How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal by Up To 50% with These 5 Simple Fixes
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Are you getting weak signals from your Wi-Fi router? Do you feel like it’s always the same devices lagging, but not the others? Are you sick of people asking you to reset the router again?
Does it feel like everyone is just a little too paranoid when it comes to Wi-Fi signal strength? Well, we hear you and we’re here to help. Having a low-strength Wi-Fi signal can be frustrating for home users as well as office workers.
It means that your devices are constantly switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data, which reduces battery life and is slower than having a strong Wi-Fi connection.
How… unfortunate! Thankfully there are some easy tricks that can help boost your Wi-Fi signal by up to 50%! Let’s take a look at how:
Change Your Channel
Wi-Fi channels are the frequencies over which wireless networks operate. The 2.4 GHz frequency is commonly used for Wi-Fi. In theory, you can use up to 23 channels in this frequency band, but the channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only ones that aren’t used by someone nearby.
This is why you should change your Wi-Fi channel to one that’s less congested. Channel 1 is the most commonly used channel, followed by channel 6.
Avoid using these channels because they will have a lot of interference. If you have a lot of people using Wi-Fi on your street, you should change to a less used channel.
While channel 11 doesn’t have as much use as channel 1 and 6, it can still cause interference if your Wi-Fi signal is strong enough. A good way to find a less used channel is to use a Wi-Fi analyzer.
They show you the Wi-Fi channels used in your area and help you find a channel with less interference.
Turn Off Your Wireless Network’s Broadcasting
Turning off your network’s broadcasting is a great way to strengthen your Wi-Fi signal. But what does that even mean? Well, your wireless network and router broadcast a signal that lets nearby devices know that they can connect to your network.
This is a good thing if you’re trying to connect to your network from a remote location, but it can also cause interference for nearby devices trying to use the same channel. To turn it off, open your router’s admin interface and look for the broadcasting section.
You can set the broadcasting to hidden, disabled, or disabled with SSID. With hidden mode, your network will be completely invisible, which is a great way to boost your Wi-Fi signal.
If you have devices that need to connect to your network, but shouldn’t broadcast their name, set it to disabled but with SSID.
Add A Wi-Fi Range Extender
A Wi-Fi range extender is a device that plugs into your home’s Wi-Fi router and rebroadcasts the signal to boost your Wi-Fi strength. They’re great for areas of your house that don’t have good Wi-Fi reception, and they’re especially useful for homes that have thick walls.
If you have a large house and a single router is not enough, you can get a second one and wirelessly extend the network.
If you don’t want extra hardware in your house, you can use a mobile app to create a virtual extender for your router. Some extenders and routers also have the feature built-in.
Some extenders require you to connect your router to it via an ethernet cable, while others have a Wi-Fi connection. If you don’t want to plug a cable into your router, you can use a Wi-Fi extender by connecting it to your Wi-Fi network.
Install a WiFi Booster
A WiFi booster is a device that boosts your wireless signal by either amplifying the existing signal of your router or rebroadcasting the signal.
Amplifiers are great for areas of your house that have low Wi-Fi reception, while extenders are better for thick walls. If you decide to use an extender, it’d be best to have your router close to the place where you want to boost your signal. A WiFi booster can be a cheaper and easier solution than buying an extender.
It is a single device that you can easily place on any table or shelf. Once it’s plugged in, it will amplify your existing Wi-Fi signal.
Place Your Router in the Centre of Your House
Placing your router in the center of your house is not only a good way to boost your Wi-Fi signal, but it’s also the way that the best internet providers suggest you place it. It’s common for providers to install a single router in a home, but they rarely install it in the best place.
If you live in an apartment building, it’s best to ask your building manager where they would like you to place your router. If you live in a house, put it in the middle of your home. The best way to do this is to use an app like Wi-Fi Positioning.
It uses your phone’s Wi-Fi to determine your distance from your router, which can help you find the best place to put it. If it’s too close to other electronic devices, the app will let you know and help you find a better spot.
Try an External Antenna
Antennas are good for two things – improving Wi-Fi reception and boosting your Wi-Fi signal. If you’re trying to extend the range of your wireless network, an antenna mounted to the outside of your house is a good option.
These antennas plug into the back of your Wi-Fi router, so placement is important. If you want to extend the range of your wireless network, antennas mounted on the outside of your house are your best bet.
The best antennas are the ones that plug into an Ethernet port on your router. That’s because the signal from Ethernet is stronger than Wi-Fi. These are called port-amplified antennas and are the best choice for extending the range of your network.
Add a Wireless Repeater
A wireless repeater acts like an extender, but it uses an Ethernet connection to connect to your router. If your house has different areas where you want stronger Wi-Fi, a repeater can help.
If you want to extend your wireless network, a repeater is a good choice. It plugs into an Ethernet port on your router and rebroadcasts the signal to other areas of your house.
A wireless repeater is a better solution than an extender if you have a lot of devices on your network. It gives them the extra boost they need without adding the extra traffic created by an extender.
Adjust the Position of Your Router
If you’ve tried all of the other methods to boost your Wi-Fi signal and nothing has worked, you can always adjust the position of your router.
The best place to put your router is six to 10 feet above the ground and three feet away from the wall. If you’re in a multi-story house, try to put your router on the floor above your living space.
You want it as close to the centre of your house as you can get it. This will help devices on the lower floors get better Wi-Fi reception.
Is there an app to increase Wi-Fi signal?
There are many apps on the market that promise to help you increase your Wi-Fi signal. But most of them are just rebranded signal boosters that don’t do anything special.
An app like Wi-Fi Analyzer will show you the strength of your signal in real time and help you find the best place to put your router. If you’re looking for more than just a signal booster, a Wi-Fi analyzer is a great choice. Some apps can help you extend your signal using something called a Wi-Fi extender.
These are great for large homes and work just like a regular extender. There are even apps that let you create your own extender by connecting computers to your Wi-Fi network.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to boost your Wi-Fi signal. If your Wi-Fi is struggling to keep up, there’s a good chance that it is being overworked by people on the network demanding too much from it.
This can be a common occurrence when you’re hosting guests, or when multiple people are trying to stream their favorite shows and movies at the same time.
Thankfully, there are a few ways you can improve the signal for yourself and for others in your home: change your channel, turn off your router’s broadcast if it’s not in use, add an extender or booster, adjust the position of your router, and use an app to gauge the health of your network.
With these tips, your Wi-Fi should be running smoothly again in no time!
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