Working from home is one of the most productive ways to earn an income. However, it comes with its challenges much like working at a job outside your home. While you are saving money on fuel or transportation services, you may experience issues such as low internet speed. You will not always know the cause of a connection slow down. For instance, it can happen when your router gets overloaded.

Just like any electronic device, routers can get overloaded. The problem is just not as easy to diagnose and remedy as your conventional devices because this kind of overload is a bit different. You do not want to miss important deadlines or meetings, but low internet speed will affect your overall productivity.

What is router overload and how can you fix it?

Router Overload

When your router is overloaded that means it is handling too many tasks all at once. For instance, you may be streaming a video and downloading large files at the same time. Performing heavy data tasks like these heats up any device (tablet, smartphone, laptop, desktop, etc.). Your router simply cannot take the stress of handling too many processes at a time.

Small or compact internet routers are strong enough to work, but that little device may not be able to handle the tasks you expect it to do. Other issues that can cause low internet speed related include connectivity, hardware, or software problems. The first thing you need to do if figure out why your connection speed is slower than it could be so you can resolve router overload.

What are the signs of router overload?

Router Signal

One of the first signs that you will notice is that your downloads are taking an excessive amount of time. Slower internet speeds result in slower download time. Not only does this affect your connection, it could be a sign that you are having hardware or software issues. So, if you see that you are on a website or performing tasks that require high bandwidth and you cannot manage them after trying to do them on multiple devices, that is a telltale sign that your router is experiencing overload.

Another sign is that the router behaves erratically, shuts down randomly, or may even disconnect your devices. This is not only a sign of overloading your router, it is a sign that it is overheating as these two issues are often related.

Perhaps you are not having a very productive day and you simply cannot get things done like you expected. You may not just be having a bad day. If you are navigating a website to download large files and having issues with a dropped connection and then reconnecting, there is a good chance that your router is overloaded. You will need to do something about it if you want to turn your productivity around.

Login issues are also a sign of router overload. When checking your router look at the lights. If the lights are not on and/or working as they should your connection will be slow, intermittent, or be experiencing other issues.

These symptoms are all related to low internet speed and connectivity. These are the things that get frustrating to cope with and that slow you down as well.

If you detect these symptoms you need to need to be sure you are finding a router solution like one of these listed below.

1) Getting a new router is the most common solution. Yours may be overloaded, shutting off and on, creating intermittent speed issues, or other things that affect your productivity. You may simply need a newer router, which is the simplest solution. Look for a router that can handle the amount of work you do.

2) Shutting it down is usually a temporary solution, but it may work for a while. If your router is overheating, this solution often works well. You can perform what is called a power cycle, which requires unplugging it from the outlet, waiting 30 seconds or so, and then plugging it in again.

If the power cycle does not work, try a hard reset where you hold the reset button own for several seconds and allow it to revert to factory settings.

You may also consider unplugging all ethernet cables and then reattaching them to resolve low internet speed. If you have spare cables (highly advisable), try changing them for your current cables to see if that helps.

Pro Tip 1: Be sure that your router has plenty of ventilation to prevent overheating. If not, move it to a location where it gets plenty of ventilation. Before moving your router, make sure it is not too hot to touch. Do not burn yourself. Turn it off for a bit and then move it.

Pro Tip 2: Regularly check for firmware updates for your router to keep it up to date.

You can try these solutions first, if buying a new router is not in your budget now. However, if neither of these solutions work, you may have no choice.

3) Adding an additional router is recommended if you have more than 10 devices to connect to your router. A second router will take the stress off trying to overwork one router for all your devices and tasks. You may not be having issues with router overloading or overheating, but you may still experience outages. That is when an additional router comes in handy.

Adding a router is as simple as connecting it to the modem as your other router. That second router will be extremely useful when you are having connectivity issues due to overload.  It will surprise you how much more you can get done working at home with two routers to help you with your connection.

Summary

Your router is crucial to your work from home office. When you work and try to do too many things at once, your router is likely to get overloaded since it is not designed for multiple heavy data downloads, streaming, and uploads at the same time.

When you are seeking to choose a new router, make sure to take your time and do your homework to find the best router for your needs. Read reviews one various brands to get an idea of what you need.

It also helps to educate yourself on routers and how they work so you can better resolve issues without much down time working from home. Your business efficiency needs to be consistent, therefore so does your internet speed.