In addition to having good upload speed bitrate, Wi-Fi signal strength is also important. Wi-Fi signal strength is how powerful the signal your Wi-Fi enabled device is receiving There are many factors that can cause your device to not receive a strong Wi-Fi signal. Here are four of the most common ones:
1. Your Router Is Too Far From Your Kuna Powered Device
Normally, we like to see the router within 15 feet of the device with no more than one wall in between the two. Keep in mind, having the router in the basement or on another story of your home can also cause problems. Though it may be close in direct distance, concrete barriers are pretty good at stifling Wi-Fi signals.
If you are unable to move your router closer to your device, then you may need to add a Wi-Fi extender near the device and connect to that signal. Many people find this method preferable because they can then put the extender right next to their front door, back door, garage etc.
2. You Are On a Non-Standard Wi-Fi Channel
Currently, Kuna Powered Devices (except for the doorbell) can only operate on 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g Wi-Fi signals. The available channels on this frequency are 1 - 14. However, the accepted “standard” channels are 1, 6 and 11, as they are a group of channels that would not overlap each other and cause interference. Being on any channel other than these three will make you more susceptible to outside interference from other networks, which in turn can hurt your Wi-Fi signal strength and bitrate. If you are on a standard channel and you feel you are still receiving outside interference, then you may want to try one of the other two standard channels.
Newer Kuna Powered Devices can also operate on 5 GHz. Although this frequency is less congested than 2.4 GHz, the signal will not travel as far. 5 GHz may be ideal if your Kuna Powered Device is close to your router.
3. You Have Too Many Access Points on the Same Channel
An access point is any device that outputs a Wi-Fi signal. Depending on your home network, you could have 1-5 different access points outputting different signals, though most people only have one (their router). Having multiple access points on the same channel (even if it's a standard channel), could cause interference and can also lower both bitrate and Wi-Fi signal strength.
4. Your Router Is Changing Channels Frequently
Some routers or access points have a default setting that allows them to change channels automatically. Seeing as our devices stream constantly, this is not ideal because changing channels could cause the device to fall offline momentarily.
In most cases, you are able to make changes to your Wi-Fi channel by going into your router settings (same place you change your Wi-Fi password). You should be able to make sure your router chooses one static channel in the same place. If you have never made changes to your password, then you may want to check the side of your router for the settings location or refer to the user manual.