Why Router Placement Matters: The Do’s and Don’ts

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Router Placement

Have you experienced slow internet speeds in one room while super-fast in the other? If yes, it’s because the internet signals emitting from the router get weaker and weaker until they reach your room. It’s basically the router placement; the further you are from the WiFi range, the weaker signals you receive on your devices. And as frustrating as it is to get weaker connectivity in some areas of your house, there are multiple reasons to look out for.

This article is about ideal placement of routers and I’ll explain the dos and don’ts of router placement. And before winding up, I’ll also briefly explain a few ways to increase your router’s strength. So, let’s start:

Why Router Placement is Vital?

Routers emit internet signals through airwaves which reach our devices. As these signals travel to their destination, their strength may be affected by obstacles such as furniture or walls, and the distance between the router and the devices. 

Hence, you may receive the best connectivity depending on where the router is placed in your home.

Factors That May Affect Your Router’s Performance:

Distance from the Router:

As discussed above, the internet signal strength depends on the distance between the router and devices. It’s best to minimize this so signal disseminating from the router do not have to travel much. In case the router signals have to cover a greater distance, it increases the chances of obstructions on the way, which I discuss next.

Obstructions in Signal’s Path:

Heavy furniture or thick walls may be a hurdle as internet signals may collide with these objects. Consequently, the strength of internet signals may dip or deviate their path from the collision. Hence, the remaining signals that reach our devices may offer low internet speeds with weaker connectivity.

Electronic Devices:

Electronic devices, for instance, baby monitors, microwave ovens, cordless phones, or wireless cameras may work on the same frequency as our routers do. Hence, they may interfere with our router’s signals and deviate them from their path.

Nearby WiFi Networks:

In densely populated neighborhoods, other wireless connections may interfere with our router’s signals. It’s a possibility that nearby WiFi networks may use the same frequency bands as your router works on. Consequently, the internet signals may interfere or collide with each other and drop the signal strengths significantly.

How to Ideally Place Your Router:

Router Placement tips

Place Your Router at a Central Point:

To increase the router’s coverage, it’s best to place it around a central point in your house. This may help the router’s signal to cover more area and offer connectivity equally in all directions. Also, one major advantage of placing a router at a central point is that the internet signals may not die out till they reach our devices.

Keep the Router at a Height:

Elevating the router is another way to get better internet signals. As I discussed above, items, for instance, heavy furniture or thick walls, may interrupt the internet signals. So, when a router is placed at a height, the signals may easily go beyond these objects to their destination, i.e., our devices.

Minimize the Obstructions:

The obstructions mentioned above, i.e., heavy furniture or thick walls may affect your internet signal strength. So, keep your router away from these objects so they do not have any effect on your router’s performance.

Also, do not mount your router on a wall because it may also weaken the internet signals on the opposite side. 

Keep Your Router Away from Other Electronics:

As discussed above, other electronic devices may use the same frequencies as our routers. Also, electronic devices may emit radiation that may interact with our internet signals coming out of the router. Hence, it’s best to keep the router away from electronic devices to ensure that the internet signals do not interfere with frequencies emitting out of other electronic devices.

Do Not Place Your Router Near a Window:

Although windows may not block internet signals, they may be a source of nearby internet signals to interfere with your router. So, do not place your router near a window because it may also impede your signal strength.

Tips to Boost Your Router’s Strength:

Advanced Routers: 

Using the most advanced routers, for instance, WiFi 6, WiFi 6E, or WiFi 7 routers may provide the best internet signals. These routers may cover more areas, offer high-speed internet signals, and offer additional features such as Quality of Service (QoS). With it, you may prioritize the network bandwidth for each task.

That being said, advanced routers may be expensive, but fret not! With Spectrum Internet plans, you can enjoy Spectrum Advanced WiFi with WiFi 6 technology at an affordable price.

WiFi Extenders:

WiFi extenders can help increase the router’s strength and disburse internet signals to far-off locations from your router. A WiFi extender receives internet signals from the router, amplifies their strength, and rebroadcasts them to the devices.

WiFi Mesh:

A WiFi mesh includes a set of nodes that are placed around the house. The router transfers the internet signals to these nodes which then evenly distribute those signals around the house and effectively eliminate the internet dead zones.

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