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Wilmington, Delaware U.S.A. 19901
Tel: 1-302-123-7777
Understanding the WiFi Signal Limitations
Few technologies get bashed more often than WiFi. And for good reason, it seems. Anytime our mobile devices, be them tablets or phones, begin to
act in a weird way, we instinctively start looking at the number of bars that show the power of the WiFi signal.
We are seeing progress in many tech areas, and WiFi networks are definitely on the list. However, we can't seem to get these wireless connections
behave properly in real-world conditions.
So, how much does this technology have to evolve to keep us all happy? Sadly, the answer is much more complicated than it should be.
To begin with, the US has a poor Internet infrastructure. Under these circumstances, all you can do is to maximize the WiFi speed until it hits the
infrastructure bottleneck. Some people try to achieve fast, reliable wireless connections by using u.fl cables to connect high gain antennas to their
laptops, for example. Others use mesh routers to extend WiFi range. Modern signal extenders work to a certain degree as well, but only if they are
properly positioned. And some people have even moved away from WiFi, choosing Powerline adapters instead.
It is true that we've got plenty of options when it comes to boosting WiFi performance. But how about fixing the main problem first?
It's surprising, but the recent technical advances have also led to poor quality hardware. Back in the day, when there were only a few major players
on the market, hardware was built with the customer in mind, because the profit margins were good enough.
Competitors coming from China have reset the market, though. The US network equipment manufacturers have tried to compete with their East Asian
competitors by lowering prices, but this has led to poorer network hardware. Of course, you can always buy an expensive router that's built using
high quality components and antennas, but very few people are able to tell the difference when it comes to comparing a $50 and a $300 router.
It happens in many industries: manufacturers test their products in ideal conditions, which can never be reproduced in normal homes or offices. More
than that, each new client (device) that requests a WiFi connection with the router slows it down a bit. It is true that most routers can handle up to
15...20 clients simultaneously, but they struggle doing that, and it shows!
Outdated client devices are an important part of the problem as well. The router has to send data packets at the lowest speed, the one that is
supported by the oldest device, and this limits data transfer speeds for the modern network clients. So, if you've got an old phone or tablet, it can
decrease the WiFi speed a lot.
I have mentioned the positive technological advances at the beginning of this article, and for a good reason. The second 802.11ac technology wave
has arrived, and it's supposed to boost WiFi speeds by up to 300%. The main innovations which make this speed increase possible are beamforming and
wider frequency channels.
Not only that, but Wave 2 routers are also able to support MU-MIMO - multiuser multiple input, multiple output. This feature is especially useful in
business environments, where the constantly growing number of network hardware and IoT devices have angered many admins for quite some time
now.
Wave 1 devices were only able to reach gigabit speeds over WiFi under ideal conditions, in the lab. According to the specialists, network devices that
will be built according to the Wave 2 standard will easily exceed that speed, providing a solid performance that should be good enough for the years to
come. Still, to enjoy this highly desirable speed boost, mesh based devices, or at least networks that make use of additional access points, will be
needed.
LATEST BLOG ARTICLES
Top 5 Web Programming Languages
It happens just like in the fashion world: new things emerge, and others become obsolete. As a software developer, you need to keep up with all these
changes - otherwise, you may lose your job! Here are the top programming languages of the moment. A hint: most of them look like they're here to
stay!
Java isn't a new programming language, and this explains why it has got close to 25% of the market share. The recent growth is due to... Android, the
operating system that's used for millions of millions of mobile apps.
Developers used to bash Java in the past, because of its slow speed. Things have improved lately, though, because the hardware has become much
faster, and the programming language itself has got some speed improvements as well.
Since Java applications can be found on almost any device, starting with your smart sandwich maker and ending with space shuttles, any Java
programmer should be able to keep his or her job, at least in the near future.
Python is another slow programming language, but it looks like it's here to stay. And the main reason for its success is code readability. It's the best
programming language for beginners, because it can deal with lots of coding errors, and it is really easy to learn. So, if you've ever wanted to
experience what it's like to be a programmer, Python may be your best bet.
