet router can take up to 10 minutes to fully reboot.

Ask About Upgrading Your Modem or Router
Routers/modems have improved over time. Ask your ISP if it can tell how old yours is and whether you’d get faster service if it sent you a new one.

Check Your Network Names
Older routers often offer two different networks at the same time: one that runs at 2.4 GHz, and another that runs at 5 GHz (ie. Homenetwork-2.4/ Homenetwork-5.0). Think of the 2.4 network as the slow lane. It can travel further, but can’t transmit data as quickly. The 5 network is faster, and it’s less crowded, but can’t travel as far through walls. Newer WiFi routers automatically switch you to whichever is best for wherever you’re trying to connect, but older ones ask you to select one, so try switching it up.

Move Your Router to the Middle of the House
Often routers are connected to wherever in the house the cable connection enters. In many cases this is somewhere in the basement. If you are beaming WiFi from one corner of your house, you are sending a high percent of your signal out to your neighbors, the backyard or the street. When moving your router, keep it away from obstacles containing metal or water that will block the WiFi signal.

Note: On a shelf is better than the floor. Upstairs is better than in the basement.

How to Test Your Bandwidth
You can test your connection speed to the Internet using links such as https://www.speedtest.net/. Once you open the site, click on Go. This test will show your current upload and download speeds. If you are using Zoom you are streaming TO the internet, so look at your UPLOAD SPEED.

Note: To hold a Zoom video conference, you will need up to 3 Mbps of download and 3 Mbps of upload.