This easy router repair made my Wi-Fi quicker

I depend on a wide range of tech each day, whether or not it is my telephone, laptop computer, smartwatch, or TV. Nevertheless, one factor that issues most once I’m at residence with all these units is a dependable Wi-Fi connection. With out Wi-Fi, I would be caught utilizing cell knowledge on a regular basis, which is not precisely probably the most optimum approach to obtain and play video games, in addition to stream plenty of TV exhibits and flicks.

That mentioned, an equally vital a part of your home Wi-Fi setup is the position of your router. In order for you a stronger and extra dependable Wi-Fi signal, typically it is so simple as repositioning your router inside your home. However one factor you must at all times keep away from is inserting your Wi-Fi router instantly on the bottom.

For one, if in case you have pets, akin to a cat or canine, it turns into a magnet for them. My cat, particularly, likes to chew something that has a wire popping out of it, so inserting my router on the bottom is a direct no-go. Nevertheless, in addition to the hazard of your furry pal knocking it over or biting it, inserting your router on the bottom has different detrimental negative effects which can be finest averted. Entry to the web is important these days, and inserting your router in the fitting spot could make all of the distinction, stopping a whole lot of frustration.

Why you should not place your Wi-Fi router on the bottom

The Wi-Fi sign is extra inclined to being obstructed

The primary cause to keep away from inserting your router on the bottom is to forestall potential sign interference. The bottom can block your router’s sign, particularly if it is on concrete or different dense flooring sorts like carpet or wooden. Why? As a result of the ground can take up a few of your router’s Wi-Fi sign, resulting in decreased protection and probably creating Wi-Fi dead zones — areas the place you may’t get any sign in any respect, which is not enjoyable.

Wi-Fi alerts often unfold upward, outward and downward, so inserting your router on the ground means shedding that downward sign unfold. Plus, if the router is on the bottom, close by objects like furnishings or electronics can simply disrupt its sign.

Merely put, in case your Wi-Fi router is on the ground, it faces extra obstacles than if it have been raised. Its sign should cross by tables, cupboards, bookshelves, home equipment, beds, and probably even folks earlier than reaching your system. By the point it will get there, it could be slower. Consider your Wi-Fi sign like a speaker or a light-weight — in the event you set a speaker on the bottom, the sound would not journey in addition to it does when it is elevated. The identical goes for any gentle supply like a lamp; if positioned on the bottom, the sunshine would not unfold so far as it does when it is on a desk. The identical precept applies to Wi-Fi alerts.

One more reason to keep away from placing your router on the bottom is the danger of injury from mud or particles, particularly if it is on a carpet, which may generate static shocks. Routers aren’t low cost, and the very last thing you need is for it to build up mud or get broken. Additionally they generate warmth, which the bottom could not dissipate properly, probably resulting in overheating over time.

How must you place your Wi-Fi router?

Elevation is essential

With all that in thoughts, the easiest way to place your router is to raise it as excessive as doable. In the event you can place it 3 toes above the bottom, that is nice, however 5 toes is even higher. Nevertheless, this will depend on your community setup and what’s sensible in your dwelling house.

When your Wi-Fi router is raised, its alerts can unfold extra freely all through your house and encounter much less interference. As I discussed earlier, Wi-Fi alerts unfold upward, outward and downward, so elevating the router helps it disperse the sign extra successfully. An elevated Wi-Fi sign additionally can not bounce off close by objects like a sofa or desk as simply, and it is much less accessible for pets to tamper with.

The primary time I arrange my Wi-Fi router after shifting into my present place, I initially positioned it on the bottom within the basement whereas we have been nonetheless establishing, and the upstairs sign was horrible. The room it was in had a concrete flooring (which is a nasty thought, as I alluded to earlier), and that was undoubtedly affecting the sign. Simply elevating the router and rearranging some wires made a big distinction, and the sign upstairs improved enormously.

That mentioned, it is best to position your router in a central location inside your home. This helps the router unfold its Wi-Fi sign extra evenly. Understandably, relying in your setup, this may not be possible; nevertheless, so long as you may place it larger up, that ought to assist regardless.

Lastly, I like to recommend testing the position of your Wi-Fi router in numerous areas and seeing the place you will get the perfect sign by operating a velocity check. That is what I did to assist repair my upstairs Wi-Fi, and typically simply adjusting the positioning barely might help you obtain the outcomes you need. Simply keep in mind, attempt to keep away from inserting your router on the bottom.