# About Wi Fi **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280 "2021-09-07T23:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/1 "2021-09-07T23:13:14Z")
**Is Wi Fi in the router, or in my computer?** I have been working from home, & wanted to improve my connection. So I was thinking of wifi antennas (as I do not want to upend my entire home. However, as usual, my knowledge is lacking. All Google does is lead me in circles, or direct me to crud for sale. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/2 "2021-09-07T23:26:18Z")
The router. Some modems have wifi, too. Why not get a [Wifi Extender?](https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1200-WiFi-Range-Extender/dp/B07Q2WQWT7/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3MA4QO6GXNC0H&dchild=1&keywords=wifi+extender&qid=1631057087&sprefix=wifi+extender%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUFk1U1ZMUE9DRVRDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDI1OTU2MzdFTzRZWTNKUVQwUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODY3NzY2UFRVWU1UU0s0MTNMJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/3 "2021-09-07T23:30:55Z")
Extenders increase range. Extenders can sometimes _increase_ lag time. They _are_ relay units, you know. My issue is lag time in connecting with a remote computer via a laptop. A proprietary software thing. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/4 "2021-09-07T23:34:10Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > They _are_ relay units, you know. Yes. Which extend range. Which is usually the main problem when people “want to improve their connection”. Just describe your problem in far more information than you think we need, and someone will come along and ask for more clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/5 "2021-09-07T23:39:41Z")
Data goes into your home through a wire of some sort, into some device. It then goes from that device to other devices through radio waves. That “going from that device to other devices through radio waves” is WiFi. So the WiFi is “in” all of those wirelessly-connected devices. In one typical setup, the wire goes to a router, and then everything else, including the computer, connects to the router via WiFi. In other setups, the wire goes to the computer, and the computer itself acts as a router, and provides WiFi access to various other devices. More detail about your setup would be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/6 "2021-09-07T23:41:07Z")
Okay, I am working in one room on a laptop, connecting to the web, to use proprietary software on my work computer. (Exactly what might violate confidentially agreements.) My ability to control the software is painfully slow, & I often get kicked out of the connection. I **must** use multiple softwares simultaneously, & one is graphics-intensive. But, this is what must be. BTW–when I am in-office, there are no dragging issues, & it all runs great. I hope to improve performance by upgrading my game in wifi. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/7 "2021-09-07T23:43:32Z")
Wire to router. Home computer is connected to router by coax cable. Laptop in the next room, is hooked up to an additional screen (what I do is graphics-intensive), & connected to the Web via wifi ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/8 "2021-09-07T23:44:40Z")
Have you tried connecting your laptop directly to the router with cable to see if there is an improvement? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/9 "2021-09-07T23:47:09Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Wire to router. Home computer is connected to router by coax cable. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I hope to improve performance by upgrading my game in wifi. Assuming that first quote means that your computer is connected to the router by _ethernet_ cable, then as long as everything is working properly, (downgrading to) wifi will only slow you down. When you’re looking to increase speed or improve connection issues, turning wired connections into wireless ones will nearly always be a step in the wrong direction. In any case, I think you should take a step back and run a speed test. Go to fast dot com, and see what it says your speed is. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/10 "2021-09-07T23:47:09Z")
Um. I’d have to disconnect things. I’m not crazy about doing stuff that might screw-up my system. You’d be astonished at how clumsy I am. Please note–mild to moderate Autism, here. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/11 "2021-09-07T23:48:08Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Wire to router. Home computer is connected to router by coax cable. > > Laptop in the next room, is hooked up to an additional screen (what I do is graphics-intensive), & connected to the Web via wifi If I’m understanding, your laptop is one room away from your router, correct? If that’s the case, then it seems unlikely that it’s a matter of a poor wifi signal to your laptop. If you can run a computer networking cable (an ethernet cable) to the next room, and make a wired connection to your work laptop, that might solve your issue, but given how close your laptop currently is to your router, it seems more likely, to me, that either (a) your router is old, and may not be giving a great wifi connection, or (b) your internet speed itself (that is, the speed from your router back to your ISP) is slow. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/12 "2021-09-07T23:48:44Z")
On my laptop, or on my desktop? BTW–I am trying to improve the **laptop** performance. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/13 "2021-09-07T23:51:05Z")
Running a cable is out. I don’t have any cable, and it would have to go through a part of the wall where there is a lot of power & HVAC duct work. And snake around the room. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/14 "2021-09-07T23:51:30Z")
I just saw that there’s two computers being discussed here and the the problem one is wireless. Run a speed test on both, see what you come back with. As Kenobi just said, if the router is only a few feet away, an extender isn’t going to help anything. You can make sure it’s on 5ghz, as opposed to 2.4. 5 is faster, but doesn’t reach as far. You can change the channel on the router (can’t screw that up, all the devices will figure it out on their own) and see if that helps, which it often does. But start with some speed tests. If for no other reason, you need a benchmark to see if any thing your doing is making any changes. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/15 "2021-09-07T23:51:48Z")
no message ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/16 "2021-09-07T23:52:49Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Running a cable is out. For testing purposes, you can pull the ethernet cable from the desktop and plug it into the laptop, just make sure to turn off wifi to force the connection over the cable. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/17 "2021-09-07T23:54:06Z")
What? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/18 "2021-09-07T23:55:12Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Running a cable is out. > I don’t have any cable, and it would have to go through a part of the wall where there is a lot of power & HVAC duct work. > And snake around the room. I wasn’t actually thinking about running a permanent cable through walls – I was picturing getting a 30’ or so Ethernet cable ([costs about $10](https://www.amazon.com/CAT6-Cable-30-Ethernet-Internet/dp/B07CT7XY2K/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=ethernet+cable+30+ft&qid=1631058804&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyREhTN0MwT0dSMUozJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDYxOTI5MU82VEVPUTNKRUFSSiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDU5NTE1M1JTTDVSWTFMVkFKWSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=)), plugging it into your router, and then, when you’re actually working, just have the cable on the floor between the two rooms. Edit: also, how old is your router? Old enough that you don’t remember how long ago you bought it? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/19 "2021-09-07T23:57:03Z")
Okay, this is getting complicated. And off-topic. It’s in my modem/router. I will do a speed test Thursday–I will be In Office Wednesday, & it is getting late–I gotta get up before 4AM tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280/20 "2021-09-07T23:57:57Z")
Router/modem is AT&T & it came with my internet & TV. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-wi-fi/950280.md?page=2)