Many of the following tips can help you boost how far WiFi signals reach in your home, but they can also increase signal strength, which results in fast internet.
1. Angle one WiFi antenna up and one to the side
WiFi signals spread out perpendicular to your router, but Verizon warns that WiFi signals weaken when traveling through walls at an angle. Not all WiFi routers have antennas, such as all-in-one modem and router gateways. However, if your internet router does have antennas, you can angle them to help your WiFi signal travel straight through walls and retain signal strength. Boost your WiFi signal by angling one antenna to be vertical so WiFi signals travel directly side to side through walls. Angle the other antenna to be horizontal so WiFi signals travel directly upward and downward through the ceiling to other floors and gives good signal strength.
2. Check out antenna upgrades and omnidirectional antennas
Another alternative is to upgrade your antenna. Some router models are equipped with visible antenna, and high-speed internet customers with these models are in luck. Why? Because some third-party manufacturers produce replacement antenna with more robust signals than the ones provided by your cable and internet provider. Some antennas are omnidirectional, so their positioning is irrelevant to maximizing your hardware upgrade — you won’t even have to angle the antenna to boost your WiFi signal strength.
3. Move your wireless router to an elevated, clear spot
It may seem obvious, but the location of your WiFi router has a big impact on the strength of its signal. Position the device in a high, open space with limited obstructions for better WiFi signal results. As we already mentioned, signals travel perpendicular to your router. If your router is on the ground, many of your WiFi signals will travel horizontally along the floor and reach fewer parts of your home. You may be able to improve the signal strength and raise your internet speeds by setting up the router on the second floor if you have a multi-level home. Placing your router too close to materials like concrete or brick can limit its ability to broadcast to the rest of your home. The denser the objects around your wireless router are, the greater the signal loss.
4. Move your wireless router to a central part of your home
Again, since WiFi signals spread perpendicular from your internet router, placing your router in a central spot can help maximize where your signals travel. Since you probably won’t hang your WiFi router like a living room chandelier, here are some alternative locations you can place your router to boost your WiFi signal strength and raise your internet speeds. Best places to put your internet router
- On a mantle in a central living room or family room
- On a small coffee table placed strategically in a central hallway or living space
- On the second floor landing if you don’t have a basement
Places to avoid putting your internet router
- In the kitchen where other devices emit waves that can interfere with your signal
- In a corner of your house or in a windowsill—most signals will travel outside where you’re not using them
- In the basement
5. Configure or purchase a WiFi repeater
Raising your internet speeds in certain parts of your house may be as simple as adding a WiFi repeater. A repeater helps carry your WiFi signal further while keeping the same SSID and password settings. Essentially, the repeater contains a wireless router that picks up your current WiFi signal. Then another wireless router inside the repeater boosts and transmits the stronger WiFi signal to other devices in your home. You can also fashion a repeater out of an extra router. By connecting a second router to your first router via their LAN ports and configuring the settings, you’ll be able to use the extra device to carry your wireless signal. Some new routers have this feature built in as “access point” mode, eliminating the need for your to mess with the device’s settings.
6. Add an internet extender
A WiFi extender works similar to a WiFi repeater to boost your internet signal to other rooms, but an extender tends to be a more complex solution than adding a wireless repeater to your home. The advantage is that extenders are less likely to limit your bandwidth than WiFi repeaters, and they provide connected devices with a strong internet connection. A powerline ethernet kit uses a wired link to your router to provide WiFi signals to other devices in your home. Because it’s wired, it doesn’t use additional WiFi bandwidth to communicate. A power-line Ethernet kit is usually a good way to boost internet for basement gaming equipment or devices in a garage. Since it requires wiring, though, it’s not the best internet boosting solution for everyone.
