Where do I put the router? Here's how to improve your Wi-Fi signal

Wi-Fi internet networks were of vital importance in the process of eliminating (or at least reducing) the cables scattered around our home environment. It is through this type of signal that we are able to connect to the internet with our cell phones, video games and computers. In this way, the user who pays for the internet service wants it to be provided in full and without other interference. Still, there are some obstacles in our own home that can prevent this continued access. Check out our tips on the best place for the router to be installed and, with that, improve the Wi-Fi signal available in your home.

How does the Wi-Fi signal work?

To really understand where is the best place to put our internet point and install the router, it is also necessary to understand how the internet signal works and how it interacts with the home environment and its elements. In this case, when we refer to Wi-Fi, we are not talking about the internet signal itself, but specific waves that serve to make our devices synchronize with the router and, consequently, gain access to the network, which comes from outside and is provided by the supplying agencies.

Wi-Fi, then, works like a radio network — just like AM and FM, remember them? Just as these two different networks have a specific behavior in the face of physical obstacles, Wi-Fi also has its peculiarities. In this case, the quality of the internet signal will suffer certain losses when it is impeded by physical barriers scattered around the house. This ranges from walking distance, in the case of townhouses, to even closed doors.

That's why a good internet router is important, as it would need to have enough strength and stability to keep the signal flowing continuously, even when it needs to cross solid obstacles in the environment of our homes. It is not to be questioned, therefore, that in order to improve the Wi-Fi signal and reach the maximum performance according to what is offered by the operator's plan, the company always suggests the use of the access point through the network cables, since the bandwidth supply is continuous and direct, unaffected by factors such as interference on the router, for example.

Where is the best place to install the router and improve the Wi-Fi signal?

Placing the router in an open environment is certainly the golden tip when it comes to choosing the best place for its installation. Although there is a considerable range of physical obstacles that make it difficult for the Wi-Fi signal to propagate, it still manages to bypass them and fill a considerable radius of its range.

Consequently, the signal propagation area is three-dimensional. It is not like a unidirectional “beam”, as if it were coming from somewhere and sent directly to another receiving device. Think of a stone falling into a pond: the wave generated in the water is round and spreads out equally in all directions.

With the router, the logic is similar. Therefore, another important suggestion is to identify a more or less central point in your home or office, as it “spreads” the internet to all sides, making this point the best place for the router. Placing the device in a corner or glued to the wall will undermine its true range and it's as if it's proliferating the signal towards the wall too, which is not interesting, especially if inconvenient neighbors happen to discover the password of the your internet. After all, although walls make it difficult for the internet signal to travel, they do not completely prevent it.

Within the same logic, another valuable tip is to install the router in a high place. In the same way that Wi-Fi is waves being propagated, so is light. Some wave characteristics, therefore, are shared and, just as we install our light fixtures in the center of the room, on the ceiling, making it illuminate us from top to bottom, the router can also be placed somewhere high so that there is greater signal area coverage. Obviously, we are not suggesting to install the router on the ceiling, but placing it on a high shelf already satisfies this requirement and can help to improve the internet signal.

Finally, two other important tips: always use the router the way the manufacturer suggests — whether it is standing or lying down will depend on the model — and never position the antennas in the same position, after all, it would be redundancy and a way to undermine the signal range, which could be better spread out to different directions.

What can hinder or prevent signal propagation?

As noted, the main impediments to a router's signal proliferation are usually physical barriers that end up undermining the router's full propagation range. Masonry walls that are made of plaster or brick are especially harmful and end up blocking much of the signal range.

The furniture itself also ends up generating some interference in the router, but it is impossible to find a home environment without furniture, what can be done is an environment design analysis in order to conceive rooms that are open enough and that do not block, in some way, Wi-Fi waves. This is also why we suggest that the best place for the router is one in a high position. Wooden furniture, in turn, is quite useful because, unlike masonry, they are not effective barriers against the network signal. wireless, having minimal negative impact on router performance.

In addition to the simple existence of physical barriers, there are other characteristics of domestic artifacts that also cause interference in the router and impair signal propagation. One of them is the reflective capacity of the mirrors, as some Wi-Fi signals suffer a ricochet effect when faced with this type of situation. The same goes for water bodies — that is, the internet signal will hardly be able to cross an aquarium.

Other electronic devices also have a direct influence on Wi-Fi. Have you noticed how common it is for the internet to lose strength in the kitchen? Well, the microwave device also operates in a 2.4 GHz band, the same as many network devices on the market, generating interference in the router and undermining the quality of your signal.

Although most of modern technology is already conceived in order to perform without influencing wireless internet networks, more archaic equipment did not envision a reality like the current one. Thus, appliances bluetooth old ones, LCD monitors or cordless phones also don't get along with the network signal. This also applies to any appliance with layers of metal in its composition, from the refrigerator to some television sets, as the material serves as a signal blocker for the equipment inside it.

How can I increase the Wi-Fi signal for the whole house?

In addition to selecting the best possible spot in your home, one of the ways to improve the router signal throughout your home is to use a Wi-Fi signal repeater or extender. In this case, it is a small device that captures the originally emitted signal and repeats it within its own range.

The difference between an extender and a repeater is in the way it accesses the signal from the original modem or routers. A repeater does it through the Wi-Fi signal itself, while an extender works through an ethernet cable connection.

A repeater needs the Wi-Fi signal from the original router to work, and it can be plugged in and it is as if it strengthens the signal quality to that point where propagation is normally weaker, but still exists — since the repeater needs that signal to be able to redistribute it. Of course, it needs to be configured — something that can be done by a notebook that can access it — and, depending on the model and configuration performed, it can also function as a second access point (which uses the same internet as the first, in this case).

The signal extender, in turn, although it has a similar practical utility, it has relatively different characteristics, altering its usability potential. As it necessarily needs to be wired, there is no need for the device to be within the range of the original router, as all it needs is for the cable to be long enough for the connection between both devices.

In addition, it also does not suffer from bandwidth reduction due to interference on the router, something present in wireless Wi-Fi connections, since the connection through the cable Ethernet does not suffer from such a setback. It is important to call attention, however, that there are hybrid alternatives on the market, as there are options that make both the Wi-Fi repetition of the signal (wireless) and the extension via cable. Ethernet on the same device.

See also other features

The way to improve the Wi-Fi signal in your home starts with choosing a good router. Check out our special with best routers with Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E available on the market.

Sources: Cnet, All Connect, LifeWire e Lifehacker.