You may have just given your home a spring clean over the Easter holidays, but did you think about doing the same to your Wi-Fi? Yes, that flashing black box that sits in the corner of your living room could definitely use some love at this time of year. Giving it a quick once-over could do wonders for your speeds and keep the connection to the web safe.
To give customers a nudge, Virgin Media has issued some new advice which includes checking the position of the router and also swicthing it off.
In a post on its website, Virgin said: “A quick WiFi safety check-up every now and again is never a bad idea.
“In fact, now we’re in spring, why not consider it a part of your spring cleaning?”
One of the best places to start is by giving the router a reset. Yes, that old trick of turning things off and back on again really can help.
Hitting the power button, waiting a few minutes, and then powering it back up will clear any bugs and also make sure things are fully updated.
“The firmware in your Hub monitors the security for your network, so it’s good to reboot your router once a month to make sure it’s running with all the security patches and updates it needs,” Virgin said.
Just remember that the reboot can take up to 10 minutes, so make sure nobody needs the web before starting the process.
Next up, it’s a good idea to check the placement of your Hub.
Having it in the wrong place won’t help your speeds and can also let neighbours hijack the connection.
“Finding the right spot is key if you don’t want to share your WiFi with a neighbour,” Virgin said.
“If you position the Hub away from an exterior or shared wall, it helps to keep your WiFi signal confined to your own household.”
The best place for the Wi-Fi is right in the middle of your property and get it as high up as possible.
So, you’ve rebooted the hub and moved it – now it’s time to see what devices are linked up to the Wi-Fi.
Virgin’s Connect app will show you exactly how many gadgets are running through the router and if there are any rogue phones, laptops or tablets that shouldn’t be there.
If you spot anything wrong, you can pause those devices and stop them accessing the web.
Another top tip is good to follow if you think you may have handed out your Wi-Fi code way too many times.
Virgin reckons homes should change the passphrase regularly via the Connect app. When doing do so it’s a good idea to make the code 12 digits long and use a mix of upper and lower case characters along with numbers.
Finally, you might want to switch your SSID broadcast. For those not aware, the SSID (Service Set Identifier) is what appears when scanning for local Wi-Fi networks on your phone, PC or tablet. Virgin says it’s simple to make this appear less recognisable, so it’s not as likely that neighbours or those passing by will try to access it.
“On the “WiFi Networks” section of the Connect app, you can swap the default network name and password for something less recognisable,” Virgin explained.
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