As COVID-19 (the disease caused by the 2019 coronavirus) spread worldwide, going out has become a dream, and working from home has become a reality for many.

If your Wi-Fi goes off while you're watching a movie, it’s a bummer. But if this happens when you are talking to your boss via Skype or having a meeting via Zoom, it will be a disaster. To avoid the above when working from home, here are some ways to optimize your home Wi-Fi experience.

Part 1: Optimize based on your router

Part 2: Optimize together with other products (Coming Soon)

Part 1: Optimize based on your router

1. Move closer to your router

The distance between the router and your devices will impact the connection speed. Moving your devices closer to the router will ensure a better connection, and it may be the most effective solution with the least amount of hassle.

2. Find a good spot for your router

The Wi-Fi speed is affected by distance, obstacles (such as walls and ceilings), electronic interference, and the number of devices connected to the network. Therefore, try to place your WiFi router in a central, open location to maximize signal coverage. Furthermore, keep it away from other electronics that may cause interference, such as microwaves, refrigerators, and cordless phones.

3. Update your router’s firmware

Firmware improvements can fix annoying bugs, help your router maintain optimal performance, and sometimes even add support for faster speed. For your TP-Link router, you can go to the router’s web management page or the Tether app to update the firmware. The latest firmware will also be released on the TP-Link official website, where you can download it for free.

4. Change the Wi-Fi channel

If neighboring wireless networks are using the same channel as yours, then you will experience signal congestion due to a large number of connected devices.

If you have a dual-band router, you can switch the router from a 2.4 GHz WiFi channel to 5 GHz for faster speed and less interference. If your router is limited to 2.4 GHz, try to change to a fixed channel 1, 6, or 11.

5. Prioritize your network traffic with QoS

Gaming, video calls, and movie streaming consume a lot of bandwidth. If your router (e.g. TP-Link Archer C4000) supports the QoS (Quality of Service) feature, you can prioritize the internet traffic of specific online activities, such as gaming or streaming. Activities set as high priority will be allocated more bandwidth and run smoothly even when there is heavy traffic on the network.