Why the spot matters
A router sends its signal outward in all directions, with some parts of the pattern stronger than others. Where you put it decides how many walls, floors and obstacles the signal must cross to reach each device. Moving a router a few feet or relocating it to another room can sometimes improve coverage more than a hardware upgrade. Results vary from home to home, so treat the rules below as good starting points rather than guarantees.
Why it often ends up in the wrong place
Routers usually sit where the internet line enters the home: a corner, a closet, a basement or behind the TV. That location is convenient for the installer, not for your Wi-Fi. If the line enters at one end of the house, the signal may need to travel through most of the home to reach the far side.
Rule 1: Go central where you can
Place the router near the middle of the area where you use devices, not at one edge. A router in a corner sends part of its signal outside the house. If the line enters at an awkward spot, a long network cable can bring the connection to a better location. This is one place where home ethernet quietly helps wireless too.
Rule 2: Raise it up
Signals often spread better from a higher position, and a router on the floor has furniture and people in the way. A shelf or the top of a bookcase is often a good height. In a multi-story home, the middle floor or the floor with the most devices is a sensible starting point, as signal tends to pass through floors less easily than people expect.
Rule 3: Keep it in the open
Do not tuck it inside a cabinet, behind a TV, or in a drawer. Enclosures, especially metal ones, can block or reflect the signal. Avoid placing it directly against a wall that you want to cover well on the other side. A clear line of sight between the router and your most-used devices is ideal, though rarely fully possible.
Rule 4: Think about what is in the way
Different materials affect the signal differently:
- Drywall and wood generally let much of the signal through.
- Brick, concrete and stone absorb much more.
- Metal, including appliances, filing cabinets and foil-backed insulation, tends to block or reflect.
- Water is a strong absorber, so large fish tanks and water heaters can matter. People nearby also absorb some signal.
- Mirrors and large glass surfaces can reflect it in unhelpful ways.
You cannot rebuild the house, but you can choose a spot with fewer of these between the router and where you sit.
Rule 5: Mind the appliances
Some household devices produce radio noise in the same frequency range as Wi-Fi. Microwave ovens use frequencies close to the 2.4 GHz band and can disrupt it while running. Cordless phones, baby monitors and Bluetooth gadgets can also add noise. Keep the router a reasonable distance from these. Large electronics such as TVs and speaker systems are less of a worry for signal but can create clutter that blocks it, so give the router some breathing room.
Rule 6: Orient the antennas, if you have them
If the router has external antennas, they transmit most strongly outward from the sides, not from the tips. Pointing antennas straight up covers the floor you are on and, to a degree, floors above and below. For a wide, single-story home, angling some antennas a different way may help. Try different settings and test rather than assuming.
A simple testing method
Rather than guessing, test.
- Choose a few spots in the home where you often use devices: the living room couch, the bedroom, the desk.
- At each spot, run a speed test on a phone or laptop and note the result. If you can, also look at the signal strength shown by the device.
- Move the router to a new location, wait for it to restart, and repeat the tests at the same spots.
- Keep the placement that works best for the places that matter most.
Run each test a couple of times, since results fluctuate. Test at the same time of day if you can, because neighbors and household use change the picture. A speed test only measures a moment, so decide by looking for consistent differences rather than small ones.
When placement is not enough
Sometimes a house is simply too big or too dense for one router, or the line enters in a place you cannot change. In that case, the options include mesh wifi, wired access points or wifi extenders, each with trade-offs. Placement still matters for these devices. Extra units belong roughly halfway between the main router and the weak area, not in the weak area itself, because they need a decent signal to pass along. A router in a spot that works for your most important device, such as a work desk used for video calls, is often more valuable than one that gives mediocre coverage everywhere.
Quick checklist
- Central, not in a corner
- Elevated, not on the floor
- Out in the open, not in a cabinet
- Away from microwaves, cordless phones and large metal objects
- Tested in more than one location
Small adjustments cost nothing and are easy to undo. It is worth trying them before you assume that your equipment or your plan is the problem.