When you moved into your home and imagined how each room would fit into your design plans, it is highly likely that the location of your wireless router was not taken into account. For many, the router is placed in a common area nearby a shared computer, such as a family room. For others, the location of their router correlates to the location of your home computer, which can be in a bedroom or home office. If your WiFi enabled devices aren’t getting the signal that they should be, you may want to reconsider the location of your home’s router.
Older Walls: WiFi’s Greatest Adversary
Numerous older homes were built to last, and many walls were constructed using a technique combining plaster and lath, where the lath was created using corrugated wire (such as chicken wire). While this makes for a particularly strong wall, it also acts as strong WiFi signal killer. Got a brick wall in your house? While it might upgrade your home’s value, it will also gobble up your signal. Essentially anything short of plaster and wood in your walls are all working against the strength of your WiFi signal.
Your Computer Isn’t Lonely
Your computer system works like this: The computer talks to your router, the router talks to the modem, and the modem talks to the internet. Though it may seem like an obvious choice to locate your router and modem right next to your computer, unless you have a wired Ethernet connection for your router, and your coaxial cable happens to be in the same location as your computer, it is really not necessary to configure your system this way.
Basically, what works for your computer doesn’t necessarily work for the rest of your equipment. Your modem (assuming you don’t have a wireless modem) requires only a phone line or coaxial cable to connect, and your router requires only an Ethernet cable and the ability to talk to your modem. As these are relatively small appliances, you can redesign the locations of these items to provide you with the very best WiFi connection available in your home.
It’s All About the Signal
Generally speaking, WiFi routers work for about 100 feet in all directions. If you have a seldom used desktop computer in a rarely visited home office, but you use your cell phones, Xbox, laptops and other WiFi-enabled devices in your living room, dining room and bedrooms, then you have set up a recipe for poor signal strength for your most oft used items. Instead of placing your router in the most central part of your home, you should place your router in the part of your home that is the most central for daily activity. By doing so, you will boost your WiFi signal to your mobile devices, smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Boosting Your Signal
Boosting your signal can also be accomplished by giving your router a literal boost. By placing your router at a higher point in your home, you reduce the likelihood of interference by walls. Some people may choose to put their router in an attic or crawl space (so long as it is easily accessible for maintenance), especially if that space is located above a primary room in the home. It doesn’t have to be on (or in) your ceiling either; even lifting your router a few feet off the ground will help your signal strength.
If you are unsure how to go about boosting your WiFi signal, or are simply concerned about not having the skills to run wires and cables yourself, contact Bluespan and speak with one of our professionals. We would be happy to help you figure out the best solution for receiving the best WiFi signal possible in your home.