How to help your staff get the most from their home connectivity
The recent advances in the COVID-19 outbreak means many businesses are now taking steps to enable their staff to work from home. But when employees work outside the office environment, they may encounter challenges that can affect their access to office systems and data storage.
TalkTalk Business advocates flexible working practices, and as an established connectivity provider, our team has gained plenty of experience in supporting our employees to work remotely. Below you’ll find some suggestions and advice that we think could help smooth the transition to remote working for your teams and help maintain their home connectivity.
Check connections and router location
A good place to start is checking the back of your router to make sure all your cables are firmly secured at both ends and that you’re using a microfilter, if needed. To get the best performance from your router, we suggest checking it has the clearest path possible to your computer (the fewer walls the signal has to pass through, the better) and that no furniture is obstructing it.
On and off
Try turning the router off for 10 seconds and switching it back on at the mains plug, though you shouldn’t have to do this more than once in a 48-hour period.
Reduce video streaming
Try turning off any devices not in use (streaming boxes, games consoles, computers etc.) to improve performance.
Try a wired connection
Most routers come with an extra ethernet cable already, so if employees need a more robust connection, they can connect their computer directly to the router.
Use your master socket
Your master socket is slightly larger than any extension sockets in your house and can usually be found in your hallway or near your front door.
Reduce signal interference
Signal interference can affect your Wi-Fi’s speed, so ensuring there’s no other broadcast technology (streaming devices, consoles, cordless phones etc.) close to the router can help.
Change your wireless channel
Wi-Fi routers broadcast on a particular channel and if your neighbours are using the same channel the signals can overlap, causing connections to slow down. Depending on your technical ability, you may want to speak to your provider to guide you through the process and improve your connection speed.
Don’t forget to disinfect devices
Even if you’re the only user, it’s worth keeping on top of hygiene and maintaining a clean workspace. Antibacterial wipes or sprays are usually fine, but it’s always worth checking if the device manufacturer has any recommended cleaning instructions first.
More advice about remote working for businesses
For further information and tips that could help your staff with remote working, click here.
Need more help?
If these tips don’t solve the issue, your staff should speak to their Internet Service Provider for further support. If that happens to be TalkTalk Business, please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager or our Customer Services team.
