Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Proper router location is essential; large homes need mesh Wi-Fi.
- Position your router centrally and elevated for optimal Wi-Fi signal.
- Avoid placing your router near microwaves or other disruptive electronics.
Nearly every part of modern life depends on our connection to the internet. When my provider experiences an outage, everything grinds to a halt — working remotely via VPN, streaming music on Spotify, and even using smart home devices.
It’s a stark reminder of how much we rely on the invisible network that keeps us connected. Almost every aspect of modern life is affected by our connectivity to the Web.
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A total outage feels completely unacceptable. But a sketchy connection afflicted by lag and buffering can be even more frustrating. If you’re sure that your signal is strong but you’re still experiencing issues, the problem might be the location of your router.
1. Location is key, but reach matters
It’s always true that location is key. But your router’s efficacy is also impacted by the size of your home and how far the router’s signals can reach.
A single wireless access point should be adequate for most apartments and smaller homes (1,500 square feet or less). Larger, multistory homes present a different challenge that can best be met by upgrading to a mesh network. Mesh networks consist of a main access point and additional nodes that can be placed throughout your space to ensure consistent coverage.
Long-range routers and Wi-Fi extenders are also options for maximizing router efficiency. Yet, no matter how many digital transmitters you have, the placement of your primary access point is crucial to overall performance.
2. A central location is best, ideally on a shelf
Common sense suggests positioning your router in a central area of your home to get the most even distribution of Wi-Fi coverage. Sometimes, though, that isn’t so easy. Your provider’s technician likely originally installed the router close to where the signal is fed into your building. If you have the option to run an ethernet cable from your modem to a more central room, your router could provide a significant boost in coverage throughout your living space.
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What’s less commonly known is that elevating your router increases its range. Placing it high above the floor helps minimize signal interference for everything from furniture to people. If no high bookshelf is available — and wall mounting or installing a shelf dedicated to your router is impractical — consider placing it atop a tall dresser or an armoire.
A central location helps ensure consistent speeds and increases network security because neighbors’ routers are less likely to exploit the signal.
3. Other electronics can be signal disruptors
My Spectrum router was originally installed behind my 48-inch TV. That was great for my TV, but it posed problems for my home office setup, which is only 17 feet away. Moving it from behind the screen to a small table next to it, my computer and Google Hub devices now maintain a stronger, more consistent signal.
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Of all typical home appliances, a microwave oven presents the biggest threat of electronic interference to your router. That’s because the radiation issuing from a microwave emits a signal very close to the router’s operative band (around 2.4GHz). While I don’t expect many people to put a router in their kitchen, microwave proximity can sometimes be unavoidable in big-city apartments and homes with limited space.
If at all possible, avoid areas where your router might be impacted by devices that rely on Wi-Fi, even if this means moving it away from your home office printer.
Mind your antennas – if you have them
All Wi-Fi routers have antennas, whether sleekly integrated into the device or sticking up like rabbit ears on an ancient TV. Articulating antennas don’t suggest antiquity, however, and in fact, they may help provide more uniform coverage.
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Whether your router has two or eight antennas, you can adjust these to optimize distribution. Antennas emit signals in all directions, traveling in a donut-shaped wave perpendicular to the antenna itself. This means that aiming them skyward can benefit a smaller or single-level home more because the signal blasts outward from its vertical position. The same holds for an antenna positioned horizontally, which might better access upper- or lower-level areas.
The takeaway is to experiment with your antenna orientation while keeping in mind these limitations of physics.
