Allow me to give you a quick scenario – so you are at home, adjusting to the “new normal”, you know…that work-from-home situation. You bring out your shiny new laptop, plug in your super high-quality 4k webcam, and prepare for your video call with your client, and THEN your video starts to look like…..THIS!
Or, the second scenario is that you are all done for the day, and it’s time for some some “Netflix and Chill” and THIS happens Â
So you are puzzled, you do an Internet speed test, and find that your internet speed is not what you subscribed to!Â


Now, before you call and yell at your internet service provider, I am here together with my current Internet Service Provider, TIME Internet, to give you 3 simple tips to not only help you if you are in a similar situation but to also help you understand that fast Internet actually starts with your hardware…Â
So the next time you run into problems like these, you know what to do!Â
Now before I go into the tips, here is a quick overview on TIME Internet, just in case, for some reason, you have never heard of TIME, at this moment of time… (pun intended)
They are recognized as Malaysia’s Most Consistent Broadband Provider by Ookla, which I am sure you know about them, who has been the global leader in internet testing and analysis.
Not only does TIME consistently deliver against this global benchmark, but they’re also recognized for achieving outstandingly low ping and 0% packet loss. This translates to a lag-free experience for their subscribers. Plus, TIME offers super affordable high-speed plans in Malaysia, up to 1Gbps starting from RM99 per month!
And while I am teaming up with them to give you all these cool and nifty tips and tricks to understand the wifi hardware, I have been personally using TIME for more than 5 years now, so this collaboration does make perfect sense since I truly believe in their services.
Tip #1 – Know Your Hardware
Alright, so now let’s talk about the first tip, which is to Know Your Hardware.
One of the first things to do when you realize that your speed is slower than what you are subscribed to is to check on your hardware.
Now, if you’re typically on WiFi, your equipment may be old or out-of-date which could be causing poor network performance. Then it’s probably time to replace or upgrade your hardware. TIME actually has a whole range of devices you can choose from, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
And if you’re old school and you use a wired connection because you want the best possible performance for gaming or whatever it is that you do, then you must know that not all ethernet ports are created equal.
In a nutshell, there are two types of ethernet hardware connection. First, there is Fast Ethernet, which carries transmission traffic speeds of 100Mbps. Then there is a Gigabit Ethernet that carries speeds up to 1000 Mbps.
So, if you’re on a 100Mbps plan, then a Fast Ethernet connection is fine, BUT if you decide to upgrade your subscription to a higher speed, say 500Mbps, then you’d still be stuck with 100Mbps and not getting the speeds you’re paying for because of a hardware limitation.
And it’s not just the ethernet port you should be paying attention to, the cable you use is just as important. It’s best to use Cat5e and above.Â
So how do we solve this then? Well the first thing you will need to do is to obviously upgrade your router to suit your needs, and you can do that via TIME’s Self Care portal. From there, you can easily purchase add-on devices from their shop. What’s more, you can also do this from your phone, on the TIME Internet app!Â
Since I’ve got my phone with me (always), let me give you a quick walkthrough of the app!
Once at the home screen of the app, if you are like me who has more than one account, choose your account number. You will then see the summary of your account, such as your current plan and if it’s active, and also if there is any payment overdue.
Swipe left, where you will come to the Add-Ons tab and hit the Cart icon on the bottom right, and here is where you can scroll through the Shop. Here, you can browse through a range of devices that suit your needs, including OmniMesh, for when you need fast and stable WiFi in every corner of your home. These work best in pairs, which is great because adding on additional units is super easy and affordable.
And while we’re on the topic of mesh, here’s a little bonus tip for you! When you’re setting up your whole home WiFi system, it’s important where you place the mesh nodes, especially if you’re relying on a wireless connection.
If you’re not sure where you should put them, the Control Hub in the TIME Internet app has a handy little tool that can help you. The WiFi strength check function in the app lets you test the signal strength in a particular location. So if the results are good, then you’ll know that you’ve placed the node in the right place.
