One of the biggest benefits of technology development and digitalisation has been the widespread availability of wireless network connectivity, typically Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity). Not many of us could function normally in our professional, business or personal lives these days if we weren’t able to get online without plugging in cables and other devices.

But there are a number of fairly straightforward things each of us could do to ensure our Wi-Fi connections are safer and better. It’s also worth noting that the world of technology is expecting to see a major breakthrough in wireless connectivity very soon indeed, with the advent of Wi-Fi 7, which should be operational next year.

How can you improve the security and efficiency of your Wi-Fi signal?

Whether at home or in the workplace, it’s relatively easy to improve the quality and security of your Wi-Fi signal with just a few simple steps.

Put your router in the right place.

While they might not be to everyone’s interior design tastes, hiding your router away in a dark corner or at the back of the cupboard isn’t actually a very good idea. The ultimate spot for your router is right in the middle of all the devices connecting to it. But remember, your router will come with movable antennae, so it’s always a good idea to place one vertically and the other horizontally, forming a 90 degree angle.

Make sure your network is configured properly.

This is about improving security. It’s crucial you have the most up-to-date firmware for your router, that you rename it from the default name and hide your SSID or Wi-Fi network identifier, choose the most appropriate bandwidth (between 2.4 and 5GHz, since both have different characteristics), opt for WPA or WPA2 encryption and activate MAC filtering, which means you’ll only be allowing certain devices to access your router, or else limit the number of IPs that can make use of the same Wi-Fi network simultaneously.

Use dedicated software.

Dedicated software can help constantly monitor your Wi-Fi signal, as well as all the surrounding wireless signals that fall within range of the wireless connection you’re interested in “controlling”.

Looking to the future: Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi 7 will be the future standard when it comes to wireless network connectivity. The infrastructure has already been deployed, which means we’ll start to see it being rolled out from next year in Spain, thought to be around May, according to forecasts. It’s a type of wireless signal that represents a major leap forward in terms of speed – up to four times faster than current wireless signals – and bandwidth, offering up to 48Gbps, at least in theory, far exceeding the current 10Gbps we all know.

Interestingly, Wi-Fi 7 will also facilitate MLO (multi link operation) mode, which transfers multiple data packets over different channels at the same time, ensuring low latency in data transfers. It will also help facilitate Wi-Fi 802.11ac technology, guaranteeing higher transfer rates over longer distances and better coverage.

Thanks to this evolution in Wi-Fi connectivity, we’ll soon think nothing of reproducing images and videos in both 4K and 8K – in the latter case, something that’s practically impossible for most of us, at present – with almost imperceptible latency. This will open up significant new avenues in the digital leisure and video games market, as well as providing a much stronger basis for technology innovation in a number of other emerging markets all over the world.