Where should I place my 4G router?

Our top 7 tips for improving Wi-Fi signal

Slow browsing, video buffering, uploads failing and dropping out of online games servers should all be a thing of the past with unlimited 4G wireless internet connectivity but if your Wi-Fi signal is not strong you can still run into difficulties.

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In this article we will take you through our top 7 tips for getting the most out of your 4G wireless internet connection.

OPTIMAL ROUTER PLACEMENT

Assuming that you have good indoors 4G coverage, you should be able to place your 4G wireless router anywhere within reason. We recommend placing the 4G wireless router in a central location with as few obstacles as possible; large furniture, large appliances, electrical equipment and thick masonry walls all count as obstacles. External antennas should be extended horizontally to maximise range.

If you have poor indoor 4G coverage you may wish to try placing the 4G wireless router near to a window but this may limit the range of the wireless signal around your property, and so we recommend that you install one of our outdoor antennas. An outdoor antenna will require a cable to connect to the 4G wireless router which should still allow for you to better position the 4G wireless router to optimize wireless coverage around your property.

To help you with selecting an optimal location for your 4G wireless router we recommend that you download a Wi-Fi analyser application to a mobile handset or tablet, such as Wi-Fi Sweet Spot, that will analyse and highlight any weak spots of your wireless network.

FREQUENCY&#;

All wireless routers operate at a particular frequency, some use a single frequency and others can operate on two frequencies. The two frequencies utilised by wireless routers are 2.4GHz and 5GHz, wireless routers that can operate on both frequencies are referred to as dual-band wireless routers.

The most common frequency used is the 2.4GHz frequency band and is supported by almost all wireless devices offering the greatest range (distance the signal will travel) but it is also the most prone to interference. In contrast, the 5GHz frequency band is supported by most wireless devices created within the last 5 years, is less prone to interference and offers better throughputs (speeds) but the signal does not travel as far as 2.4GHz.

CHANNELS

Channels are a subset of the frequencies used by wireless routers and are set automatically by wireless routers and most users will never need to change channels. However, as more and more devices become wireless and as the Internet of Things (IoT) grows more people in built up areas are finding that they are needing to make changes to channels to overcome interference issues.

FIRMWARE

&#;Like most technology, manufacturers will release periodic updates to address bugs and to add features. It is a good idea to check for firmware updates if you begin to experience stability and performance issues and have exhausted other checks.

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RANGE EXTENDERS

&#;Assuming that you have optimally placed your router, as per tip 1, and you have ruled out interference you may need to consider installing a range extender. Range extenders are great for getting around thick walls or to simply carry your Wi-Fi network further if you have a large property. It is important to install a range extender in a location where it receives a strong signal from the main wireless router, otherwise you will simply be extending a weak signal.

WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS (WAP) & POWERLINE ADAPTERS&#;

Both WAP and powerline adapters could have been discussed under the Range Extender tip but these solutions require an ethernet connection either directly to a wireless router or through a switch that connects to a wireless router. Both solutions offer wireless connectivity but usually using a different wireless network name (SSID).

Powerline adapters traditionally required special considerations such as knowing how your house was wired but most modern iterations of power line adapters are smart enough to work across wiring circuits within a single property. WAPs are a more flexible method of range extending as you can run an ethernet cable around thick walls and through ceilings and provide a separate strong Wi-Fi signal in a location away from your main wireless router.

TIME TO UPGRADE

&#;If you have tried all of our tips but still find that you have weak Wi-Fi signal you may simply need to upgrade to a more powerful wireless router, this is likely to be the case if your wireless router is more than 4-5 years old. At the time of writing the best wireless rating is AC.

Choosing the best location for your router

When positioning your router in your house, the goal is to put it somewhere that takes advantage of the shape of your Wi-Fi signal and avoids interference. Here are some basic rules to help you do that.

Put your router in a central location

Since the Wi-Fi signal goes out in all directions, the best way to make sure that all of the rooms in your house are in range of the signal is to place the router in the most central location possible. Most modern routers have enough range to completely cover a moderately sized home if placed near the center.

Minimize router obstructions

As you probably know, Wi-Fi signals have a low enough frequency that they can pass through objects like walls. But materials like metal, stone, water, and tile can severely weaken or even block Wi-Fi signals. When choosing a spot for your router, think about what will be in between the router and the most important Wi-Fi zones in your home, like an office or living room.

Also, while Wi-Fi can pass through walls, doing so does weaken the signal somewhat&#;avoid walls where you can. An ideal situation would be to have a direct line of sight between your device and the router. For devices in other rooms, you&#;ll want to place the router in the spot where its signal has to pass through the lowest number of walls in order to reach the device.

Elevate your router

Often you can improve the signal of your home network by simply raising your router off the ground. This helps avoid large pieces of furniture that might block the line of sight, as well as preventing a good chunk of your signal from being transmitted straight into the ground. You can do this by setting it on top of a table or bookshelf if you have one nearby. You can also purchase a wall mount for your router as well.

One exception to this rule is people with multistory homes. Since you still want the router in the most central location, the best place for a router in a two-story home would be near the ceiling on the first floor or near the floor on the second floor. In either case, remember to consider the placement of your furniture so you don&#;t block your signal.

Avoid other electronics

Just as walls and large objects can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal, so can electronic devices. TVs and computers certainly fall into this category, but the biggest culprits are microwaves. The radiation put out by a microwave is pretty close to the wavelength of Wi-Fi signals, so it&#;s almost guaranteed to cause problems for your Wi-Fi if you set them up side by side.

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