Working From Home

Network and Internet Speed

Remote work often exposes limitations in home networking equipment. Consumer routers and gateways rarely handle the same volume of traffic as business-class gear, and simultaneous use by family members can degrade performance.

Confirm Your Internet Service Speed

Home internet plans vary widely. Some are intentionally provisioned at lower speeds to reduce cost or bundle with other services. A minimum of 50 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up is generally required for acceptable remote work performance. If your speed test results are below what you are paying for, contact your provider.

Expect minor fluctuations. During peak hours it is normal to see a 5 to 10 percent reduction in available bandwidth.

If you tested over Wi-Fi, interference may be affecting your results. When possible, test again using a wired connection to your modem or gateway.

Wireless Networking

Wireless connections offer convenience but are less stable than wired connections and more susceptible to interference. If you experience slow Wi-Fi performance, try the steps below:

• Reboot your computer. This resolves many intermittent performance issues.
• Close unused applications and browser tabs to reduce system load.
• Restart your wireless router. Unplug it for 30 seconds, reconnect it, then wait one to two minutes before testing again.

Intermittent Slowdowns

You may see full speeds on a test yet still experience lag or interruptions. Common causes include:

• Household usage. Large downloads and streaming services can easily consume available bandwidth.
• Provider-related issues. Check for outages or have your ISP run diagnostics on your modem.
• Environmental factors. Weather events, particularly wind and ice, can affect provider infrastructure.

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Security

Business networks rely on dedicated security appliances and monitoring. Home routers do not provide comparable protection. Follow these guidelines to reduce risk while working remotely:

• Use only the device provided by your employer for accessing work resources.
• If you use a personal device because no company system is provided, ensure your operating system is fully updated and that you have active antivirus and anti-malware protection.
• Avoid non-business websites, including social media and video streaming platforms, while working.
• Do not click links in unsolicited or unexpected emails.
• Do not open attachments unless you know the sender and are expecting the file. When unsure, call the sender or send a new email to confirm legitimacy.
• Never enter your credentials into unfamiliar or unencrypted websites. Look for the lock symbol in your browser's address bar.
• Do not transmit personally identifiable information such as passwords, social security numbers, or birthdates through email.

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Support Limitations

We will always attempt to assist you while you are working remotely, but there are boundaries to what can be supported:

• Unless included in your business support plan, The I.T. Experience supports only employer-provided devices that are enrolled in a support plan.
• We will make a best-effort attempt to provide guidance for home networks and personal devices, but we cannot make configuration changes to personal equipment.
• When using a public Wi-Fi network such as an airport or hotel, you may be asked to test from a cellular hotspot or private network.

Need Help?

You can launch our support utility by selecting "Start a new session" and following the prompts. Once connected, email [email protected] or submit a ticket to notify us.