The strength of your home Wi-Fi signal depends on lots of stuff: your home’s construction, your router, your provider and other things – but one factor you can easily control is where you put your router.
And where you put it definitely matters, according to tech writer April Glaser.
Glaser offers a number of handy tips to make sure your router is in the best position to enjoy the best possible Wi-Fi signal.
Where you place your router can make a big difference to your home Wi-Fi | Image | Netgear
The first thing to remember is that the signal from your router broadcasts in all directions from an antenna, says Glaser.
“If your router is next to a wall adjacent to your neighbor’s apartment, they’re getting that slice of your signal, not you,” Glaser wrote in Wired.
These are her other tips.
Put it in the middle of your house.
Glaser recommends putting your router in the most central location you can find. And because radio waves generally travel towards the ground, rather than up, she suggests putting it on your second floor if you have one.
Avoid obstructions.
Certain objects inside your house will block radio waves. Glaser advises trying to avoid placing your router behind brick and concrete walls or bodies of water (like a fish tank).
She also recommends avoiding materials that will reflect radio waves, like metal and mirrors.
Avoid the kitchen.
Not only is your kitchen filled with metal objects that will block your signal (fridge, stove, etc.) but it is also home to your microwave. “Microwaves and Wi-Fi routers operate using the same 2.4 gHz slice of the electromagnetic spectrum,” writes Glaser. “When you use the microwave, it’s literally interfering with your Wi-Fi signal.”
And another tip: cordless phones use the same frequency, so avoid putting your router next to your cordless phone base.
Tweak the antenna.
Your router’s antenna is where the “magic happens”, says Glaser. These are her rules of thumb: if you want your signal to spread horizontally, position your antenna vertically. But if you want the signal to spread vertically (between floors, for example), position the antenna horizontally.
Alternatively, if your Wi-Fi router has a detachable antenna, take it into an electronics shop and get a compatible version with “higher gain”, which will broadcast further.
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