How to Get More Reception on Your Laptop
With the increasing popularity of laptop computers and the rise of wireless networking, you can connect to the Internet in more places than ever. But the speed of your Internet connection depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi reception your laptop receives. Many things can reduce wireless signal quality, which can lead to lag and even being dropped from a network, but wireless reception can often be boosted quite simply.
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Instructions
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Move closer to your wireless Internet access point. The farther your laptop is from the wireless router or other access point you are connected to, the lower your signal strength is likely to be. Since laptops are portable, the easiest solution is to move closer to the wireless access point to minimize interference.
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Remove physical obstructions and sources of wireless interference. If you can't move closer to the wireless access point, removing physical obstructions, such as furniture and doors, can boost signal strength. A wireless network may also be impaired by other nearby wireless devices, so moving the access point away from other wireless devices may boost reception.
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Use a wireless repeater between your computer and your access point. Wireless repeaters are devices that take in wireless signals and send them back out with increased strength, extending the effective range of a signal. By placing a repeater between your computer and your router, you can boost the signal strength.
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Update your wireless card's drivers. Laptops use wireless networking cards to connect to wireless signals. Installing new driver software for your wireless card can increase its ability to get a strong signal. To update the driver, search for driver downloads at the website of your network card's manufacturer, find a driver that is designed for your card and operating system, download it and run the executable driver update file. You will have to restart after the driver is finished installing.
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Secure your wireless access point. If your wireless network is being used by piggybackers, it could reduce signal strength and bandwidth available for your computer. To secure your router, log in to the router by opening a browser and typing the router's IP address into the address bar. The default IP address for most routers is either 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Enter your router's user name and password in the box that appears to log on to your router's administrative panel. Search through the menus your router offers (each router has a different menu), and look for an option to enable security encryption such as WEP or WPA. Select a security option and create a password when prompted to block outside users from accessing your network.
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Tips & Warnings
Installing new software drives can sometimes lead to computer instability. If changing network drivers results in crashes, download a new driver or revert back to your original driver. Outdated networking hardware can limit wireless speed. If you have an older computer, consider installing a new wireless network card.
