We have many computers to connect to the Internet and more and more options are available. If we talk about the Internet of Things , which is all domestic appliances with Internet access, such as a television, a video player or even smart light bulbs, the number is only growing. Now, what problems can we have with this? On the one hand there is security, but also the performance of the Wi-Fi network . We talk about it in this article.
Having many computers connected by Wi-Fi is a problem
Although the connections nowadays have a greater capacity and allow to connect a large amount of equipment, it must be borne in mind that the more we have, the more problems can arise. If we think of a home network, the router has a limited capacity to be able to offer good connectivity.
We must mention that we are not only going to have problems depending on the number of devices, but rather the use we give them. That is, it is not the same to have 15 IoT devices and other connected equipment but in which we are only exchanging information, using the browser or listening to music in Streaming, than having five computers and that they are downloading large files and broadcasting video in Top quality streaming.
But beyond possible problems with Wi-Fi having many Internet of Things devices, we must also think about security. It is a fact that the more we have, the more risk there can be. There are many security gaps that can appear and affect us.
Avoid security problems by connecting many IoT devices
Therefore, one vital thing to avoid problems with Wi-Fi and the connection in general when using many IoT devices is to maintain security . We must take into account certain tips that we are going to show to reduce the risk when it comes to being connected to the network and that there are no intruders that can steal data or compromise its proper functioning.
Protect the Wi-Fi network
Something fundamental is going to be protecting the Wi-Fi network. We are going to connect many devices to it, so any failure, any security breach that may exist, would be very harmful. It is essential to have the maximum possible guarantees.
How can we protect the wireless network? The first thing will be to have a good password . This will be the main barrier so that intruders do not enter. That key must be totally random, contain letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and also other symbols that we put, of the type $% – & … So we can have a robust key.
But we will also have to take into account the type of encryption that we are going to use. We should avoid those that are old and obsolete, such as WEP. An intruder could use computer programs to figure out the password, something that we would avoid if we use more modern encryption such as WPA-3 or WPA-2.
Have all the equipment updated
Undoubtedly another aspect to take into account is to have all the devices of the Internet of Things updated . This will make it possible to correct any security breaches that may appear and that would open a gateway for cybercriminals who want to steal data or attack us.
We must apply this to any equipment that we have connected to the network. As soon as we acquire a device, we should make sure that it has the latest version and that it will not have any exploitable gap.
Use strong passwords
Of course we must also use totally secure passwords on IoT devices. That key will protect us, it will prevent anyone from taking control. If we leave a computer open, without any type of protection, it will not only affect that specific device, but also the entire network.
In addition, in many cases they will allow you to configure two-step authentication. It’s basically a second check. A second step that we must take to enter a device or change the configuration. For example, it is usually an SMS that we receive with a code.
Do not leave the values that come from the factory
Nor should we leave the default settings and values . An attacker could take advantage of this to gain access to the device. Sometimes they can even find certain glitches that occur in a certain model and achieve their goal.
What we are going to do is change these values, beyond the password. For example, change the name with which that computer will appear on the network. We will also verify some aspects related to security and that we can modify, such as what we mentioned about two-step authentication.
Improve performance when connecting computers over Wi-Fi
But not only can we have problems with security when we have many IoT devices, but we can also suffer failures with Wi-Fi . Ultimately, our home router is going to have to resolve a large number of requests. Even if we use a wireless repeater it could saturate. It is convenient to take into account some recommendations.
Use wireless repeaters
An important first tip is to use wireless repeaters, PLC devices or Wi-Fi Mesh to improve coverage. If we have many IoT devices connected, it means that we will have them distributed throughout the home and in many cases they will be far from the router.
If we have this type of device to improve wireless connectivity , we can connect more devices without worrying about coverage. Thus we will always maintain speed and good quality.
Choosing the right band
Modern devices usually have two bands to connect to Wi-Fi: the 5 GHz and the 2.4 GHz . The first is the one that offers the highest speed, but is more sensitive to distance and obstacles. On the other hand, the 2.4 GHz is the best if we are going to connect away from the router and it is more stable, although the speed is lower.
Therefore, we can also take the band change into account if we see that there are problems. Even whenever possible we can make use of the 5 GHz, which is the one that will have the least interference with other devices. This will avoid problems with having many Internet of Things devices.
Change the router channel
Do we have the router channel optimized? If we connect many devices it could be more important than ever to choose the correct channel. If we are connected to one that is saturated, that is being used by other neighbors, we could have problems.
We can always access the router configuration and change the channel when we have stability and coverage failures. This will allow us to connect more devices and not have errors.
Use cable when possible
One more factor that can be interesting is to make use of the cable when possible. Many IoT devices also allow them to be connected by wire, beyond Wi-Fi. This can bring greater speed, but especially stability.
Therefore, if we have, for example, a television that has an Ethernet port and we have the opportunity to connect it by cable, we can avoid having more devices over Wi-Fi and thus generate fewer conflicts.
In short, these are some factors that we must take into account to avoid problems when using many IoT devices. On the one hand, we have seen some tips to avoid security risks, but also some recommendations to optimize the connection as much as possible and navigate faster.
