Slow Wi-Fi is undoubtedly one of the worst inconveniences in the modern world. It makes it more irritating to complete everyday tasks online like scrolling through your social media feed, working from home or simply just checking the weather.
So how do you fix it? You can start by finding a better place for your router. Relocating your router can provide you a much better Wi-Fi signal throughout your home with minimal effort and minimal investment. Here are some tips to help you discover the most optimal place in your home for your router.
Get As Centralized As Possible
A simple way to make sure your wireless internet coverage reaches every corner of your home is to relocate your router to the most central location possible. Unfortunately, this task isn’t for the lighthearted. Depending on your current setup and the size of your home, it’s likely you’ll have to run a CAT5 cable under your floor boards or use a series of powerline network adapters to make it work. However, the improved coverage, strength and stability of your Wi-Fi connection is worth it.
Avoid Large Appliances, Microwaves & Other Electronics
If you can help it, try to pick a place that is far away from your large kitchen appliances and microwave. They all emit strong signals in the 2.4GHz band, the same band your wireless router operates in. Plus, the metal in large appliances reflect signals and will greatly limit or completely block your Wi-Fi from reaching further. You may experience the interference by your Wi-Fi dropping while the microwave is in use or a noticeable slow down or lack in coverage in rooms adjacent to these appliances.
Declutter Around Your Router
If your router is buried behind in other household items, it’s time to declutter. Those decorative items especially if they contain water or are made of metal are eating up your Wi-Fi signal before it gets very far, especially on your 2.4GHz beam.
Pick Up Your Router Off The Floor
If your router is sitting on the floor, today is the day to pick it up and put it on top of a bookshelf, dresser or mount it on the wall. Wi-Fi signals emit through your home by spreading downward and out. So, by leaving it on the floor severely cuts down on your Wi-Fi signal.
Pull Your Router Out Of The Closet
Not only are your floors troublesome for your Wi-Fi signal, so are walls, especially when you surround your router with three walls and a door immediately. Do your Wi-Fi signal a favor and give it a chance by pulling it out of the closet and setting it on a nearby table, bookshelf or wall mount?
Adjust Your Wi-Fi Router’s Antennas
If moving your router isn’t a realistic option right now, try adjusting your antennas first. While some routers do not have any antennas at all, most have some that can be adjusted however you’d like. We recommend that you adjust them to be perpendicular to one another but none in the same direction if possible to cover a wider range of angles.
Try Wi-Fi Heat Mapping
If nothing seems to be solving your Wi-Fi woes, try Wi-Fi heat mapping. There are many Wi-Fi heat mapping tools on the market that will show you where there are weak areas and entire gaps in your Wi-Fi signal.
Get Whole Home Wi-Fi From Your Internet Provider
If you don’t want to keep relocating your router or use a Wi-Fi heat mapping tool to get better Wi-Fi coverage, call your internet provider. Many internet providers today such as Spectrum Internet offer a whole home Wi-Fi service for an additional monthly fee. A technician will come to your home, install the proper wireless equipment needed to have a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. They’ll make sure your connection reaches upstairs, downstairs and into every corner of your home before they leave without you having to lift a finger. It’s great for people who aren’t great with technology and those that want to save time and money by having someone else do it for them.