If you sink a ton of money into a high-performing router, you probably expect it to function perfectly. Though, just buying a good router isn’t enough. You need to put it in the ideal spot to maximize efficiency.
Regarding routers, it’s all about location, location, location. By that, we mean you need to think about anything that could obstruct its signals.
Placing your router in the right spot can maximize the wireless connection throughout your home. Of course, it can be tricky to suss out the best place if you don’t know much about how routers work. Luckily, we have all the answers in this easy guide to placing your router.
1. Pinpoint your central spot
No, this doesn’t mean you should plop your router in the center of your home. You don’t want it in your kitchen or bathroom, for example. (And you absolutely don’t want it in your basement or attic.)
The ideal router placement depends on where you want to get Wi-Fi coverage. If you spend a lot of time in your home office, you should place your router closer to that room than the kitchen. Take a minute to think about all the spaces that use the most internet.
Compare how far away they are from one another and pick the middle point between these spaces. Once you pinpoint this spot, you have a solid starting point. Of course, consider the many barriers your router has to deal with while choosing this center.
2. Remember how your router works
When trying to identify that perfect spot, you must consider all the interferences in your router’s way. For some background, your router creates a computer network that lets you connect several devices to the internet. It manages traffic between all the devices in a network.
If that sounds complicated, think of it as a digital mailman. It delivers packets of data from one gadget to another. It does this through radio waves that transmit the internet to different devices throughout your house.
Walls, ceilings, furniture and other physical obstacles can weaken these signals. That’s why you should try to map the path of least resistance. Instead of putting your router in a cluttered room full of furniture, try to put it in an open space. Whatever you do, avoid metal, brick and concrete; they can block Wi-Fi signals.
3. Try to put your router as high up as possible
Try to put your router near the center of the room you want to have the fastest Wi-Fi speeds. You should also mount it as high as you possibly can.
It’s better to put your router up high because radio waves usually shoot the signal downward. Thus, raising your router helps it give the best signal. For example, if you put your router on the floor, it directs the Wi-Fi signal to your floor. That’s as helpful as wearing a parka in the desert.
You can mount it on a wall or even place it high on a bookshelf. Also, if your router has antennas, ensure they aren’t all pointing in the same direction. Remember that your router is shooting radio waves to all the devices in your house. Tilt the antennas at different angles so they can reach them all.
4. If you can, keep it away from other electronics
We’ve been harping about radio waves, and for good reason. Different devices send unique waves that might interfere with one another.
Here’s a rule of thumb: Keep your router around three feet away from other devices. Avoid TV sets, baby monitors, car alarms, kitchen appliances, cordless phones and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
You need to keep your router far away from the microwave. It emits a powerful 2.4GHz signal — which may be the same as a wireless router. (For reference, routers use either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Some use both.)
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