How to Improve Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength

How to Improve Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength

1)Use Efficient routersThe newest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac, is three times faster than the previous one, 802.11n. Each 802.11ac antenna can move up to 1,300 megabits of data per second (vs. a max of roughly 450 megabits for n). The easiest and fastest way to get more performance out of your Wi-Fi network is to buy a new 802.11ac router.

 2) Find the right spotMake sure you put the router in the optimal place. A router sends out signals in all directions, so putting it in a corner of your house results in the significant wastage of signal. For the fastest, most reliable connection, put your router in an open space, as centrally located and as high off the floor as you can.Regardless of where you put your router, the signal will be strongest in the room it’s in. So ideally, you can put it in a spot that’s relatively near the center of your house and a room in which you actually use Wi-Fi-connected devices.

Netgear Nighthawk – 802.11ac router

3) Keep Your Rooter in an Open placeBecause the router’s signal can be absorbed by many materials, make sure you place it out in the open as much as possible. Radio waves travel best through open air .If you can see the router from far away, and from many different angles, you’re using it efficiently.

 4) Keep it a bit away from other electronic itemsAll sorts of electronic devices can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal: microwaves, TVs, cordless phones etc. i.e. anything that generates an electromagnetic signal or has a motor can causeinterference with the signal. This is why keeping it between home entertainment components, beneath your TV, is not a good idea.

 5) Measure your signal strengthThere are some Mobile Apps that help you to measure the strength of your Wi-Fi signal at different spots at your house. Apps like Cloudcheck or Amped Wireless’s Wi-Fi Analytics Tool let you walk through your home and identify dead spots, so you can figure out the best places to put your Wi-Fi devices.

Amped Wireless’s Wi-Fi Analytics Tool

 6) Place the antenna vertically up The router’s signal spreads out in the direction perpendicular to that of the antennas. In other words, vertically-oriented antennas will broadcast the signal horizontally, covering more of your house. (On the other hand, if you were more concerned about broadcasting the signal to multiple floors, but a smaller area of each one, you could turn the antennas horizontally.)

7) Use both bands.Many routers have radios that operate on two frequencies, nearly 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (each channel works on a specific frequency near to that). So you can have two separate networks running at the same time, one for devices that access WiFi at the lower frequency and another for those that connect at 5 GHz. The higher band is less crowded and better for high-bandwidth uses like streaming videos.

8) Check to see if your Internet Service Provider is the problem (If your internet is too slow)A simple way of confirming that your router is the problem and not your actual internet provider is by running a speed test under two conditions: Over the Wi-Fi and with your computer plugged directly into the router via an Ethernet cord.
If they’re both slow, then talking to your ISP or upgrading your plan might help. If the Wi-Fi speed test is much slower, then your router itself is likely the problem.

Wifi Speed Test in speedtest.net

9) Software Tweaks (Additional Tricks)In some cases, there are some software tweaks you can do to improve your Wi-Fi network.
To configure the software, you usually need to enter a specific IP address in your web browser (look on the bottom of the router or just search for your router’s brand name to figure out what that is). Once you’re in the settings, there are two useful things you can try.
One is changing the channel that the router operates on. This is less of an issue for newer routers, but older ones can often cause interference with each other (especially in crowded urban areas with lots of networks), and changing the frequency channel is a way to solve it. These older routers operate at 14 different frequencies, numbered 1 through 14 and channels 1, 6, and 11 are generally best, because they overlap the least with other channels, causing less interference. The default one is usually channel 6, and if you’re having signal problems, try each of them.
Routers that operate in the 5 GHz range (802.11a, n, and ac) broadcast across 23 channels and are less prone to interference, so there’s less need to operate with the channel settings.Another option is upgrading the router’s software (firmware). This won’t be possible for all routers, but for some older ones, manufacturers put out free firmware upgrades from time to time, and these can improve performance. Search for your router model to see if there’s one out there for you.