Summer is here, we are in the thick of it. The BBQ is fired up, the kids have the slip and slide up and running and you want to have some guests over to celebrate the great weather. I bet that optimizing your wireless connection is the last thing on your mind. Well, consider this scenario.

^{Delicious barbecue. Wouldn’t you want to share this with your social network?}

So, everybody is grillin’ and chillin’ in the backyard, having a grand old time. Uncle Bill whips out his phone to take a picture of those luscious backyard beef patties sandwiched between some romaine lettuce and an old-fashioned American bun and what do you know?

When he goes to post the picture on Facebook he has to use his data service… how can you do that to Uncle Bill when you’ve got plenty of high-speed internet service at home? What if he hits his data cap? That’s a painful bill for Bill.

Being a good host carries with it a lot of responsibilities. As our lives become ever more digitally attuned, those responsibilities extend to making sure your guests don’t have to roam at your home with their devices. You know… important things like optimizing your wireless connection at home for friends and family.

Okay, so maybe you’re not as hardcore about wireless coverage as I am for my BBQ. If anything, these pointers will identify and illustrate what may be hindering your Wi-Fi coverage at home or in the office.

Some useful wireless router pointers:

• If you want stellar wireless performance, don’t cram your router in your wireless router in your attic or basement, or push it under your desk, etc. There is a good chance that your home WiFi isn’t reaching it’s full potential if it’s crammed between some solid walls. If it’s not working well in the home, it certainly isn’t reaching your backyard shindig.

^{Is your home wireless network the best it could be?}

• Cater coverage to where the action is. It may be more aesthetically pleasing to hide a router in a cabinet or in the basement, but if your wireless devices are on the other side of the home or building, the coverage won’t be all that great. Moving the router closer to an area where its coverage area reaches more devices is a great step towards optimizing your wireless connection.Please see my previous post on how to properly locate your router to enhance wireless coverage at home, for a quick primer on how to do so.If you have special events at home and you realize that your guests are pretty heavy mobile device users, it would be quite courteous of you to move that router to a spot closer to the backyard. Yes, it’s a little counter to covering your home, but at least your guests can enjoy the sun and their social media addiction.
• If wireless data is an important thing for you, this could be a home improvement project. Another potential fix would be to obtain a premium wireless router. There are devices that surpass the abilities of your typical home wireless router. This class of device typically has a stronger range of coverage and other bells and whistles that’ll satisfy your D.I.Y. fix. This advice is more for the bold and tech-savvy.

A recipe for success.

If you’re like me and want my backyard guests to eat well, enjoy my yard, and enjoy their internet, I hope you’ll use my Wi-Fi recipe. If you’ve always wondered why your wireless router in the basement wasn’t doing so well, I hope I’ve answered that question for you as well.

Enjoy the sunny weather while we still have it in the Northwest, everyone!