One of the topics that comes up from time to time in social media is the topic of wi-fi speeds. We made a quick video here in Washington that talks about where to place your router and a couple of other topics. We hope this is helpful.
Just to be clear about the purpose of this video, it’s designed to be a video version of some excellent blog posts our company has offered, such as http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/10-ways-you-might-be-killing-your-home-wi-fi-signal and http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/five-ways-to-get-better-wi-fi-at-an-event
On those occasions when wi-fi seems slow, there are many reasons you might not be getting the wi-fi you want. Sometimes, the cause is us – there might be a signal or equipment issue. Absolutely *nothing* in this video is meant to imply that the video topics are the only reason one might be getting a weak Wi-Fi signal. Please let me say that again. Nothing in this video is meant to take away from Comcast’s responsibility to provide you with the fastest wi-fi.
That said, even just yesterday, I was talking to someone about this video and they said, “Oh, I had no idea you shouldn’t put your router on the floor.” And hardly anyone I know outside of Comcast is aware of the trouble that older equipment might cause in the wi-fi experience.
Speaking of that, the video hints at the issue of older equipment, but can’t go into all possible details on that topic. I was, and still am, worried that someone might just look at a piece of old equipment and assume, “Oh that must be my problem.” Here’s how to understand the issue, borrowed from a great PDF wi-fi resource from RCN:
It is also important to understand that older legacy Wi-Fi devices using 802.11g or 802.11b can in fact slow down the wireless network for everybody. When possible, try to only use 802.11n client devices to optimize your wireless network’s performance.
An older device doesn’t ruin a network, but it can slow it down. You could do a speed test before and then after removing the device from use. There should be a label on any device that says what 802… it is.
My huge thanks to our video production manager Ed Hauge and technical supervisor Timothy Johnston for this video. By the way, before I forget, I wanted to add that nothing in this video excuses Comcast from providing you the best Xfinity experience. If you’re having wi-fi troubles, click here for ways to contact Comcast about Xfinity products and services.