When teaching working or learning from home, your internet bandwidth may be stretched thin and could result in less reliable connectivity than you usually experience at school. Here are some tips and ideas for dealing with internet issues at home when your network connection gets in the way of your work.


Quick Fixes


  • If you are connected wirelessly, try moving your laptop closer to your wireless access point or router.
  • Try connecting your computer directly to your router via a wired Ethernet cable, instead of relying on the WiFi in your home (newer laptops may need an adapter).
  • Limit non-essential activities (such as Netflix streaming or gaming) by family members on your home network while you are working. Consider scheduling internet time for family members who are using bandwidth for non-essential activities.

Addressing Issues with Zoom

  • Before a Zoom meeting, test your audio or video connection on the Zoom test site at zoom.us/test 
  • If you are connecting from a laptop, plug the laptop into wall power. Battery use can adversely affect video quality.
  • If you are experiencing audio or video issues, turn off your Zoom video camera during a call (If you are allowed and able to). Sending only audio to meeting participants preserves bandwidth and improves audio quality.
  • If audio issues persist after you turn off the video, turn off your audio, and connect to Zoom audio using your cell phone or landline (If you are allowed and able to).


Other Options to Adress Bandwith Problems


If your connection problems persist, try one or more of these steps:


  • Reboot your router according to the instructions from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
    • Note: Your internet router can take up to 10 minutes to fully reboot.
  • If your home WiFi offers a choice of connecting at 5GHz or 2.4 GHz, connect to the 5GHz band. This higher band is less crowded but has a smaller range.
    • Note: This means you should be closer to your router when using the 5GHz connection.
  • Change the WiFi channel if the one you are using is too crowded. Check your router or Access Point manual for instructions on how to change the channel. To scan networks for a less congested channel, use a  WiFi analysis tool.
  • If your home network cannot support your needs, try tethering your mobile device to your computer to connect to the internet over the cellular network. 
    • This is sometimes referred to as a "Mobile Hotspot" on your smartphone
    • This may involve additional charges from your cellular data provider


How to Test your Bandwith


You can test your connection speed to the Internet using links such as speedtest.xfinity.com, speedtest.att.com, or speedtest.net.


Note: To hold a Zoom video conference, you’ll need up to 3 Mbps of download and 3 Mbps of upload. See the Zoom bandwidth requirements.