Hargray Internet Tips

Get the most out of your Internet.

Did you know?

Location can have an impact on your signal strength.

  • Wifi signals travel through the air and can be blocked or slowed down by walls, floors, furniture and windows.
  • To get the clearest signal, place your WiFi router in a central location with a clean line of sight to the areas where you like to use WiFi devices.
  • Don’t place the router in the basement or attic, in a drawer or behind furniture.
  • Avoid placing the router near household appliances or behind an aquarium. 

Your speed is affected by the number of devices you’re using.

The more devices you have connected, the more your bandwidth is divided up. Each device has less bandwidth available, and that means the slower your Internet will run. Keep in mind some devices use more bandwidth and can slow down your other connections. For these heavy-bandwidth devices, it’s always best to use a wired connection. 
 

Typical devices in your home can include:

  • Cell Phones, tablets, computers, smart TV’s, gaming systems
  • Smart home control devices; security systems, video doorbells like Ring, heating and A/C controls, and lighting
  • Smart home speakers like an Echo or Nest
  • Smart Steaming devices; Google Home, Amazon Fire, Roku, Hulu

The age of your device also plays a role.

  • Some older devices simply can’t handle today’s faster speeds, so while there may be plenty of bandwidth available, these older devices cause data bottlenecks, slowing down every device.  

Basically, your newest, fastest devices are only as fast as your slowest connected device.

Internet Education FAQ's

Does just turning off my router then back on again actually work?

Yes! Simply turning off and on your router can automatically reboot and restore your system.

Why has my WiFi connection suddenly slowed down?

There may be several causes.

First Step:

-Close any open windows in your Internet browser if you’re not using them. Websites continually refresh and that taps into your Internet speed.

Second Step:

-Connect directly to your router and perform a wired Internet speed test to check the current download and upload speed of your Internet connection.

*If you perform your speed test using a WIFI connection, you can expect your speed to be roughly 50% less then your subscribed speed.

You can find a test link at speedtest.hargray.net

I did a speed test and I’m currently receiving the Internet speed I signed up for, but my WiFi is still slow?

There are many things that can affect your WiFi speed. Below are some common causes of slow WiFi and ways in which you can get the most out of your WiFi speed.

This information is also available in a series of short videos which you can find at hargray.com/lP/Wifi

Location of your router — WiFi signals travel through the air and can be blocked or slowed down by walls, floors, furniture and windows. To get the clearest signal, place your WiFi router in a central location with a clean line of sight to the areas where you like to use WiFi devices. Don’t place the router in the basement or attic, in a drawer or behind furniture. Also, avoid placing the router near household appliances.

Age/capabilities of your router — Make sure your router has the ability to make the most of your fast Internet speed. If you’re using a router that was supplied by Hargray, you can rest assured that it is the right router for your Internet speed. If you’re using your own router, check your owner’s manual or look up the model number online. You can also contact your Hargray Customer Support team. They’ll help you pick the right router for your Internet speed.

Sharing Wi-Fi signal with neighbors — Be sure that your Wi-Fi is password protected. If not, you may be sharing your WiFi signal with your neighbors, and whatever they do online will slow your connection.

If issues continue: contact Hargray Customer Support at 1.877.HARGRAY

Why is my WiFi connection slower than my wired connection?

-Wired connections will always be faster than WiFi connections. If you are utilizing your WIFI in multiple rooms of your home and are experiencing issues, your signal could be getting blocked by your home’s walls, windows, floors, appliances and furniture.  

-Hargray has a whole home WIFI solution that fixes these common signal loss issues, while boosting the WIFI seamlessly to the most utilized sections of your home. 

-For a free home evaluation please contact Customer Support at 1.877.HARGRAY