If you have ready Ethernet or LAN wall sockets throughout your home, even better, because you can make it the backbone for your mesh network. Just connect your mesh nodes to the LAN port and you don’t have to worry about placing your mesh devices within line of sight with each other.
If all the devices look a little confusing to you, don’t worry. Just tap on the little “View Details” button on each listing to help you understand and decide if it’s the right fit for you. Nice huh?
Tip #2 – Care For Your Router
As for the next tip is that your current router just needs some tender loving care!
So as weird as it may sound, you don’t need to “baby” your router, but there are several things that you can already do in order to improve the hardware’s performance immediately!
Now in order to start giving some “looooove” to your router is to know where exactly is your router placed?Â
Is it placed in an area where there are stacks or loads of other devices on top of the router?
If it’s not, is there proper ventilation on where it is placed and how is the temperature like on where your router is at?
So once you have already rectified this, you obviously need to store it in a cool dry open space and no you don’t need to do a “Linus Tech Tips” and install an aircon specifically for the router, because just storing it at a place where there is plenty of airflow would already increase your router’s performance.
There also seems to be ANOTHER common thing that people usually do, and you MIGHT be also guilty of doing that, which is not removing the plastics on the router – you know those nice little plastics not only on top but also wrapped around the antenna’s? Yeah, please double check on that guys, because this actually blocks the airflows, contributing to overheating of the devices.Â
And apart from not stacking the router with other devices, do avoid placing the router in closed drawers too.
Yes, I know some routers may not look aesthetically pleasing, but the good news is that TIME has loads of routers as seen in the app earlier, like the sleek-looking OmniMesh devices, which not only performs well but also doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Tip #3 – Check for Connected Devices
Then the 3rd and final tip is to check for connected devices, to help improve situations when you are streaming video content online, whether it’s on your smart TV or TV box.
As mentioned at the beginning of this video, my biggest pet peeve is not being able to stream video streaming platforms like Netflix or even YouTube properly, especially a long of work, and here is where you will first need to double-check how many devices are being connected to the WiFi?Â
Because if you are like me, who has several smartphones to review, 3 tablets, 1 PC, and 2 laptops and have ALL of them connected to the WIFI, then you obviously will have a poor connection when there are many devices crowding the connection.Â
In that case, you might have to re-look into your plan if it’s sufficient for multi-device usage, especially for a bigger family.
Another thing to look at is your smart TV or TV box that’s certified by MCMC and SIRIM. As a tech YouTuber, I have reviewed lots of smart TVs and ALL come with an ethernet port and this would be THE best way to ensure that you can get consistent and high speeds. With TV boxes, you’d want to check if they have the right Ethernet ports or even high-speed WiFi antennas.
What I always do and what TIME also recommends is to test YouTube as a gauge to know if you are streaming well because sometimes it could also be an issue with Netflix or Amazon Prime app or any of the streaming apps as well.
If you’ve got the TIME Internet app, that’s even better because you can run diagnostics to check on your connection and perform a speed test to see if your Internet is in tip-top shape.
So check that out before you “give up”. But if all else fails, yes you can always reach out to Customer Service via Live Chat or hotline if you need any further assistance! So if you’re a TIME subscriber, be sure to download the TIME Internet app because it’ll be your best friend when it comes to managing your network.
And if you are not a subscriber of TIME yet, sign up now to enjoy stable and ultrafast speeds, like how it has always been for me, for more than 5 years now, which I will leave a link down below, for you guys to check it out.
Alright guys, hope you found this video helpful, if it did besides giving this video a thumbs up, don’t forget to subscribe to Adam Lobo TV if you haven’t done so as I will be giving you some tips on how to actually speed up your Wifi in my upcoming video as well.
And if you’re not on TIME Internet, what are you waiting for?! Sign up now to enjoy ultrafast and stable Internet all over your home :