Virgin Wi-Fi customers are being urged to take note of their Internet Service Provider's latest advice and check their router without delay. It seems as though a very simple error can bring broadband speeds tumbling down, causing lag, buffering and other issues.
And the easy-to-make mistake all comes down to where your little black box is positioned in your home. Most people will know not to place their hub in a cupboard or behind a television, but they may not be aware of the issues pertaining to leaving your device on its side.
Virgin Media explain: "Keep your router upright with the front lights facing into the room to ensure the WiFi antennas inside the router are in the most efficient orientation and less of your WiFi signal is wasted."
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The Mirror reports that if you fail to follow the advice, your router could be pinging beams into your carpet instead of whizzing them around the rooms of your house, causing patchy coverage and slower speeds. The device could also have restricted ventilation and overheat when laying down - causing permanent damage.
Virgin, add: "Having the router upright will also ensure optimal air flow through the Hub and help avoid overheating."
Other things to check are that your router isn't near a window, fish tanks, or other electrical items like baby monitors. It should also be high enough off the floor. You also should never place your router in the kitchen, as microwaves can interfere with them.
Virgin, continue: "Kitchens are often home to heavy-duty metal appliances (think ovens, fridges and washing machines), as well as signal-emitting electronics like microwaves, making them a particularly inhospitable environment for your router."
The final thing you should do is give your router a quick reboot if you're noticing lag. Switch it off for a minute and turn it back on to get rid of any issues pertaining to speed and connectivity.
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