How To Position Your WiFi Router For Optimal Performance 

WiFi Coverage doesn’t always meet your expectations and may very well be underperforming.  The first thing people would do in a scenario like this is to upgrade their current plan with their ISPs. However, more factors at play determine the performance of your WiFi—precisely, the position of your WiFi router.  

Many factors affect the performance of your WiFi, including the following: 

• Frequency band 
• Radio Power output
• Receiver sensitivity 
• Antenna gain 
• Antenna type 
• Modulation technique 
• The environment 

The environment is the most affordable option that can be altered to obtain better WiFi performance. Let’s have a look at how you can determine the best spot in your home to place your router for optimal WiFi performance. Feel free to skip forward to sections that are relevant to your paricular case!

Here are the 6 steps you need to take to improve the position of your WiFi Router:

1. 1. Position Your Router at The Core of Your Home 
   2. Position Your Router on An Elevation 
   3. Keep Your Router Away from High Powered Appliances & Electronics 
   4. Avoid Physical Obstacles 
   5. Keep Your Devices Protected from The Elements 
   6. Adjust The Antennas 

Source: Mercku WiFi

Step 1: Position Your Router at The Core of Your Home 

WiFi radio waves travel all around the router. Think of a globe filled with WiFi, and the router is at the core. Simply put, what is the best place to position your router so that your home is within the globe? The center of your home.  

Another thing to keep in mind is that WiFi radio waves tend to flow upwards more often than downwards, so WiFi strength will be much more above the router than below.  

Step 2: Position your router on an elevation 

Home WiFi products tend to have omnidirectional antennas. Meaning they spread WiFi better horizontally than vertically. So, the best practice would be to place the router at a similar level to the devices on that floor.  

For example, if you work on a laptop on a table, have the router be placed on something of similar height to the table. That will provide you with the best performance.  

Step 3: Keep the router away from high powered appliances and other electronics 

Electrical appliances and metal items can cause signal interference. Typical devices that cause signal interference are: 

• Microwaves 
• Refrigerators 
• TVs  

Stray away from microwaves. As the name suggests, it uses microwaves to heat entities. That very microwave emits a robust signal in the 2.4 GHz band. 

Step 4. Avoid Physical obstacles. 

As mentioned earlier, metal is strong WiFi blocker. Large entities like steel tables or refrigerators tend to reflect and absorb WiFi signals, leading to dead zones. By adjusting the placement of your WiFi router, you can avoid WiFi signals being absorbed by the metal elements. You can further reduce other obstacles like walls, cabinets, furniture, or other barriers. If your home has far too many walls, your best bet would be to get mesh WiFi along with its mesh nodes.   

Home broadband is also affected by mirrors and fish tanks. Water inhibits WiFi signals from a scientific standpoint, so placing your router beside a fish tank or other water-filled objects is not a good idea.  This is also while mobile Internet is disrupted in busy spaces, as the water in human bodies can also dampen Internet signals. 

Placing it near a mirror will also cause the radio waves used to transmit wireless Internet to reflect, which can hurt performance by scattering and distorting the signal. Mirrors aren’t the only culprit, but so are stainless steel countertops, filing cabinets, or other flat reflective surfaces. 

Source: Mercku WiFi

Step 5. Keep your device protected from the elements 

This is a short one: ensure your devices are far from water or fire to avoid, heat and humidity entering the router – this will kill your device.

Step 6: Adjust the antennas 

Place antennas at an angle oblique to the ground. If your wireless device has two antennas, the recommended angle is between 45 degrees and 60 degrees. If it has three antennas, you can position the middle antenna straight up. This tip doesn’t apply to you if it has no antennas as the router has properly positioned antennas within its design.  

If your router still doesn’t seem to be doing good, consider investing in a Range Extender, Powerline Adapter, or a Mesh WiFi system like our RedDot Winning Mercku M6 (it’s WiFi 6). 

If the following adjustments to your router don’t change the performance of your WiFi, then it’s time you think about upgrading your WiFi system. Consider taking a look into what Mesh WiFi is. Mesh WiFi is the latest WiFi technology providing the best performing WiFi coverage.

Check why your next choice should be the M6 Mesh WiFi 6 system ➤

Thanks for reading! Want to learn more about WiFi? Our team of experts has put together an eBook that explores the past, present and future of WiFi! Read our WiFi: The Definitive Guide eBook for ultimate WiFi mastery.

For more information about Mercku’s Connectivity Suite, our hardware and how you can partner with Mercku, please reach out to the team at connect@mercku.com.

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