Your Router Is in the Wrong Spot. Here’s Where to Move It to Speed Up Your Wi-Fi

Few things are more frustrating than a slow home internet connection. It’s a massive headache if you work from home, if you’re trying to install smart home gadgets, or if you just want to unwind with some Netflix at the end of the day. So what can you do if your Wi-Fi always seems to be unstable, regardless of what internet service provider you have or how many devices are connected? 

The good news is there’s an easy way to optimize your Wi-Fi network and address these issues — and it’ll only take you a few minutes. 

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There are a lot of factors that determine internet speeds and while there are a few tricks or guidelines you can follow to improve the overall wireless speeds and coverage in your home, one of the most crucial factors is the location of your router. And the best place is not always where the technician sets it up. So keep reading to learn about the best place in your home for your router and other tricks for faster Wi-Fi. You can also check out our picks for the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, the best mesh routers and the best Wi-Fi extenders. (And if you have a mesh router, make sure you check out our guide for where and how to set that up the right way, too.)

See also: T-Mobile Home Internet Review

Choose the right router for your space

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First things first: It all starts with choosing the right router or other equipment. Not all routers are the same and the size and layout of your home will determine what type of wireless network you need.

For most apartments and smaller homes (under 1,500 square feet), a single wireless access point should suffice. That said, if your router is several years old, you may want to consider upgrading to a newer model with support for 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6. That’s the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, and it’ll give you the fastest wireless speeds possible and the best overall coverage.

For bigger, multilevel homes, it’s worth considering making the upgrade to a mesh network to offer consistent coverage throughout the entire house. Once the main access point is installed, if you find a far corner of your home doesn’t have solid wireless coverage, just add another node to that area. Problem solved.

To learn more, check out our list of the best mesh routers of the year (our top pick is the TP-Link Deco W7200). If you need some additional guidance, consult our router buying guide.

Just remember: Regardless of whether you have a single access point or a mesh network, where you place the primary access point still matters. 

OK, so what’s the best place to put your router?

TP Link router on a blue background

Check out all of the different routers available to you: Wi-Fi routers, mesh networks

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Your Wi-Fi Router Is in the Wrong Spot. Here’s Where to Move It for Faster Internet

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET’s collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

A slow home internet connection can make even the simplest Google search super frustrating. If you find that your Wi-Fi is always unstable, no matter what internet service provider you have or how many devices are connected, what do you do? Sometimes having your router professionally installed might not even solve the immense problem of a slow, weak internet connection. That’s a massive headache if you work from home, if you’re trying to install smart home gadgets, or if you just want to unwind with some Netflix at the end of the day.

The good news is there’s an easy way to optimize your Wi-Fi network and address these issues — and it’ll only take you a few minutes. 

Shopping for a faster internet speed?

We’ll send you the fastest internet options, so you don’t have to find them.

There are a lot of factors that determine internet speeds and while there are a few tricks or guidelines you can follow to improve the overall wireless speeds and coverage in your home, one of the most crucial factors is the location of your router. And the best place is not always where the technician set it up. So keep reading to learn about the best place in your home for your router and other tricks for faster Wi-Fi. You can also check out our picks for the best Wi-Fi routers, the best mesh routers and the best Wi-Fi extenders. (And if you have a mesh router, make sure you check out our guide for where and how to set that up the right way, too.)

Choose the right router for your space

CNET Home Tips logo

First things first: It all starts with choosing the right router or other equipment. Not all routers are the same and the size and layout of your home will determine what type of wireless network you need.

For most apartments and smaller homes (under 1,500 square feet), a single wireless access point should suffice. That said, if your router is several years old, you may want to consider upgrading to a newer model with support for 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6. That’s the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, and it’ll give you the fastest wireless speeds possible and the best overall coverage.

For bigger, multilevel homes, it’s worth considering making the upgrade to a mesh network to offer consistent coverage throughout the entire house. Once the main access point is installed, if you find a far corner of your home doesn’t have solid wireless coverage, just add another node to that area. Problem solved.

To learn more, check out our list of the best mesh routers of the year (our top pick is the TP-Link Deco W7200) and if you’re not sure where to begin in choosing your next router, consult our router buying guide.

Regardless of

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Your Mesh Router Is in the Erroneous Spot. Here is Wherever to Set It for Speedier World wide web

This story is part of 12 Times of Ideas, supporting you make the most of your tech, property and health in the course of the holiday break season.

