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FAQ and Tips to Improve Your WiFi Connection

Tips for better WiFi performance


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Router placement and repositioning tips

1.1. Try to place your router in the center of your home.

To ensure you get the widest fibre broadband coverage, you should place your router as close to the center of your home as possible. WiFi signals don’t travel up, they spread out and “drop” to the ground. Instead of placing your router on the floor, it will be best placed at a height above your average table. Choose a location as high as possible to maximize your WiFi coverage!

If your home has multiple floors, it is best to place a router on each floor using the same method. You can also try mounting your router in a corner near the ceiling or on a wall.

1.2. Try to eliminate obstacles that might weaken your WiFi signal

1.2.1. Walls
Walls are the biggest contributor to frustrating WiFi dead spots. The more walls you have between you and your router, the weaker your signal will be! It gets worse with thicker walls. With the way most HDB flats are laid out and with routers placed in the living room, WiFi coverage in master bedrooms tend to suffer the most.
If possible, find a direct line of sight from your router to the furthest end in your home or wherever your WiFi dead spots are. This may mean shifting your router slightly so it can “see” your furthest dead spots. The path that passes through the least walls is the one with the least resistance and can lead to better WiFi coverage.

1.2.2. Other routers and home appliances
Besides brick and concrete, there’s a sizeable list of objects in your home that can really interfere and dilute your WiFi signal. Think mirrors, anything with metal, even giant fish tanks. What’s more, microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors and Bluetooth devices all operate on the same wave spectrum as WiFi routers!
In order to get maximum WiFi coverage, please place your router away from these home appliances or objects or switch the devices off when they are not in use.

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Check your applications, company VPN and special applications for work

2.1. Close unused applications consuming data while running in the background

Sometimes there are just too many applications running in the background that are still tapping on your WiFi as some of these applications can automatically re-launch without any authorization from you. Close applications when you’re not using them to reduce data consumption.

2.2. Check your VPN or any special application you are using for work
If you are experiencing slow speed only on your work laptop while all the other devices in the household are working fine, you should check your VPN or any other special applications you are using for work.

With VPN, internet speed and web access are controlled by your company’s VPN gateway performance and surfing policy.

To figure out, first, try to run a speed test (StarHub’s own speed test website broadbandspeedtest.starhub.com or Speedtest by Ookla www.speedtest.net might be good too) with VPN and note the test result. When using www.speedtest.net, don’t forget to choose your server as ‘StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd’ as connecting to other servers outside of StarHub’s network can result in misleading speed results and lower performance.

After this, disconnect VPN, wait a couple of minutes and run the speed test again.

If you achieved better test results during the second time with VPN disconnected or with your other company's special applications turned off, you should contact your company’s IT department for further advice.

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Change connection for some of the devices from 2.4GHz SID to 5GHz SSID

Modern routers and mesh routers are having 2 SSIDs – usually you can see your WiFi network name twice, one is ending with 2.4GHz (e.g. My Home WiFi Network_2.4GHz) and another ending with 5GHz (e.g. My Home WiFi Network_5GHz).


Some devices (mobile, laptop, desktop) automatically register to 5GHz, some do not. It is worth a shot to try to change the connection from 2.4GHz SSID to 5GHz SSID for some of your devices.


In general, the interference (due to connected devices, neighbor devices, etc.) can be higher for 2.4GHz resulting in ~20-40Mbps download speed via WiFi, while 5GHz is able to achieve above 100Mbps download speed via WiFi.


4
Too many connected devices and bigger spaces within your home might be a challenge to your current router

If you connect too many wireless devices to your router, your WiFi connection might slow down as well. If you have issues with your WiFi speed or have dead spots at home, you should consider changing to StarHub’s Smart WiFi for a stronger WiFi signal and better WiFi coverage. You should also consider upgrading your broadband plan to a higher speed.


5
Reboot your router and ONT modem

If the tips above don’t help with your WiFi issue, as a very last resort, you can try to reboot your ONT modem and router with the following steps. This way, some settings can be reset and newly released firmware and software updates might be installed to make your WiFi network work again.


Step 1: Unplug both your router and your modem (it should be your Optical Network Terminal) from the power outlet.

Reboot_s1.jpg


Step 2: Wait at least 30 seconds before you plug in only the modem and power it on.

Reboot_s2.jpg


Step 3: Now wait at least 60 seconds before doing the same for your router.

Reboot_s3.jpg


Step 4: Once your router’s on, wait at least 2-4 minutes (or simply check the router LED status to ensure your router is up) before you re-test your WiFi connection with your phone, laptop or tablet.

Reboot_s4.jpg

How to restore your WiFi connection


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Intermittent or no WiFi connection at all

1. I have intermittent or no WiFi connection at all. What should I do?


1.1. Do you have additional Access Point/Bridge Mode Device, which is connected to your router?

No, I don’t have Access Point/WiFi Bridge Mode Device connected to my router. Please see A1.1.1.

Yes, I have Access Point/WiFi Bridge Mode Device connected to my router. Please see A1.1.2.


A1.1.1. You should try to reboot your router and ONT modem.

