Are older devices slowing your internet network? We have solutions!
It’s Wi-Fi Unleashed
It’s a revolutionary personalized service providing safe, fast, reliable internet that covers your whole home. Managed from the CommandIQ® App and powered by FMTI’s GigaSpire BLAST Ultimate WiFi, with Wi-Fi 6.
Powerful Wi-Fi in every corner of your home.
ProtectIQ keeps intruders out.
Control your life with applications and services.
It’s Peace of Mind Delivered.
FMTI customers enjoy Managed WiFi at no added cost!
It’s included with FMTI internet!
The CommandIQ App puts you in control
CommandIQ is an Android or Apple app available with GigaSpires that puts control of your home Wi-Fi network in the palm of your hands.
- Change or reset your Wi-Fi network name or password directly from the app
- See devices currently connected to your Wi-Fi
- Set up a guest network and share it
- Set basic parental controls: control access and set time limits
- Run speed tests
- Receive updates about network maintenance, contests, and more directly through the app!
Download the CommandIQ App
Additional Managed WiFi Benefits
ProtectIQ keeps intruders out
ProtectIQ blocks malicious content directly at the router:
- Proactively monitors network traffic coming into your home, automatically blocking anything that looks suspicious at the optimal point in your network, directly in your GigaSpire BLAST system.
- Blocks all attempts to visit known harmful websites and presents users with a browser message indicating that the website is not available or that the connection was terminated.
- Provides an active security monitoring service that uses a large database of known threats, that is constantly growing as new threats emerge (database is kept up to date weekly).
- Intrusion prevention settings (IPS) will monitor, notify, and prevent activity such as hackers trying to gain access to the local video content (Wi-Fi connected doorbell or baby monitor) and other streams from malicious sites.
- Can terminate the transfer of data, from the internet, before a malicious payload is delivered to any vulnerable network devices.
- Sends notifications to users whenever a security issue is triggered, these alerts include details about the device that was attacked, where the attack came from, and when the attack occurred.
ExperienceIQ…
is an enhanced parental control service that protects children from harmful or inappropriate content, sets appropriate time limits, and views usage for all online devices.
- Block inappropriate categories entirely such as pornography or violence, or specific websites entirely.
- Block specific applications that you deem are inappropriate for your children (example, specific gaming applications like Call of Duty, or social applications like Snapchat).
- Don’t want your child spending more than 30 minutes per day on TikTok? No problem!
- Set time limits for specific applications to ensure screen time is limited.
- Turn on Safe Search and YouTube Restriction to block your children from harmful content when they are searching on Google, Bing, or YouTube. YouTube restriction also blocks all comments on videos which often include inappropriate language.
- View usage for all devices to better understand HOW your children are using the internet.
Looking for specific Managed WiFi features? You may need a new router.
All Managed WiFi features are available to all FMTI customers at no added cost. However to take advantage of all the features and benefits of Managed WiFi, we may need to install a new wireless router at your home. If you are interested in using specific Managed WiFi features, reference the chart on this page. If your home doesn’t have the latest wireless router, contact our office and we will install one at no cost to you.
| GIGACENTER | GIGASPIRE U4 | GIGASPIRE U6 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
|
| Access to the CommandIQ App | X | X | X |
| Resetting WiFi password with app | X | X | X |
| Setting screen time limits | X | X | X |
| Creating guest networks for visitors | X | X | X |
| WiFi connection alerts | X | X | X |
| Internet content blocking | X | X | |
| App specific (TikTok, Fortnite, etc.) usage limits | X | X | |
| YouTube content restrictions | X | X | |
| Device and app usage reports | X | X | |
| Bandwidth prioritization | X | X | |
| Increased protection from hackers and other online threats | X | X |
Is old tech slowing you down?
We all love our Wi-Fi. We love the freedom and portability it gives us, and the connectivity it provides within our homes. But because technology changes so quickly, some of our older Wi-Fi- devices can actually cause issues with our home Wi-Fi network. Here’s why, and how you can determine if your old tech is slowing you down.
The Whys of WiFi
Before you can determine if your old tech is slowing you down, it helps to understand how Wi-Fi has changed over the years.
WiFI has continuously been improving since it was first introduced in 1997 with the creation of the 802.11 protocol standard. The 802.11 protocol was created by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an international organization tasked with maintaining “interoperability” – or the ability of all devices to use the same types of Internet hardwares and protocols.
The first versions of Wi-Fi on the 802.11 standard allowed data to transfer at a rate of 2 megabits per second. New versions of Wi-Fi radios improved upon that performance, with today’s Wi-Fi6E passing through Gigabit speeds.
Which Legacy Devices Impact Your Network?
In the newer generations, the Wi-Fi connection was broken into two distinct bands – the 2.4GHz band and 5GHz bands. The lower 2.4GHz band provides a wider range, but with slower speeds, while the 5GHz band is faster, but has a shorter range.
In your home, you might put your standard Wi-Fi devices on 2.4GHz, while your high-demand and streaming devices, like TVs, video cameras, security cameras and doorbells, might be best suited for the 5GHz band.
What Does Old Tech Do to My Network?
Backward compatibility doesn’t mean your legacy devices are good for your network, however. Because they’re not optimized for newer Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi generations 4-6E), legacy devices will still operate more slowly than newer devices due to lower throughput capabilities. Legacy devices can also cause interference on networks featuring newer Wi-Fi standards. The interference they cause can impact the connectivity of ALL devices on the network (new and old!), dragging down the overall network speed and performance.
How Should I Handle Legacy Devices on My Network?
If you have legacy devices on your network, the best practice is to create a separate network (called an SSID or Service Set Identifier) specifically for those devices. That isolates them from other devices and keeps them from interfering with the performance of those devices. If you have a mix of legacy devices, current generation devices, and streaming devices, you might have two separate 2.4GHz networks (one for legacy devices and another for current generation devices), and a GHz network for streaming devices. This keeps the legacy devices from slowing down your 2.4GHz network when actively transmitting.
You don’t have to give up your old tech. But managing its impact on your network will make your Wi-Fi experience much more enjoyable! For more information and assistance, please contact our office.
Devices made before 2014 may slow your internet network
| 802.11 Standard | Generation Name | Year Adopted | Bands Supported | Throughput | Supports Fiber Internet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 802.11 | WiFi 0 | 1997 | 2.4GHz | Up to 2 Megabits | • No |
| 802.11a | WiFi 1 | 1999 | 2.4GHz | Up to 11 Megabits | • No |
| 802.11b | WiFi 2 | 1999 | 2.4GHz | Up to 54 Megabits | • No |
| 802.11g | WiFi 3 | 2003 | 2.4GHz | Up to 54 Megabits | • No |
| 802.11n | WiFi 4 | 2008 | Dual (2.4 & 5GHz) | Up to 600 Megabits | • Yes to 500 Mbps or slower |
| 802.11ac | WiFi 5 | 2014 | Dual (2.4 & 5GHz) | Up to 6 Gigabits | • Yes |
| 802.11ax | WiFi 6/WiFi 6E | 2019/2020 | Dual (2.4 & 5GHz) | Up to 9.5 Gigabits | • Yes |