I have used the earlier few of decades at CNET testing and examining Wi-Fi routers, and if you will find 1 point I’ve discovered, it really is this: In most houses, the most significant way to increase the Wi-Fi connection is to update to a mesh router.

The reasoning in this article is basic. Standard routers put out a Wi-Fi sign from a one issue in your residence, but mesh routers use numerous devices to place out a usable sign from various details in your property. That makes them more like a group of routers that do the job with each other to relay your visitors back to the modem. It can be a significantly much better tactic to dwelling networking, specifically in substantial, multistory households, where by a conventional, solitary-issue router will very likely leave you with lifeless zones in the rooms that are farthest away. They can even make a considerable big difference in more compact houses, primarily if you have any lifeless zone rooms where speeds aren’t as speedy as you’d like.

Browsing for a faster internet pace?

We’ll send out you the speediest online selections, so you never have to find them.

Most mesh routers are quite easy to get started off with: Just link a person system to your modem with an Ethernet cable, plug it in and then adhere to the instructions in the system’s application. From there, you are going to need to have to decide on spots for the remaining satellite extenders, which are also from time to time referred to as nodes (or “Points” if you are a Nest Wifi consumer). Still, you can want to set some imagined into in which you spot the things, as their particular site will make a important impression on the system’s performance. In this article are some recommendations to continue to keep in head as you go. (You can also verify out our strategies on the finest location for your Wi-Fi router, and how to secure your household Wi-Fi network from hackers.)

netgear-orbi-quad-band-wi-fi-6e-mesh-router.png

Mesh routers and other Wi-Fi products complete their finest when they’re found out in the open up, and up off of the floor.


Netgear

Where by must you set your mesh router?

Like with most wireless transmissions, it isn’t going to choose considerably to disrupt your Wi-Fi signal and gradual it down. That is why it can be essential to put your mesh extenders strategically, in spots wherever they’re going to be capable to complete at their greatest.

Go the primary router

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Initially items to start with, you can expect to want the most important router in your set up — the mesh gadget which is wired to your modem — to be situated as centrally in your dwelling as possible. Which is the same method you would consider

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Your Router Is in the Wrong Spot. Here’s Where To Move It for Faster Wi-Fi

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET’s collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

A reliable internet connection at home is pivotal — but Wi-Fi can be frustratingly finicky. Despite paying monthly fees to an internet service provider, and even if you’ve had a router professionally installed, you may still find yourself spending too much time watching your phone, laptop or streaming device grind away as it tries to stay connected. 

That’s a massive headache if you work from home, if you’re trying to install smart home gadgets, or if you just want to unwind with some Netflix at the end of the day.

Shopping for a faster internet speed?

We’ll send you the fastest internet options, so you don’t have to find them.

The good news is there’s an easy way to optimize your Wi-Fi network and address these issues, and it’ll only take you a few minutes. 

There are a lot of factors that determine internet speeds and while there are a few tricks or guidelines you can follow to improve the overall wireless speeds and coverage in your home, one of the most crucial factors is the location of your router. And note, the best place is not always where the technician set it up. So keep reading to learn about the best place in your home for your router and other tricks for faster Wi-Fi. You can also check out our picks for the best Wi-Fi routers, the best mesh routers and the best Wi-Fi extenders.

Find the right router for your space

CNET Home Tips logo

First things first: It all starts with choosing the right router or other equipment. Not all routers are the same and the size and layout of your home will determine what type of wireless network you need.

For most apartments and smaller homes (under 1,500 square feet), a single wireless access point should suffice. That said, if your router is several years old, you may want to consider upgrading to a newer model with support for 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6. That’s the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, and it’ll give you the fastest wireless speeds possible and the best overall coverage.

For bigger, multilevel homes, it’s worth considering making the upgrade to a mesh network to offer consistent coverage throughout the entire house. Once the main access point is installed, if you find a far corner of your home doesn’t have solid wireless coverage, just add another node to that area. Problem solved.

To learn more, check out our list of the best mesh routers of the year and if you’re not sure where to begin in choosing your next router, consult our router buying guide.

Regardless of whether you have a single access point or a mesh network, where you place the primary access point still matters.

TP Link router on a blue background

Check out all of the different routers available to you: Wi-Fi routers, mesh networks and more. 


Chris Monroe/CNET

Where

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