Slow Wi-Fi? Place Your Mesh Router in These Spots for a Speed Boost | Global News Avenue

There are many reasons for slow Wi-Fi speeds — an older router, poor service from your internet provider, or outdated firmware can all be to blame — but one of the most common reasons is where you choose to place your router .

Wi-Fi routers aren’t always the prettiest gadgets, so most of us hide it somewhere where it won’t draw much attention. However, if your mesh system isn’t performing well in certain rooms and you want to increase its speed, it’s worth reviewing your router’s placement even with a mesh system.

I have been Testing and reviewing routers over the yearsnothing has a greater impact on Wi-Fi speed than the location of your router. Although a Traditional Wi-Fi router Send a signal from one point in your home mesh system Use multiple devices to send signals from different points. This makes it more like a group of routers that work together to forward your traffic back to the modem.

It’s a better approach to home networking, especially in large, multi-story homes where traditional single-point routers can leave dead zones in the farthest rooms.

Where should you place your mesh router?

You need to consider where to place your routers and satellite extenders, which are sometimes called nodes (or “points” if you’re a node) Bird’s Nest Wireless Network users) because their specific location will significantly affect the performance of the system. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind. (You can also check out our tips on the best locations for your Wi-Fi router , and How to protect your home Wi-Fi network from hackers.)

mobile main router

First, you want to place the main router in your setup (the mesh device that connects to your modem) as centrally located in your home as possible. that is The same approach you would take with a single routerthe idea is the same: Routers emit Wi-Fi signals in all directions, so placing your router in a central location in your home will make the most of your connection.

This is even more true for mesh systems, where the strength of the connection near the extender depends heavily on the strength of the incoming signal from the main router. A stronger connection between the two will help ensure you get the fastest Wi-Fi speeds throughout your home.

Your mobile router options may seem limited by location your modemas well as the incoming line to your home’s Internet connection. an extra long one Ethernet cable This is where it comes in handy, you are free to move the router away from where the modem is if necessary. If this is impractical, you will at least need to move the main router to an open area, preferably as high as possible off the ground.

Move these extenders

Once you’ve placed your main router in the best location, you’ll need to choose the right location for your extenders. For most systems, you can connect each device to the main router using an Ethernet cable to get the fastest speeds possible, but most users prefer to connect all their devices wirelessly. In this case, you’ll need to adopt additional strategies about where you place the extender in your home.

Again, being outdoors and off the ground is your best bet for getting a clear signal, but you’ll also want to think about your home’s layout, as physical obstructions between your main router and extenders may impact your home. Slow down.

Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to try to keep devices in a grid setup no more than two rooms away from each other. Every home will be different, especially if your walls are made of dense materials like brick or concrete, which Wi-Fi signals can have a hard time penetrating. You also need to be aware of electrical interference from TVs and other large appliances, so if you have a mesh extender in your kitchen, resist the urge to hide it on top of your refrigerator and keep it away from appliances altogether.

Furniture can also block Wi-Fi signals, so if you have anything large or bulky between your two mesh devices, consider relocating them. Aquariums are another classic opponent of mesh network setups, since Wi-Fi has a hard time transmitting through water.

The best way to make sure your mesh network is as connected as possible is to open its app and check the signal strength of each device, which is a feature most systems offer. You can also find system-specific guides online at the following links:

Avoid these dead zones

If you have a signal outage in a back corner of your home, you might be tempted to place a mesh extender in the middle of the dead zone to increase speeds. In many cases, this is a mistake.

Remember, just like your phone or laptop, your mesh extender needs a wireless connection to the main router in your setup. If the back corner is a dead space for your phone or laptop, it might also be a dead space for your mesh extender.

A better approach is to place the extender in nearby to the dead zone so it can connect to the main router more easily. In some cases this may be somewhere halfway between the dead zone and the main router, but you may need to do some experimenting. Once you find the sweet spot, the Wi-Fi signal it emits should be healthy and extend into the dead zone, bringing it back to life.

Run a speed test

In addition to the diagnostic tools in the mesh router app, the fastest way to check your system’s performance is to run some speed tests. have We recommend numerous free online servicesany of which will tell you the upload and download speeds of any device you’re using in a minute or less.

For the best information, grab your laptop or phone and run multiple speed tests in every room in your home where you need a working Wi-Fi signal. By the end, you should have a good general idea of ​​where the speed is most stable and where it drops off. From there, you can try moving the extenders around to try for balance, or you can consider purchasing additional extenders to fill in any gaps. Either way, your home should provide a strong signal where you need it.

Other considerations for mesh routers

Keep in mind that your mesh router can only deliver as fast as you pay for from your network. internet service provider. If you have a general lack of speed in your home, it might be time to consider Upgrade to a faster plan (It might be worth seeing if your ISP lets you try a faster plan for a few days to see if this is indeed the problem). Your ISP may also be able to provide you with Updated modem This will bring better and faster speeds to your mesh system. It never hurts to ask.

If speeds still seem slower than you’d like and your ISP isn’t able to resolve the issue, there are a few other things you can try. First, if your provider’s modem is a gateway device that doubles as a router, then you’ll want to disable its Wi-Fi network so that it doesn’t interfere with your mesh system’s Wi-Fi network.

Speaking of interference, your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network can interfere with your network. To fix this, jump into your mesh router’s app and look for the channel settings, which let you adjust your network to a different part of the Wi-Fi airwaves, potentially avoiding any channels that nearby networks are using. You’ll also want to make sure your grid system’s firmware is up to date, which should be easy to check in its app.

For more information, check out our picks The best Wi-Fi 6 routersand How to find free Wi-Fi anywhere in the world.