How to improve the WiFi signal at home

The signal of the Wi-Fi connection directly affects the speed of the connection and depends on several factors, such as where the router is located, where its antennas point or the configuration of channels and bands. If you want to get the most out of your Wi-Fi connection, you must take a series of measures to improve its signal.

we will tell you how you can improve the Wi-Fi signal at home with eight tips, both those that cost you nothing like adjusting the antennas, and others that involve buying a Wi-Fi repeater or PLC.

Change the location of the router

One of the factors that most influence how the Wi-Fi signal is distributed throughout the house is where the router is, whenever possible. Although it is tempting to hide it in a closet or on the last shelf of the bookcase, the Wi-Fi signal emanates from it and, therefore, the ideal is to put it in a central place in the houseso that it reaches all corners equally.

This is the general rule, although in practice you should take into account if there is a room in the house where you need more coverage than another. That is, you may prefer that the router is closer to the place where you make the most intense use of the Internet. In addition, you must also take into account its vertical location and put it neither on the floor nor on the ceiling, but somewhere in between.

When choosing the location of the router, you must take into account that the Wi-Fi connection has problems passing through obstacles with materials such as metal, stone or water, while other weaker materials such as wood do not pose much of a problem. It is therefore better to place it in a corridor surrounded by doors to each room than in the kitchen next to the fridge, which will act as a “barrier” for a good part of the signal.

orient the antennas

Router antennas do not emit waves with equal intensity in all directions, but rather are dipoles, emitting a signal that is more like a donut that expands and reaches farther horizontally than vertically. Therefore, it is recommended that at least one of the antennas is verticalpointing at the ceiling, so that the signal extends in the same horizontal plane, where the devices are usually located.

In routers that have several antennas, it is recommended to alternate the orientation: with one antenna vertically and one horizontallyto maximize the chance that both the router and the device connecting to it use the same polarization.

If your house has several floors or the location of your router is somewhat peculiar, the ideal is to try different configurations until you find the one that gives the best result. The golden rule is to remember that the antennae are more powerful on their sides than at their tip.

Change the channel

Nowadays most routers are “smart” enough to analyze the channels in use around them and switch to a less crowded one, although their choice is not always optimal. To analyze the saturation of channels around you, you can use an app like Wi-Fi Analyzer, which has a simple way that recommends the best channel for your Wi-Fi.

In Europe, the channels go from 1 to 13, operating between 2,401 and 2,483 MHz. With the help of Wi-Fi Analyzer, you can determine which channel is less saturated and, therefore, will have less interference in the signal of your connection. With this information you must go to the router’s administration panel to change the channel manually.

Wi-Fi 2.4 or 5 Ghz: choose which one suits you best

Today the most common thing is that your Wi-Fi router emits two Wi-Fi networks: one 2.4 and one 5 GHz. While it would make sense to connect to the most advanced 5GHz network whenever you can, this might not be the best choice in some circumstances.

On the one hand, the 5 GHz network has less interference, which means a better signal and as an extra, it supports a higher connection speed. Nevertheless, the 5 GHz network has a lower rangeso if the router is relatively far away, you may want to use the 2.4GHz network instead.

In case of doubt, it is best to try to connect to the 2.4 GHz network and then to the 5 GHz network and check which of them the connection is more stable. As a general rule: if the router is close: 5 GHz; if not, 2.4GHz. Here are the differences between the two standards:

Update the firmware

Just like with applications or operating systems, router software – called firmware – is updated from time to time with bug fixes and improvements. It is recommended to keep the router updated to prevent you from being exposed to security problems.

The good news is that some routers update their firmware automatically, while others require you to access their control panel, go to the appropriate section (usually called firmware update, software update or similar) and choose the file with the new version of your PC. a good place to download the latest firmware It is on the official support page of the brand or on your operator, if it is the router that came with the connection.

Call the cavalry: PLC, Wi-Fi Mesh and repeaters

So far, everything we have mentioned does not involve checking out, but there are some situations in which there will be no other choice. For example, if your house is very big and even with the most optimal location of the router and its antennas, it is not possible for the signal to correctly reach all its ends.

You will then need a way to amplify Wi-Fi signal with the help of additional devices that take the current signal and “repeat” it so that it reaches where the router could not. These are your main options:

• an old router. If you have an old router at home, you can recycle it to use as an additional access point, connecting to the main router via cable -or Wi-Fi- and emitting another connection to reach other places in the house.

• PLC. A PLC allows you to use the electrical network of the house to carry the Internet from one place to another and that visually looks like a plug. There are countless kits available with two devices: the one that “injects” the Internet into the electrical network and the extender, which takes it and repeats the Wi-Fi signal.

• Mesh Wi-Fi. Creating a Wi-Fi Mesh network is a good way to increase the signal of the connection. They are also sold in kits of two or more satellites, which communicate with each other to intelligently distribute the Wi-Fi connection around the house.

• WIFI repeater. A Wi-Fi repeater (or Wi-Fi amplifier) is a bit simpler: it’s a device that takes a Wi-Fi connection and repeats it with more power. They are generally small, sometimes include an antenna, and most often plug directly into a socket.

upgrade your team

It is an open secret that the routers that come with the Internet connection are not the best on the market, with a few exceptions. If you notice that the connection is sometimes completely blocked and that the router seems to overheat excessively, it is possible that you need a better router. Not only that, but getting a router with the latest technologies, such as Wi-Fi 6, opens the door to taking advantage of the latest improvements in efficiency and management of congested networks.

Of course, to take advantage of the latest connectivity technologies you need to both your router and the devices that connect to it support them, and that won’t always be the case, especially with older PCs. A good solution in this regard is to buy a USB Wi-Fi connector and that you can find from 10 euros.

If in doubt, restart

We all have a bad day, even routers. Sometimes the easiest way to stop your router from behaving erratically is to reboot it following the mantra of turn it off, wait a few seconds and turn it back on. If it is very hot, it may be advisable to give it a break for several minutes to take a breather.

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