This easy router repair made my Wi-Fi sooner

I depend on quite a lot of tech every day, whether or not it is my cellphone, laptop computer, smartwatch, or TV. Nonetheless, one factor that issues most after I’m at residence with all these gadgets is a dependable Wi-Fi connection. With out Wi-Fi, I would be caught utilizing cell information on a regular basis, which is not precisely probably the most optimum strategy to obtain and play video games, in addition to stream a lot of TV exhibits and flicks.

That stated, an equally necessary a part of your home Wi-Fi setup is the location of your router. If you would like 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 putting your Wi-Fi router immediately on the bottom.

For one, if in case you have pets, resembling a cat or canine, it turns into a magnet for them. My cat, specifically, likes to chew something that has a wire popping out of it, so putting my router on the bottom is a right away no-go. Nonetheless, apart from the hazard of your furry good friend knocking it over or biting it, putting your router on the bottom has different adverse uncomfortable side effects which might be finest averted. Entry to the web is significant these days, and putting your router in the appropriate spot could make all of the distinction, stopping lots of frustration.

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

The Wi-Fi sign is extra vulnerable to being obstructed

The principle purpose to keep away from putting your router on the bottom is to stop 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 soak up a few of your router’s Wi-Fi sign, resulting in decreased protection and presumably creating Wi-Fi dead zones — areas the place you may’t get any sign in any respect, which is not enjoyable.

Wi-Fi indicators normally unfold upward, outward and downward, so putting your router on the ground means dropping 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 move via tables, cupboards, bookshelves, home equipment, beds, and presumably even individuals earlier than reaching your machine. By the point it will get there, it is likely to 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 indicators.

One more reason to keep away from placing your router on the bottom is the danger of harm 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 nicely, probably resulting in overheating over time.

How do you have to place your Wi-Fi router?

Elevation is vital

With all that in thoughts, the easiest way to place your router is to raise it as excessive as doable. Should you can place it 3 ft above the bottom, that is nice, however 5 ft is even higher. Nonetheless, this is determined by your community setup and what’s sensible in your dwelling area.

When your Wi-Fi router is raised, its indicators can unfold extra freely all through your area and encounter much less interference. As I discussed earlier, Wi-Fi indicators 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 transferring 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 ground (which is a nasty concept, as I alluded to earlier), and that was undoubtedly affecting the sign. Simply elevating the router and rearranging some wires made a major distinction, and the sign upstairs improved significantly.

That stated, it is excellent to put 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 increased up, that ought to assist regardless.

Lastly, I like to recommend testing the location of your Wi-Fi router in several areas and seeing the place you may get the most effective sign by working a pace take a look at. That is what I did to assist repair my upstairs Wi-Fi, and typically simply adjusting the positioning barely will help you obtain the outcomes you need. Simply bear in mind, attempt to keep away from putting your router on the bottom.