According to Norton tech experts, a little-known Wi-Fi issue could be affecting your smartphone’s battery life.
If you regularly struggle with Wi-Fi and find your battery draining quickly, there’s a solution you should know about.
It’s no secret that using mobile data drains your battery faster than surfing the web through your Wi-Fi router.
This is because your iPhone or Android is constantly searching different signal towers, looking for the strongest connection.
However, using a bad Wi-Fi connection, such as a public network, can make your phone’s battery drain even worse.
According to antivirus software provider Norton, “If you instead use a strong Wi-Fi connection, your device uses less energy to improve the connection and may extend battery life.
“On the other hand, when Wi-Fi conditions are poor, such as on a public Wi-Fi connection, using cellular data can reduce the strain on your battery.
“As a rule of thumb, prioritize your strongest connections.”
5 tips to improve your Wi-Fi
Slow Wi-Fi speeds can often be fixed with simple home remedies.
First, avoid placing your router near materials such as metal, glass, or concrete beams.
This is because it absorbs the Wi-Fi signal and reduces the strength of your connection.
Next, move your router away from the kitchen, as metal refrigerators, ovens, and microwaves can interfere with Wi-Fi signals.
Third, if you have wireless speakers or baby monitors near your router, consider moving them.
All Bluetooth devices emit signals that can disrupt Wi-Fi signals.
The fourth trick you can try is to change your router’s frequency in your hub’s settings.
Almost all routers operate on two channels: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
The 2.4 GHz band offers wider range, but is slower and more susceptible to interference from other devices.
The 5 GHz band, on the other hand, is faster and less congested, but has a shorter range.
One channel may be better for your home, so experiment to find the best performance.
Finally, a router’s performance is determined by its firmware.
Just like restarting your computer or smartphone, restarting your Wi-Fi router is also essential.
Because restarting not only eliminates temporary bugs but also improves performance.
Experts suggest aiming for a monthly reboot to keep things running smoothly.
A few years ago, a Samsung user on Reddit discovered this issue while trying to resolve his “abnormally high” battery drain.
Their phones lose about a third of their battery overnight when not in use.
I even had my device heat up while installing updates, which shouldn’t happen.
“Then I turned off Wi-Fi on my phone and noticed the battery was no longer draining,” he wrote on Reddit at the time.
“I noticed that my download speed was slow (5Mbit instead of 50Mbit), so I decided to restart my Wi-Fi router. It could be that the Wi-Fi signal was weak and my phone was working harder than it should. there is.
“After restarting, the download speed was back to 50Mbits. I think this solved the battery drain issue.”
Reddit users eventually concluded that the battery drain was due to the phone’s age.
However, a fellow Reddit user replied that he had experienced a similar issue that appeared to be caused by a “cheap router.”
“I am also experiencing the same problem. I left my phone on 40% during the night and woke up to find that my phone was completely turned off,” they commented. .
“We know that Wi-Fi keeps randomly going up and down, stressing many devices. Cheap routers are a real nuisance.”
