A reliable internet connection is critical in almost every industry. Whether a small startup or a large enterprise, your IT team is crucial in ensuring every department has fast and stable office internet so that the entire organization can operate at peak performance. Let’s explore six practical strategies from a fast internet provider to boost productivity and connect each of your teams with consistent internet performance.
1. Utilize Wired Network Connections
Reliable Connectivity: Fiber internet in the Philippines that use wired connections offer more stability and more consistent speeds than Wireless connections. Consider the following:
- Protect Critical Devices: Wire up servers, workstations, and devices that require low latency and fast internet. Ethernet connections are less susceptible to performance fluctuations. Consider also using a wired connection for video and audio conferencing devices to ensure optimal call quality.
- Reduce the Load On Your Access Points (AP): More devices connected through your wireless access point can cause signal degradation. Using more wired connections lowers the load on your wireless APs and keeps your channels less congested.
2. Optimize Access Point Placement
Smart Positioning: Access points (APs) are critical for WiFi coverage. ISPs in the Philippines recommend maximizing their effectiveness. Consider the following:
- Use Strategic Placement: Position APs in central locations that can cover the largest area without interference. Be aware that walls and metal objects between the AP and your computers can disrupt signals.
- Prevent Signal Overlap: Signals from neighboring APs can overlap and cause interference. Make sure your APs are using different transmission channels to avoid this.
- Regularly Assess Your Network Equipment: Periodically check signal strength throughout your office. Use tools like WiFi analyzers to identify dead zones or weak spots. Adjust AP placement as needed.
3. Use Multiple Access Points
Load Distribution: Relying on a single AP can lead to congestion, especially in areas with many users. Here’s how to distribute the load:
- Consider Additional Wireless Access Points: One of the most effective solutions to distribute network load is connecting additional access points to your primary device through its ethernet ports. This allows you to connect more wireless devices without sacrificing performance.
- Deploy a Mesh Network: If you are trying to improve your coverage in an area where it’s hard to run a cable, another option is to deploy a mesh wifi solution. They can extend your coverage; however, you will experience more inconsistent performance than a wired Access Point. Look for newer models with “tri-band” or “quad-band” with dedicated channels connecting access points to each other to get the best performance.
4. Invest in an Alternate Internet Service Provider
Redundancy: Having a fast internet provider isn’t enough for large-scale operations. Investing in a backup internet connection for Fiber Internet in the Philippines is a valuable asset that safeguards your operations and prevents them from being hindered in case your primary connection fails. Here’s why:
- Ensure Business Continuity: Even an hour of downtime can cost your company revenue and opportunities. A sudden disruption can damage your operations and customer experience, particularly with businesses that handle real-time transactions.
- Prepare For a Network Outage: While your Internet Service Provider (ISP) makes a great effort to maintain their network, outages are not unheard of. They can be caused by various factors like fiber cuts and hardware failure. Secure a backup connection with an ISP that uses a different network than your primary ISP to make your connection more redundant.
5. Investigate Internet Options
Types of Internet Connections: Your connectivity needs to provide sufficient capacity for all of your staff to work without encountering congestion and slowdowns. ISPs in the Philippines offer different kinds of internet connections. Depending on the scale of your operations, you might need more than just bandwidth. Here are the differences between the two main types of internet products:
- Shared Internet Connection: Usually offering “up to” speeds, this type of connection is adequate for smaller businesses that don’t rely on the Internet for their operations. Actual speed and latency can vary dramatically between peak and off-peak usage. It’s a cost-effective option but doesn’t guarantee high speeds and low latencies.
- Dedicated Internet Connection: This type of connection is ideal for large enterprises requiring consistent and high-performance bandwidth. Consider this option if your business requires the lowest latencies and symmetrical upload and download speeds.
6. Review Networking Tools
Modernize Your Gear: Outdated and malfunctioning equipment can bottleneck Internet performance. Here’s what to assess:
- Assess Your Hardware: Evaluate your networking equipment. Faulty or outdated hardware can easily impede your connection.
- Inspect Your QoS Configurations: Different departments and applications can have different bandwidth requirements in any office. Introducing Quality of Service (QoS) tools can make your connection more efficient. Your network will be able to favor crucial applications through traffic prioritization while limiting utilization in some areas that don’t require high bandwidth.
Remember, implementing these strategies can ensure smoother operations and happier employees, but each strategy will depend on your current set-up and resources. If you are unsure which strategy is the most effective for your office setup, contact a fast internet provider like RISE. With your internet at peak performance, your staff will experience fewer issues!