How to Strengthen Your WiFi Signal

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We’ve all been there – waving your smartphone above your head at a strange angle, straining to get a strong enough WiFi signal. Here are a few ways to strengthen your signal.

Make sure your WiFi router is in the most central location of your home. The router transmits its signal circularly. If it is put in a corner or at the end of your home, most of the signal isn’t being used. If you are facing a problem where your coaxial cable or Ethernet cable is in an area like this, check if it is possible to run a wire to a more central location.

Keeping the router at height is also beneficial since routers tend to disperse the signal downward. The higher the router, the higher the coverage. Consider using a bookshelf or wall-mount it.

 

 

Devices like your TV and gaming consoles aren’t moved frequently. If possible, hardwire them directly to your router so that your WiFi bandwidth is at an optimum level for handheld devices.

 

Wireless repeaters

Wireless repeaters allow you to broaden your WiFi range around your home. The repeater simply extends the WiFi signal to areas of your home that aren’t getting very strong signals. These are very easy to set up and are usually plugged into a power source without the need for wires.

It is important to note that the quality of the signal received will be the same amount repeated.

Wireless range extender

Very similar to wireless boosters, range extenders pick up the existing bandwidth and disperse it to the rest of your home. Placement of the range extender plays an important part. If it does not receive good signals, it will not be able to broadcast the signal either. An ideal location would be a halfway point in between the router and the room with a lower WiFi range.

The main difference here is that the range extender uses a different channel than the wireless channel it receives. So when moving from one room to another, you will have to manually switch to the closer WiFi device.

WiFi Access points or Network Extenders

This is the best booster for consistent high-speed WiFi around your home. Wireless access points are connected to your router via wire as a means of communication to the router. Using WiFi access points around your home means you’re at the shortest distance between the signal resulting in improved performance.

 

Many routers today offer dual-band support. 2.4GHz and 5GHz. 5GHz frequency avoids interference from other devices like cordless phones, microwaves, etc. The only downside to having a richer signal is the range offered on this frequency is lower. If you tend to stay close to the router for most parts of the day or when browsing, 5GHz frequency should be a good option.

 

Older routers don’t broadcast the same amount of data as newer routers. Consider the 802.11 families of wireless LAN technology. There are a variety of options and you can learn about them here. These routers tend to deliver rates of 433Mbps and up to 1.3Gbps depending on the number of antennas used as well as on your Internet provider and plan.

 

Sources:

https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/8/802_11.html

https://www.actiontec.com/wifihelp/wifibooster/differences-wifi-booster-wifi-extender-wifi-repeater/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Home Security Essentials for Summer!

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It’s summertime!

Here are some outdoor home security options for smooth sailing through the summer months!

Don’t you love those sunny days and breezy evenings when outdoor space comes alive?  Cookouts, pool parties, moments of serenity and quiet reading in the hammock, the squeals of happy children as they run about, in and out of the house.

Do you know who else loves summer? Burglars. In fact, it’s their favourite season with all those unlocked windows, open doors, and long vacation absences.

Wilsons Security knows the importance of an outdoor security system that deters potential intruders at first glance and keeps you in the know about the comings and goings in your outdoor space at all times. That’s why we offer you the Alarm.com-powered security system with its five essential components.

Smart Security Camera

The Alarm.com security camera can send you customized video alerts for anything outside you wish to see, be it animal, human, or vehicle, on or off your property. It provides both live and recorded footage and acts as an effective intruder deterrent simply by its presence.

Smart Lighting

Triggered by your Alarm.com image sensors or smart security cameras, automated outdoor lighting is an effective way to say “Welcome!”  to friends and family and “I see you!” to any unwanted visitor, lurking in the shadows.

Going on vacation? Setting up a smart lighting schedule for evening illumination of your property and home sends a clear message to passers-by that someone’s home.

Contact Sensors

These wireless devices can be installed on windows and doors to serve several functions including triggering a break-in alert, reminding you to lock up for the night and keeping tabs on where your kids are, inside and out, while  ensuring access to off-limits areas such as your pool during unsupervised time, tool shed or garage freezer is under your control 24/7.

Doorbell Camera

Deliveries left on your front porch are protected by motion-triggered video alerts.  In addition, a live video feed and two-way voice let you see and speak to visitors from anywhere, even if they don’t ring the bell.  Company arriving late? Remotely unlock your door with your Alarm.com-powered door lock.

Smart Garage Door Controller

No more wasted time retracing your way back home to check if you locked the garage door!  Alarm.com will alert you if that’s the case. Then all you have to do is tap your phone and voilà! the garage door closes and everything inside is secured.

Wilsons Security can quickly outfit your home with all of the above and more. A single smartphone app controls it all and our 24/7 professional monitoring service personnel are ready to respond to any emergency.

