PEOPLE are just realising a little-known Wi-Fi setting to make their gadgets faster than anyone else.
Experts have revealed the technology hack which can help you improve internet speeds at home for your favourite devices.
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Tech guru Kim Komando has pointed people towards the “Quality of Service” option available on many Wi-Fi routers.
This allows you to control how much bandwidth is devoted to any of your devices connected to the internet.
This means you can mark some as more important than others – for example, your smart TV instead of Microsoft Windows updates.
This means your preferred choices will connect faster.
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Different tech firms’ routers have a variety of options to fine-tune.
Kim described QoS as “the unsung hero that can help you beat the traffic jams on your wireless network”.
She told the Mail: “We’ve all blamed our internet speed for YouTube buffering or a dip in Netflix quality – but the main culprit is often the army of gadgets hogging your Wi-Fi.”
She recommended accessing the QoS provision, adding: “If you’d like to prioritise your smart TV for all your favourite shows, it’ll claim internet speed dibs before a Windows update takes over.
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“That’s not to say the Windows update will freeze entirely – it’ll still chug along, but at a much slower rate along with all the other devices that didn’t get the VIP treatment.”
Products offering the service include Google Nest, TP-Link, NETGEAR and Linksys routers.
She advised going to either the app or website for the company supplying your device, clicking on settings and following options under “Advanced” such as “Preferred activities” or “Device Priority”.
US tech firm Intel has shared similar info, saying on its website: “Some routers have a Quality of Service (QoS) setting that lets you control which apps have priority access to the Internet bandwidth.
“For example, you may want to prioritise video calls if you have a lot of meetings and deprioritise file downloads from the cloud.
“You can always get your files later, but you don’t want to drop a call with an important client or family member.”
People have been told to discover their router’s IP address and type it into a web browser to access an admin page.
The QoS setting is normally found under a Wireless Settings section.
The latest advice comes after another suggestion was made to improve Wi-Fi speeds – a so-called “coffee table trick”.
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Android mobile phone owners have just been given a free upgrade to help improve sluggish speeds.
And shoppers have emptied Currys shelves of a Wi-Fi booster whose price was slashed as part of Black Friday discount sales.
