how to boost the router's wifi signal

How to boost router wifi signal?

Poor Wifi coverage in your home is not the end of the world! All you have to do is learn how to amplify the router's Wi-Fi signal. Sometimes it doesn't take much for the wireless signal quality to improve significantly. Learn 9 effective ways to increase the Wi-Fi coverage of your router so you can use the Internet in every corner of your home!
Totolink A7000r

1. Wi-Fi router - do not hide it in the closet!

Your Wi-Fi router has a place in the utility room? Or maybe you hid it in a closet and are surprised that Wi-Fi in your home or apartment is weak? It's worth paying attention to when it comes to increasing the coverage of our home network. There is nothing unusual about it - the router should be located in such a place that the signal encounters as few obstacles as possible. Forget about the bottom of the wardrobe, lockers under the stairs and other similar hiding places. It is best to place the router on a raised platform (e.g. a cupboard) in the center of the apartment or house because the signal is evenly distributed around it. Perhaps it is enough for the signal quality to improve significantly.

2. check the antenna setting in the router

The router's antennas send the signal sideways, so if we have one storey in the apartment, we need one antenna. However, if we live in a two-story house or a two-story apartment and we care about the Wi-Fi signal on the ground floor and on the first floor, then the best solution will be to place 2 antennas in the router - one vertically and the other horizontally, to send the signal up and down. This way we will get rid of the problem of poor wifi signal in a laptop or smartphone.
Wifi antennas

3. change frequency to 5 GHz

Wi-Fi routers are automatically set to work at 2.4 GHz. Unfortunately, they use the same frequency as:

  • other Wi-Fi networks located nearby,
  • microwave ovens (small household appliances),
  • toys, e.g. remote-controlled cars.
  • electronic nannies
  • xboxes
  • office devices

As a result, the signal is often interfered with by other devices. How to amplify the router's signal? It is best to buy one that can operate at 5 GHz, which is much less congested and the signal is more stable due to less interference. Maybe doing that will have a very positive influence on improving our wifi signal and we will get better data transmission results.

4. try other transmission channels

Can't you change the frequency of the router? There is another solution - manual transmission channel selection. Changing the data transmission channel is very important! Usually the router selects the channel itself, automatically, but if it uses a channel loaded with other networks, interference is possible. Therefore, it is worth to change the settings to another, less loaded channel (usually 1 or 6).

Frequency channels

5. check the power of the router

You think the router works with the most power? It's worth to check that, beacuse not necessarily! Some models, however, offer the possibility to manually change the wifi signal power to better. At 2.4 GHz the maximum power is 100 mW. Lack of power can negatively affect the coverage and our wifi network becomes inefficient. This option can be found in advanced settings in the admin panel. Depending on the type of device the values will be:

  • percentage,
  • in milliwatts,
  • described as "weak", "medium" and "strong".

6. bet on a repeater - it's not free, but certainly effective

  • If all the actions that you can do on your own and free of charge have failed you still have poor coverage of your home network, it is worth considering buying a repeater.

How does a repeater work? How to choose a wifi repeater ?

This is a device that receives a signal from the router, then regenerates it and amplifies it to send it further in better quality. What can you do to make the repeater work as effectively as possible while properly amplifying the wifi signal? As with the router, you need to make sure it is positioned correctly. The repeater (wifi amplifier):

  • should not be too close to the router (preferably in the middle, between the router and the device that is supposed to receive the wifi signal)
  • need to be placed in a place with good range.
Signal amplifier

7 Choose professional Access Points and better Wi-Fi coverage in a large building

Access Points look like a router and enable wireless connectivity. Thanks to it, it is possible to create a local network in a larger building, e.g. a company or a multi-storey house. Such a device is plugged into an outlet, which intercepts the signal and passes it.

Wireless Uplinks

8 Mesh networks - improve Wi-Fi coverage in the router

How do you extend the Wi-Fi range of your router? There's a way - it's Mesh networks, a set of Wi-Fi networks that form a single system and work automatically. As you move around your home, your device automatically connects to the same network through different routers. In this way you can not only increase the range of Wi-Fi (even in the so-called blind spots in the house), but also improve its quality and eliminate interference. More on the comparison of mesh systems can be found in this article.

9 Replace the network card

Not always problems with coverage and Wi-Fi signal are caused by the router. It is also possible to damage the signal receiver, i.e. the network card. If it can't handle the signal and you're wondering how to amplify the Wi-Fi signal in your laptop, you can replace it with a new one or put it on an external network card, connected to your computer or laptop via USB.

wireless usb card
If you have any suggestions on how to amplify the WiFi signal we invite you to our FORUM, where you can share your thoughts.