Where to Put Your Router: 11 Placement Tips for Faster Wi-Fi
Where your router sits can matter more than your internet plan. These 11 placement tips cost nothing and often fix dead zones in minutes.
Most routers end up wherever the cable comes into the house: a corner, a cupboard, behind the TV. That's usually the worst spot. Moving it a few metres can make a bigger difference than upgrading your plan.
1. Put it in the middle of your home
Wi-Fi spreads out in every direction. A router against an outside wall sends half its signal to the garden. Aim for the centre of the rooms where you use the internet most.
2. Raise it up
Signals travel outward and slightly downward. A shelf at chest height or higher beats the floor every time.
3. Keep it in the open
Cupboards, drawers and TV cabinets block signal. So does tucking it behind the TV itself.
4. Stay away from metal and mirrors
Metal shelving, filing cabinets, fridges and large mirrors reflect Wi-Fi. Put a little distance between them and the router.
5. Mind the water
Water absorbs Wi-Fi. Fish tanks, radiators and even a wall full of plumbing weaken the signal behind them.
6. Keep microwaves and baby monitors apart
Older microwaves and some cordless phones and baby monitors use the same 2.4 GHz frequencies as Wi-Fi and can cause dropouts while they run.
7. Point the antennas two ways
If your router has adjustable antennas, set one vertical and one horizontal. Phones and laptops hold their antennas at different angles, and mixing orientations covers both.
8. One floor up or down? Go near the stairs
Floors block more than walls. For a two-storey home, a spot near the staircase on the floor where you spend the most time works well.
9. Test before and after
Guessing is unreliable. Walk the house with a live signal meter before and after you move the router and note the weakest rooms. Wifify's Signal tab shows the signal update every second, so you can see dead spots appear as you walk.
10. If one room is still weak, add a mesh point
Big homes and thick walls sometimes defeat any single router. A mesh system adds extra Wi-Fi points that work as one network. Put the extra point halfway between the router and the weak room, not inside the weak room.
11. Use a cable where you can
TVs, games consoles and desktop computers that don't move are faster and steadier on an Ethernet cable, and they stop competing with phones and laptops for Wi-Fi.