Diminishing wifi speeds is a key reason why sprawling French homes often have rooms totally out of wifi range. The main problem with wifi is effective coverage zone, yet with a little knowledge improving wifi coverage can be easy. When looking at a router’s wifi range it’s useful to compare it to the ripples you make when throwing a stone in a lake, which become weaker further out. Today’s routers can handle speeds from 100Mbps to 9.6Gbps, and as you only need 10Mbps to stream an ultra-high-definition film, even a slow router can provide ample speed. Wifi connection speeds depend on the distance from your router to your device. All other devices, unless very close to the router, will use wifi. Also, as cable is more resilient to failure than wifi, alarm and CCTV systems are often connected by cable.

Having a spider’s web of computer cable all through your home is not ideal, especially if your device has no cable socket! So, normally just a few key devices – the main TV and computer – are connected by cable. But the main problem with cables is convenience. If you can connect by cable, the incoming internet speed will generally also be the speed to the device. The cost to enable the connection is simply the price of the cable. Most routers have at least three, yet many devices have none. To connect a device by cable, both your router and your device will need to have an available ethernet socket. Should you connect your devices by wifi or cable? Your choice will depend on four key factors: speed, distance, convenience and cost. You may have purchased ultra-fast broadband (equivalent to a huge mains water pipe), but unless you turn on your tap, and make sure the devices are connected properly, your wifi speed and coverage could be lousy.

The mains water feed is the speed of your incoming internet and the water flow is your wifi speed. Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that improving coverage and maximising your wifi signal can often be done for nothing. We’ve yet to find a router that comes with instructions to tell you how to maximise your speeds.

Can you connect using a cable? If not, will your router’s wifi reach everywhere? Even to your adjoining gîte? So now everyone can browse websites using their phone, PC, tablet, or similar device – or can they?Ĭonnecting devices to your router, or ‘box’ as the French like to call them, can remain a challenge. You’ve succeeded! Not only do you have a French home, but the postie has just delivered an internet router for your new broadband, complete with wifi.

Internet signal booster