Wireless Charging Just Got an Upgrade… But is That Good?

Wireless charging seems to be a perfect idea – imagine if someday, our devices would never run out of charge? This may be why such aggressive progress has been made toward building a better battery charger. However, not everyone is convinced that wireless charging will have the effects that are desired of it.

Where the Technology Stands Now
Wireless charging capabilities are fairly common at this point in time. Many mobile devices now have the built-in capability to be charged wirelessly, as long as they are positioned properly on a special charging pad. However, a company called Ossia has been formed to develop wireless charging that can take place at a distance via trickle charging capabilities.

This method of delivering power leverages radio frequencies to send both data and power to the connected device. Taking advantage of this newly developed potential, Ossia has worked to develop new conduits to deliver this power, leaving the charging pads typical of wireless charging in favor of a wider variety of devices under its Cota line. Instead of requiring the device to be physically touching the power source in order to charge, signals are bounced around objects in the environment to deliver both power and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Ossia’s new charging system includes components like AA batteries that can be charged wirelessly, as well as drop ceiling tiles that send the signals out to the devices.

Is This Necessarily a Good Thing?
Of course, there is no questioning the convenience that this kind of technology could provide (especially if it was standardized), but there is the question of the affect it could have on the device. Take smartphones, for instance: what does constantly keeping a device’s battery fully charged ultimately do to the device in question?

Unfortunately, nothing good. While “overcharging” is no longer a concern, the makeup of modern batteries means that they can still suffer some damage. The explanation lies in its chemistry.

Lithium-ion batteries have three essential components to their proper operation: a positive and negative electrode (made of a lithium-based compound and carbon graphite, respectively) and some kind of electrolyte. As the battery charges, lithium ions move from the positive electrode to the negative electrode via the electrolyte to be stored as energy. When this power is used, the ions move back to the positive electrode.

Over time, this process wears away the electrolyte that allows the ions to move back and forth, ultimately preventing them from doing so efficiently (or even successfully). Without the ions being able to move, the battery isn’t going to work as well. As a result of this phenomenon, every battery only has a certain number of charge cycles in it before it is rendered ineffective.

The argument is that, by constantly charging the battery, wireless charging eats away at the battery’s lifespan. Others argue that keeping the battery topped off actually allows the battery to remain effective for longer. Some take the argument one step further to say that the convenience of a fully-charged device is worth the cost of a replacement battery if need be.

4 Reasons your Smartphone Is So Slow To Connect To the Internet

Have you ever gotten frustrated with your phone because the browser took more than five minutes to load? Before you start blaming your old phone, check out these four reasons that might be the cause of sluggish internet connection.

Router location

One simple yet overlooked reason why your WiFi-connected phone may be experiencing internet lag is because of your router’s location. Although WiFi has a range of up to 230 feet, the farther away you are from the router, the weaker the WiFi signal. Large objects like doors and walls situated in between you and the router can also weaken the WiFi signal.

It is recommended to place your router in a central location, preferably away from concrete and masonry walls or other big objects like a chimney. As the router signal radiates from all four sides, blocking any side with big objects will impact your WiFi’s signal quality and as a result your phone’s internet speed.

WiFi Noise

Did you know that home electronic appliances emit wireless signals at a frequency similar to your router’s (2.4 GHz)? So before deciding on your router’s location, determine whether there are any wireless devices nearby, as they emit signals that can interfere with your router’s signal. For example, even if the ideal location for your router is at the center of your house, you shouldn’t place it there if there’s a cordless phone nearby.

You can also set your router on a 5.0-GHz band, as this frequency is less prone to interference from other appliances. But before you start tuning it, make sure your phone supports 5.0 GHz; otherwise, it won’t be able to connect to the router.

Slow Network

Another reason for your phone’s slow internet is because of fluctuating network speed. Ask yourself these two questions to know the exact cause of this problem:
How many people are connecting to the router?
What are they doing over the internet?

You should increase your router’s internet bandwidth speed if you discover you have many users and all of them are either streaming movies or downloading computer games or software updates. This will allow every phone to enjoy faster internet speed.

If you’re outdoors, and you’re connected to a public WiFi, consider using your mobile data instead. You won’t have to share your internet when you use mobile data, enabling you to experience faster connectivity at all times as long as you have a high-speed data plan.

Too much cache

Last, you should check your phone’s cache if fixing your router, network, and positioning doesn’t improve your phone’s internet speed. Cache is a component in your phone that saves data from earlier searches in order to increase the speed of similar searches in the future. Although your phone becomes more efficient for that particular search, it also makes your phone much slower when you do other things that require the internet.

You can clear out your cache manually or use a cache cleaner app to thoroughly get rid of useless cache and optimize your phone’s internet speed. If you decide to download a cache cleaner app, make sure that it is reputable and trustworthy so you don’t accidentally download a malware-infiltrated app instead.

There are more reasons to your phone’s lagging internet speed. If your business relies heavily on fast mobile internet speed and you’re unable to fix the sluggish connection, call our experts today. We’re always ready to help you.