If your internet or WiFi connection is down but it worked fine before, try to reboot your ONT modem and router with the following steps. This way, some settings can be reset and newly released firmware and software updates might be installed to make your WiFi network work again.


Step 1: Unplug both your router and your modem (it should be your Optical Network Terminal) from the power outlet.

Reboot2_s1.jpg


Step 2: Wait at least 30 seconds before you plug in only the modem and power it on.

Reboot2_s2.jpg


Step 3: Now wait at least 60 seconds before doing the same for your router.

Reboot2_s3.jpg 

Step 4: Once your router’s on, wait at least 2-4 minutes (or simply check the router LED status to ensure your router is up) before you re-test your WiFi connection with your phone, laptop or tablet.

Reboot2_s4.jpg


A1.1.2. Multiple WiFi devices are connected to additional Access Point, which may cause intermittent connectivity issues.

If you are using additional Access Point/WiFi Bridge, WiFi devices might be switching between your main router and your additional Access Point, which can cause intermittent or no WiFi connection as there is no roaming mechanism between your router and additional Access Point/WiFi Bridge.

We recommend you to stop using incompatible devices and call our Hotline on 1633 to support you in finding a better solution for your needs, like StarHub’s Smart WiFi for stronger WiFi signal, better WiFi coverage and seamless handover between mesh nodes for a seamless connectivity experience.


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Slow WiFi connection

• If you are experiencing slow WiFi connection on all your devices (laptop, mobile, tablet), please click here.

• If you are experiencing slow WiFi connection only on your laptop or company laptop, please click here.

• If you are experiencing slow WiFi connection or weaker WiFi signal in some parts of your home, please click here.

• If you are unable to access some websites, even if they are secured, please click here.


A. There are many factors that can affect the quality of your WiFi connection and slow it down. Here are the things you should check to improve the speed and quality of your WiFi connection:

• Router positioning might not be optimal

a. Try to place your router in the centre of your home and position it as high as possible to have better WiFi coverage and a stronger WiFi signal.

b. Eliminate obstacles which might weaken your WiFi signal.

• Check your applications

a. Close unused applications that are consuming data while running in the background.

b. Try not to run so many data-heavy applications and online activities simultaneously.

• Change connection for some of the devices from 2.4GHz SSID to 5GHz SSID.

• Too many connected devices and bigger spaces within your home might be a challenge to your current router.


B. If you are using a VPN on your laptop, your VPN or any special application you use for work might be causing your experience.

With VPN, internet speed and web access are controlled by your company's VPN gateway performance and surfing policy.

If you are experiencing slow speed only on the laptop you use for work while all the other devices in the household are working fine, check your VPN or any other special applications you use for work by following these steps:

• Conduct a speed test via StarHub's speedtest website or Speedtest by Ookla with VPN and note the test result. When using Speedtest by Ookla, don't forget to choose 'StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd' as the server. Connecting to other servers might result in misleading speed results and lower performance.

• After the speed test, disconnect the VPN and turn off any special application you use for work.

• Wait for a few minutes and conduct another speed test.

If you achieved better test results with the VPN disconnected or your company's special applications turned off, you should contact your IT department for further advice.


C. If you are experiencing a slower WiFi connection or weaker WiFi signal in some parts of your home, try these tips:

• Router positioning might not be optimal

a. Place your router in the centre of your home to have better WiFi coverage and WiFi signal.

b. Eliminate obstacles which might weaken your WiFi signal.

• You can change to StarHub’s Smart WiFi to eliminate dead spots at home and for a stronger WiFi signal and better WiFi coverage or upgrade your broadband plan to a higher speed.


D. If you are unable to access some secured websites, try these tips:

a. If you are using a VPN on your laptop, your VPN or any special application you use for work might be causing your experience. With VPN, internet speed and web access are controlled by your company's VPN gateway performance and surfing policy.

• Conduct a speed test via StarHub's speedtest website or Speedtest by Ookla with VPN and note the test result. When using Speedtest by Ookla, don't forget to choose 'StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd' as the server. Connecting to other servers might result in misleading speed results and lower performance.

• After the speed test, disconnect the VPN and turn off any special application you use for work.
• Wait for a few minutes and conduct another speed test.

If you achieved better test results with the VPN disconnected or your company's special applications turned off, you should contact your IT department for further advice.


b. Reboot your router and ONT modem to reset some settings and install newly released firmware and software updates. Follow these steps:


Step 1: Unplug your router and your Optical Network Terminal from the power outlet.

 Reboot3_s1.jpg


Step 2: Wait at least 30 seconds before you plug in the ONT modem and power it on.

 Reboot3_s2.jpg


Step 3: Wait at least 60 seconds before you plug in the router and power it on.

 Reboot3_s3.jpg

Step 4: Once your router’s on, wait at least 2-4 minutes or simply check the router LED status to ensure your router is up. Then, test your WiFi connection with your phone, laptop, or tablet.

 Reboot3_s4.jpg


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Other troubleshooting tips

For other troubleshooting tips, check out our Device Setup & Troubleshooting page here.






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