Improve Your Home Network

Sick of connection conundrums? Our detailed guide will help you neutralise network gremlins

- Nick Peers & Alex Blake

Network problems can be the most maddening of Mac maladies. Not only can they affect everyone in your home, but they can often be very difficult to identify and remedy.

Thankfully, that’s where this handy guide comes in. Over the following pages, we’ll take you through every step needed to get your network up and running and connection issues banished for good.

For example, we’ll show you how to pinpoint exactly what’s causing your problems, whether that’s a dead spot in your home or a crowded Wi-Fi channel. Once you know what’s at the root of the issue, fixing it becomes that much easier.

Most of the changes only require simple tweaks, so there’s no need to worry about complex adjustments and convoluted upgrades. Improving your home network needn’t be scary.

We’ll also cover the best ways to secure your network, find the best router for your needs and dispel a few myths along the way. By the end of our guide, your home network will be in the best shape of its life.

Improve network reliability

Follow these essential steps to ensure your network is stable and in good working order

There are so many potential network performance issues. Do you have problems with so-called ‘dead zones’ where your Wi-Fi connection is weak or non-existent? Do you find your internet connection slows down at certain times of day or even drops out periodically? Are there intermittent connection issues – either for your entire network or just a few devices?

Less critical issues require a systematic look at your network. Let’s start by quickly mapping its topography. Some routers (like the TP-Link Archer VR900) may provide this information about what’s connected within their administration pages, but if not, try sketching this out on paper or use a tool like SimpleMind Lite (free, App Store) to create a simple mind map.