Ah, PHP! What would we do without it? PHP is certainly one of the most popular web programming languages in the entire world. Over 80% of the
world's websites, including WordPress and Tumblr, utilize PHP for their coding.
Some people complain about its lack of elegance, and they are true to a certain degree, but if you are interested in getting a job as a web developer,
PHP is one of the safest options out there.
MySQL is ideal for larger web-based applications. It runs fast, uses standard SQL queries, and it is really easy to use. It's the perfect complement to
PHP, because the duo helps you connect to, and then manipulate databases. And the good news doesn't stop here: PHP and MySQL help you create
cross-platform applications. In other words, you can develop your application using the Windows operating system, for example, and then deploy it on
a UNIX-based server.
JavaScript is much newer in comparison with Java, and besides the similar names, there isn't any relationship between these two programming
languages. Many programmers have built useful JavaScript-based frameworks, helping people create mobile applications that make use of HTML and
CSS. This way, web developers can easily create mobile apps without having to learn a new programming language.
I hope that you like these five web programming languages. There are more, of course, but these ones have successfully stood the test of time, and it
looks like they're here to stay. Fortunately, there are lots of places on the Internet where you can learn pretty much everything there is to know
about them for free.
Here are a few great resources to get you started:
How to Design the Perfect Website
So, you want to build a new website for your business. That's a great idea! Most business owners want to have great-looking websites, but there are
several other things that need to be taken into account.
The first option is to build the website yourself. It's not that complicated, if you are familiar with HTML and CSS coding. Still, be sure to make your site
look professional - don't just clone a poorly built template that you've downloaded somewhere on the web!
Actually, using a premade website template may be a good option, especially if you aren't using a free one. There are sites like ThemeForest where you
can purchase good-looking, high quality website templates for $50 or so. The only drawback is that you're going to have a hard time customizing
them, unless you are a web designer.
Websites like Wix offer easy to use what-you-see-is-what-you-get web builders, but they try to lock you into their system. In other words, they help
you build a website that looks nice, but then they make it very hard (or impossible!) for you to export it, with the goal of using your own hosting
account. You can always go for one of their premium plans, of course, but I'd say that you should always choose total control over your website files,
rather than being tied to a certain provider.
If you need a new site for your business, the best solution is to hire a website designer. Prices will be bigger, but you will get to have your say during
the design process, rather than being stuck with the basic options that are provided by a premade template. Contact us for a fair price quote!
If you go for a custom website design, try to get involved in the project as early as possible. In fact, you should have a mockup of your website (even
if it's an ugly looking one) which includes everything that you need before contacting any designer! Don't let them take decisions for you, because
they will not be aware of all your business' needs!
Then, once that you have gotten all the needed pages in place, be sure to ask your designer to streamline website navigation. Most designers manage
to get the inner website pages closer than five mouse clicks away from the homepage, but at Web Pal we strive to reduce the maximum number of
needed clicks to only three. In other words, any website page should be reached by making use of three mouse clicks or less.
Good website looks start with great graphics. If you already have a business logo, the designer should be able to incorporate it into the new website
design. A color change may be needed sometimes. Nevertheless, if you are considering designing a brand new site for your business, this may be the
perfect moment to create a new logo for your company, or at least improve the existing one.
No matter your choice, ask the designer to keep a consistent style throughout the entire website. Help him pick a color palette that looks great and
consists of 3 to 5 colors. The same thing goes for typography; don't choose more than two fonts, and limit their sizes to three or four different
values.
What is your targeted audience? If you sell healthy food for senior citizens, for example, it makes a lot of sense to use a larger font. Also, to make the
text easier to read, be sure to use paragraphs which are separated by blocks of space, just like I've done it in this article.
Ask your designer to ensure that your website renders properly on mobile devices as well. Most people access the Internet using their smart phones
these days, and you don't want them to choose your competitors, because your website isn't compatible with their smartphones.
Once your site is ready, ensure that it looks great on all the modern browsers. Don't use obsolete web design elements, such as Flash, frames, and so
on. Sites like this can be of great help, because they show you how the site will look on various browsers.
As you can see, designing the perfect website for your business isn't that complicated. For best results, be sure to work with a team of experienced
designers.