If you use a standard Wifi router in your home here in the UAE you will be dealing with its limitations, however, you may not realise it is your home network that is slowing your internet down. Slow connection, reduced bandwidth and patchy coverage are just some of the problems homeowners face when it comes to Wifi in the home and the solution is not to pay for faster internet from Du or Etisalat. What is the solution?
But first why do we struggle so much with systems here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which work all over the world and maybe even worked well in our last apartment? What can we do to fix our on-going Wifi problems?
The biggest problem
The main reason home Wifi systems struggle in the UAE is that apartment blocks and villas are generally built using thick reinforced concrete walls and flooring. While this is a solid construction technique for the region, it is not conducive to good Wifi coverage throughout the home so your domestic grade Wifi will struggle reducing your home network bandwidth.
Wifi versus reinforced concrete walls
Wifi works using high frequency short range radio waves to transmit data. These waves struggle to penetrate our thick walls and floor effectively. Furthermore, anything that boosts can have a detrimental effect by increasing what’s known as the Noise to Signal Ratio – boosted signals aren’t great. Using boosters and repeaters adds more noise and is another user on your already stretched network. Plug and play home networking Wifi systems simply aren’t up to the task in apartments and villas throughout the UAE merely because of the way they have been built.
Apartment living
If you live in an apartment rather than a villa then you will likely encounter another problem – other people’s Wifi signals interfering with your own. There are only so many channels within a Frequency Band that can be used for Wifi networking. The more networks there are – the more interference your network will have to get through. Although most routers allow you to change the channel you are operating on – there is no active scanning to show you what your neighbors are using. The more congestion on a channel / frequency, the slower the connection will be.
The Internet of Things
We are all becoming more and more connected. That means our Phone, our Tablet, even our watch are connecting to Wifi these days. That is on top of TVs, desktops, Laptops, smart TVs, Apple TV, Kodi, Firestick even your fridge! With a normal Wifi setup your router is having to use a lot of airtime just to separate the network traffic; let alone transmit to data to and from each user. Your home network Wifi bandwidth will be reduced with every user.
Aren’t there 2 Frequencies?
The modern Wifi standard is now Wifi AC. However, a lot of people are still using (and buying) Wifi N standard which is outdated. Wifi AC uses both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies to get high data transfer rates. However, home networking tools such as Apple Airport Extreme and Time Capsule and a lot of the ISP supplied D-Link Routers have the faster 5 GHz frequency available but not activated by default. So most home users are using less than half of their Router capacity. Furthermore, even if it is enabled the 5 GHz Wifi network will be a separate SSID (Wifi network name) and password. Not ideal.
Can’t I just buy another router?
While other products may claim to have the ability to fix your Wifi problems they don’t work here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Claims to boost signal increase the noise and most users are not benefitting from the latest data rates so ultimately it is your home network that is letting you down. Furthermore having 2 home routers to provide your home Wifi doesn’t work very well. They are designed to be deployed independently so don’t integrate well, they can interfere with each other and they don’t hand users off to each other.
What about increasing my Internet Speed from Du or Etisalat?
If you have home internet speed issues your ISP (Du or Etisalat) will try to sell you ‘faster’ internet. If you have a standard eLife or home internet package above 15 Mbps then unless you are a hardcore gamer or streaming multiple 4K videos the problem is not your internet connection – it is your home network. As a bonus, improving your home network will allow you to reduce your monthly spend on internet.
What is the solution?
To combat the walls you need multiple Access Points that produce their own Wifi signal around your home. UAE homes are generally wired with multiple network cables so these Access Points can be installed where you need them. Your home network needs to scan the Radio Environment to ensure it’s transmitting on a low noise Channel. Users need to be roamed automatically across frequencies and Access Points to ensure they have seamless strong and stable Wifi across their home. Aquila Wifi can bring this to your home in the most economical manner, for less than the cost of a typical high end router.
What can Aquila Wifi do for you?
Aquila Wifi will give you bespoke advice based on your specific home network needs to give you strong and stable Wifi now while future proofing you for the requirements of the future. Our system has been improved over many installations to ensure that it offers unparalleled Wifi coverage throughout your home without any loss of speed or quality of the connection. The home network we install is scaleable and portable. Once we have completed the setup it can move with you to your next home and if your needs expand we will be happy to add to it for you.
Contact Aquila Wifi now at betterwifi@aquilawifi.com.