Active Care - people playing golf

Wilson’s Active Care: Support for Independent Living On The Go

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Is all the new technology really helping to simplify our lives or is it just making us feel more overwhelmed than ever?  It’s often hard to tell. But once in a while, a new product comes along that’s clearly designed to smooth out some of life’s wrinkles: A product like Active Care by Wilsons Security!

In this day and age, who doesn’t want to stay active and independent for as long as possible? And not just at home. There are ever increasing opportunities for seniors and other folks with various challenges to stay connected socially through community centres; to keep learning through free lectures and seminars at the local library; and to maintain physical health through Elderobics, Aquafit for Seniors, and Elderyoga, to name a few.  There’s even Granny Roller Derby for those, especially bold ladies!

With such wonderful advances in community outreach, suited to meet the needs of all sorts of people who might otherwise find themselves socially isolated, how can these folks and their loved ones make sure there’s access to emergency assistance when needed? For years, Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) seemed adequate in providing a means to summon help. That is, as long as the person stayed home.

What about those folks who, more and more, are spending much of their time out and about?  That’s where Active Care steps in.

Active Care uses PERS and GPS technologies to help protect you or a loved one no matter where you are. At home, in a shopping mall, at a fitness or painting class – you name it. The unit is simply worn around the neck using a comfortable lanyard. In the event of an emergency situation, a single button is pressed. The signal is picked up by an operator at Wilsons Security’s monitoring station and a conversation begins, right through the unit itself, with the press of a button!

The Active Care device can also transmit information that someone has fallen even if that person is unable to talk at the time. Complex algorithms built into the system actually enable it to distinguish between a fall and someone sitting down quickly. If the person is unable to communicate, Active Care’s GPS technology can still summon help to the scene.

At home, the Active Care device is placed in its charging cradle where it instantly operates like a PERS base station using its peripheral devices such as the fall detector or panic button to summon help when needed.  Whenever you’re ready to head out again, just re-attach it to the lanyard and away you go!

Life is still waiting to happen out there and Active Care by Wilsons Security helps to make sure you don’t miss a minute of it!

For additional information on Active Care, call (902) 453-3388 and one of our consultants would be glad to assist you!

Click here for more info!

Answer your door like never before

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There are many circumstances in which you might wish to know who is at your door, like when you’re expecting the delivery of your latest online purchase, or a friend is arriving from out of town, but you can’t stay home all day to greet them. The great thing is, in the age of the smartphone, you now can do just that with the addition of a video doorbell to your front door. Video doorbells have been gaining in popularity over the last year as homeowners are catching on to their many benefits! They are affordable, connect to your existing doorbell setup, are easy to install, and work with your home’s WiFi system.

How it works

When a person approaches your front door, they push the button on the video doorbell, just as they would on any other doorbell. The chime rings on the inside of your home, as you would expect, but here’s the neat part: it also sends a notification to your smartphone in real time via a free, user-friendly app. You can both see AND speak to the person at the door, without the person at the door knowing whether you are inside the house or away on vacation.

Each member of the family can have the app installed on their smartphone, and each person will be alerted when someone is at the door. However, only one family member can actually answer the door at a time. Another great thing about these devices is the ability to integrate them into your home alarm app on your phone. Skybell, for example, will work with both the Alarm.com and Honeywell Total Connect apps.

Peace of mind & convenience

A video doorbell gives you access to your front door, wherever you are. From a security point of view, a video doorbell allows you to give the impression that you’re actually home, even when you’re not. On a lighter note, it also allows you to ask the delivery driver to leave your parcel on the back patio – imagine not having to ‘just miss’ your online deliveries! Plus, if you pair your doorbell with an automated door lock, you can not only answer your door, but let friends and relatives in when you’re not home.

What if they knock?

We recommend choosing a model with a built-in motion sensor, like Skybell. This means that even if the person on your doorstep doesn’t ring, your doorbell will still activate and let you know that they’re there.

The fine print

There are a couple of considerations you’ll want to be conscious of if you’d like to install a video doorbell. Depending on where your doorbell wire protrudes from the wall of your home some installations may be a bit easier than others. For example, many electricians choose to bring the doorbell wire out through the trim around the front door. This trim is typically no more than an inch wide and may be narrower than the doorbell unit itself. Another issue can potentially be a poor WiFi signal at the location of the front door. There are solutions for this, such as a wireless access point (which has the added benefit of improving your home’s WiFi signal). Finally, most video doorbell units are designed for a typical solenoid doorbell. Newer digital doorbells can have an issue with a video doorbell and require the installation of a digital doorbell adapter in order to work properly. In cases like those listed above, you may want to consider a professional installation of your unit.

For more information on how you might benefit from a video doorbell in your home, contact Wilsons Security at (902) 453-3388