Wi-Fi is the backbone of the home internet experience and if you’re not getting a strong signal between your router and all your devices, you’re probably feeling a bit frustrated. Here’s how to improve your Wi-Fi experience.

Consider Upgrading Your Router

If your router is relatively new (or even fresh out of the box!) and you’re not getting the signal strength and Wi-Fi experience you expect, then all these tips will be very useful. But if your router is long in the tooth then you’re only going to get so much improvement out of small adjustments and changes. No amount of tips and tricks can magically make a ten-year-old router not, well, a ten-year-old router.

What was a perfectly serviceable router back when people had only a handful of Wi-Fi devices just doesn’t cut it in a modern home where everything from the TV to the thermostat is internet-enabled. If it feels like your old Wi-Fi router is labouring under the burden of all those new devices and their increased bandwidth demands, there’s a good chance it is.

Wi-Fi tech has improved exponentially and there’s simply no comparing early Wi-Fi routers to even modern budget routers, let alone premium routers. For lots of people, buying a mesh router system erases all their router woes—weak signal, poor coverage, devices overburdening the router, etc.—all in one swoop.

Move Your Router

Hands down one of the simplest ways to improve your Wi-Fi coverage and signal strength is to move your router, as most people have their routers in suboptimal locations.  Why is moving the router so effective? Think of your router like a light bulb. The Wi-Fi radio signal radiates out from it just like visible light radiates out from a lamp (the radio topography of Wi-Fi signals is a bit more complex than that, but you get the idea).

If you were trying to read a book in the centre of your living room you wouldn’t put the lamp in the farthest corner of the room because the light wouldn’t be where you wanted it.

By the same measure, if you want a strong Wi-Fi signal, it doesn’t make sense to put your Wi-Fi router in the farthest corner of the house.  Ideally, your Wi-Fi router should be placed in a location that is central to the activity and devices in your home and not placed based just on where the line enters your home.

Switch Devices Over to Ethernet

This is perhaps one of the most overlooked tips because when people are troubleshooting their Wi-Fi, they aren’t thinking about things other than wireless connections.  But one of the simpler ways to deal with Wi-Fi device congestion is to look for devices you can take off the Wi-Fi network and switch over to Ethernet (wired) instead.

We understand that not everyone has a house wired for Ethernet and in many cases, Wi-Fi is the only way to get some devices online.  At the same time, however, we’ve been in plenty of homes where the modem and Wi-Fi router are in the living room or home office and there are lots of Ethernet-cable devices right there (like a desktop PC, game console, or TV) that are using Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet.  If you have a stationary device like a computer or TV that can easily be hooked up to the network via Ethernet there’s no downside to doing so. You’ll free up space for other Wi-Fi devices, and enjoy a faster connection with a better response time.

Remove Unnecessary Devices

Switching devices over to Ethernet where available is a good start in getting devices off your Wi-Fi network. You should follow that up by kicking devices off that no longer need to be on your home network.

The same goes for anything that you added to your Wi-Fi network but doesn’t actually need to be on your network. Boot it off and free up the space.

Update Your Firmware

Router firmware updates are important for two big reasons. First, and far more important than getting a strong Wi-Fi signal, keeping your router updated ensures that you’re running the most secure firmware available for your particular model.

Updating your firmware isn’t just about security. A firmware update can also squash bugs and improve performance. A bug fix that ensures your older router plays nice with your new computer or phone can make it feel like you got a whole new router.

Consider an Extender for Dead Spots

Overall, Wi-Fi extenders are largely a plaster on Wi-Fi problems and you should deal with the actual problem first.  However, extenders are a good solution if you just want to get a stronger signal to a particular area that has a dead spot. Let’s say, for example, your Wi-Fi coverage inside your home is pretty good but when you sit out on your patio your Wi-Fi connection constantly drops. Putting a repeater in the room adjacent to the patio (especially if it has a line of sight to where you sit outside) will likely provide just enough coverage to spare you upgrading the whole router.

We hope this information helps. Tech Angels is here to advise and assist with anything you’ve read here, just give us a call.