Kurt Jefferson, Central Kentucky Computer Society
Shortly before Halloween last year, I noticed my Internet connection was getting slower and slower. I would visit CKCS.org to check the latest newsletter. Then I would visit The Animal Rescue Site to give free food to shelter pets. The Animal Rescue Site | Click to Feed Rescue Animals (greatergood.com)
Molasses pours faster out of the bottle than my Internet service. So I ran the free Speedtest app on my Macs and iPad. My Internet speed was as fast as usual.
But the connection was problematic. Pages were relatively slow to load. Delivery of email was on the pony express route. I would open my email app, and new mail would eventually appear.
I considered what was going on and realized that my eight–year–old WiFi router might be the problem. Most folks don’t realize the beating their routers encounter. They can get very warm and have to deal with interference from neighbors’ signals, microwave ovens, and even wireless landline phones. In addition, electrical spikes in the home (when the refrigerator compressor kicks on or the dryer is running) can take a toll on the router, even if it’s plugged into a surge protector.
After checking everything I could think of, I ordered a new TP-Link router from Amazon (using smile.amazon.com, so CKCS gets a portion of what I’m paying Amazon.)
TP-Link is one of the top-rated routers, according to thewirecutter.com, one of my favorite review websites.
If you’re wondering about your Wi-Fi router’s performance, here are some signs your device is failing, according to robots.net:
Republished with permission of Central Kentucy Computer Society.