Boost Your Wi-Fi for Better Video Calling

With the ongoing pandemic and people staying home, video calling has become the new norm—whether it is for work, study or socializing. A number of apps are also gaining popularity with the increased demand for live video calling. But for quality video chats, you need to learn a little about the importance of bandwidth, packet losses and ways to boost your Wi-Fi functionality. Scroll through the guide below to enjoy seamless video calling:

Restart computer

Sometimes the easiest and fastest solution is to reboot the computer. This gets rid of temporary caches.

Restart browser

Close your browser and restart again. Ensure there aren’t too many tabs open to maximize bandwidth availability for video calling.

Restart router

Wait for 15 seconds after shutting down router and restart again. This disables and enables your Wi-Fi for better performance.

Restart call

Sometimes hanging up and dialing in again to your video call could earn you a better connection through a less congested server.

Cozy up to the router

Getting closer to the router ensures better quality of Wi-Fi connectivity. Walls, furniture, microwaves, TV, etc, can all interfere with Wi-Fi transmission and disrupt your video call.

Limit other internet users

While on a video call, restrain other same network users from running data-intensive applications such as online streaming which can slow down your video call.

Limit other applications

Before starting a video call shut down other applications and background tasks on your computer that might be hogging bandwidth. This ensures maximum bandwidth availability for your video call.

Switch to 5Ghz network

A 5Ghz network is ideal for video calling and offers speeds faster than a 2.4Ghz network. Where possible, invest in a ‘dual-band’ modem which offers both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz frequencies for best signals across your devices. The 2.4Ghz frequency is better at overcoming physical barriers like walls, floors, furniture, etc.

Stop all downloads/uploads

These are internet-hogging applications that can reduce bandwidth availability for your video call. This is the best time to hit pause on all downloads/uploads occurring across your Wi-Fi network.

Disable video quality

HD video hogs data and can overwhelm your Wi-Fi resulting in frozen calls. Opt for ‘Low quality’ calls when experiencing weak connection.