Other help

Customers often tell us that their internet isn’t working, and it’s really just their WiFi. There’s a lot of confusion about what your internet connection is and what WiFi is and this is totally understandable.

To many, WiFi is the internet. It’s the technology that your phone, iPad, and lots of other devices use to get online. But, “WiFi” isn’t the same as “My internet connection.” It’s always tough when we get one of these messages because it’s difficult to explain that we can’t usually affect how well your WiFi works. We just supply the connection.

Put more simply:

WiFi is not the internet.

Think of your ISP (Skinny Unlimited) as a power company, we deliver the electricity to your property and look after the meter. The WiFi is like the internal wiring and other things in your home which give you access to the power such as sockets, light switches etc. iPads, laptops and smartphones are like the devices that you plug into the sockets and use the power with such as the iron or the TV. The biggest difference between us and the power company is that if you have something wrong with your WiFi then we will do all we can to help you resolve it but we are often limited as to what action we can take. A lot of the things that will affect your WiFi are outside both ours and your control.

Below are some nifty hints and tips for how to improve your WiFi at home.

How do I know if the problem is with Skinny Unlimited or my WiFi?

The easiest way for you – and us – to tell whether a problem is related to your WiFi or to your Skinny Unlimited connection is to test using an Ethernet (LAN) cable (the blue and yellow cables which came with your Skinny Unlimited HG659 modem). If the WiFi doesn’t work, it could be any number of problems. If a wired connection doesn’t work, chances are the problem is on Skinny’s end – and it’s much easier for us to diagnose and fix it.

How to get your WiFi working well

Everything in its right place.

  Nobody puts WiFi in the corner!

WiFi works using radio waves. Anything that emits or gets in the way of radio waves – for example, TVs, microwaves, other routers, cordless phones, thick or metal walls – can interfere with your WiFi connection. For the best results, place your router carefully. Make sure there are as few walls as possible between your devices and your router. Don’t put your router with other electronics like your TV. Give it its own special, privileged spot high on a shelf. Also, if you can, try and place it somewhere in your house that is closer to where you like to use the internet.  Either in the middle of your house, or, if you like doing a lot of streaming to a big screen (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) then place it in a good spot with line of sight to your streaming device.

Change the frequency

Up until recently, every WiFi enabled device used the 2.4 gigahertz frequency. However today, most WiFi devices can make use of 5 gigahertz frequencies – and so they should. 5 GHz is almost always better. Your Skinny Unlimited HG659 modem broadcasts at both! Wow!

Make sure your network is secure

If you haven’t set up a wireless password for your WiFi network, do it. DO IT NOW. Why? If you have an open wireless network, everyone can use it. “But I’ve got unlimited broadband, why should I care?!” you ask. Well, if there are a bunch of strangers using your WiFi, it can make your connection really slow. Set up a username and password for your WiFi network. Make it a good one. Or your connection will be terrible. See here how to do this.

Whenever possible, don’t use WiFi

We get it – WiFi is convenient. But it’s also a huge pain, because it’s just radio waves, it’s vulnerable to interference from a lot of things, everything from other WiFi users to your microwave. Whenever you have a device that can accept a wired (Ethernet) connection from your router – PCs, game consoles, many laptops – use it. It’s nearly always faster and more reliable than WiFi.