How To Optimize Your Home For A Better WiFi Signal

It can be pretty frustrating to deal with a weak WiFi signal in your home. Most people who contact our internet help center for assistance with home WiFi troubleshooting struggle with dead zones and a bad signal in part of their home. Of course, some are dealing with slow WiFi throughout their home.  In the majority of cases, we are able to help improve home network performance and boost the WiFi signal. Unless you live in a multi-floored concrete bunker, it should be possible to improve your network.  Check out the following home WiFi troubleshooting tips and see if you can get better performance from your WiFi network. If you have questions or are interested in our Whole Home WiFi solutions, please contact us. Also, check our Wifi Support and Tips page if you want an additional resource.

Place Your Router in the Right Spot 

Does router placement affect WiFi strength? Definitely. Walls, floors, and distance from the router can all affect signal strength. The denser the obstructions between the router and the device using it, the more signal loss you will likely experience. The greater the distance between the router and the device, the weaker the signal tends to be.  All of this explains why it’s so important to place your router in an optimal location. Keep the router centrally located in the home so it’s an equal distance from all of the devices using it. Elevate it off the floor, such as on a table, and keep it away from thick walls. This allows the signal to travel more freely. Other electronic devices, such as microwaves, can inhibit performance as well. Try to keep the router away from these, too. 

Secure Your Network for Maximum Performance 

If you don’t secure your network, others can use it for their internet needs. This can significantly affect the performance of your network. Imagine if your neighbor uses your network to stream 4K television shows all day long. That would hog a lot of your bandwidth. You’d likely notice that things moved more slowly, but you also might not realize what the problem was.  A secure WiFi network uses a strong password and has WPA2 or WPA3 encryption enabled. These things make it much harder for someone to hack into your network and use your connection. They also help prevent cybercriminals from using your network to steal your information.  Additionally, limiting the amount of users on your network can keep speeds higher.

Upgrade Your Equipment If Needed 

Upgrading your equipment could be all you need to boost your WiFi signal. It’s a frustrating reality that networking equipment can become obsolete in just three or four years, if not less. That’s because networking technologies are always improving. The modem and router that were good enough for your old, slower internet connection might not be able to handle a newer, faster connection.  We offer our customers the latest WiFi 6 (or greater) routers to ensure they can take full advantage of our high-speed internet plans. If you need to extend your WiFi coverage – such as if you have a large home – we also offer eero mesh WiFi systems that can cover all of your dead zones. 

Extend Your Coverage with Boosters or Mesh Systems 

Do WiFi signal extenders actually work? Yes, they can definitely work. However, it’s important to note that some equipment is better suited to specific situations. A WiFi extender is a fairly inexpensive device that you can plug in and connect to your current router. It will provide a modest extension of your signal.  An extender, sometimes called a WiFi booster, is a good option when you need to get WiFi in a distant room, for example. You could plug one into the outlet in your garage and get enough signal to check email and text messages. For a more comprehensive and powerful WiFi extension, a mesh network might be a better choice. These systems are more expensive than simple boosters, but they are also much more powerful. They use numerous nodes that connect to a central device. As the name suggests, they allow you to create a mesh of signals that you can use throughout the area. They also offer a more powerful connection, although there are still limitations to how much they can extend a single signal. 

Take Control of Your WiFi Experience 

Now that you know some of the main reasons for slow internet and how to correct them, you can decide if you need additional assistance. Some of the above steps might be enough to solve your problem. However, if you are still struggling with a weak WiFi signal, it might be time to talk to the pros.  We can talk to you over the phone and help solve your WiFi issues. We can also make a visit to your home and create a specific action plan on how to cover all of the dead zones in your home. 

Get the best home internet connection possible with help from WOW!