If your WiFi network needs to improve the signal, in this article we are going to give you some tips and tricks to achieve it easily, quickly and for free. Of the 5 tricks that we propose, surely one of them works very well to improve your WiFi signal. Let’s go there!
Index of contents
- WiFi improve signal: our tips
- Position your router better
- Select the correct WiFi band to improve the signal
- Reboot the router
- Change the Wi-Fi channel
- Check that there are no intruders on your network
- Change the WiFi router and other more sophisticated alternatives to improve the signal
- Conclusions about improving the Wifi signal
WiFi improve signal: our tips
Pay attention to our tips! I’m sure they work for you!
Position your router better
Routers have omnidirectional antennas, that is, they spread the signal in all directions. Therefore, the positioning of the antennas itself is not the most critical thing in the world, but it does matter a lot where we put the router.
The first thing is to avoid as many obstacles as possible. If you have it hidden in a piece of furniture, take it out to a visible place even if it is somewhat more annoying. And, if you can change the room (it’s not always possible), you should leave it in the most central place possible in your home.
When repositioning is not possible, the alternative is in repeaters, PLCs and mesh networks. This is something we will discuss at the end of the article.
Select the correct WiFi band to improve the signal
WiFi networks work at a certain frequency . Specifically, we distinguish between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. Choosing which WiFi network band we are connected to is essential when it comes to improving the signal. These are the characteristics of each band:
- 4GHz is the “traditional” band, characterized by better coverage penetration in uncongested environments. As the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network has very few channels, if you live in a building with many of these networks, you will surely have problems improving the signal.
- 5GHz is the latest band and achieves much higher speeds than 2.4GHz. Theoretically, it has a little less penetration, but it should help us improve the signalsince it has many channels, which are not usually congested, and therefore it will spread much better.
Normally, modern routers bring two different networks, one of them with the suffix “PLUS”, “5G” or similar, to distinguish the “normal” 2.4GHz network and the fast 5GHz network. The key is to try both WiFi bands and decide if one allows you to improve the signal or not. It is normal to get the best results with the 5GHz.
Current routers even unify both networks to maintain the SSID and avoid having two independent networks.
It may also be that your device is not compatible with 5GHz networks. Especially if it is a very old mobile, laptop or WiFi adapter.
Reboot the router
This option may seem silly, but it is not at all: our routers usually work 24/7, for months or even years. In this course of time, bugs and problems can accumulate in the router’s operating system that affect WiFi connectivity.
If we restart the router, we will be forcing to reestablish and renegotiate all WiFi connections, debugging possible problems. It is true that on very few occasions it is capable of improving the signal, but it is also the easiest solution to try and that poses the fewest problems, since we are not even talking about resetting the router (although we will propose it now…)
Change the Wi-Fi channel
Before we mentioned the WiFi channels, which consist of a division of the electromagnetic spectrum on which these networks work. There may be several WiFi channels saturated, especially in 2.4GHz networks where the number of channels is really small.
Routers are supposedly set up to work on the right WiFi channel, but when it comes down to it, they don’t have to be on the right channel. The best thing you can do is use a WiFi channel checking app, for example this one, and see if you’re on the right channel. Apps usually give a star rating to each channel so you can easily understand which one is the most appropriate.
If you find that it is necessary to change the WiFi channel, you will need to access the gateway of the router to improve the signal. This is normally 192.168.1.1, but can also be another combination such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.8.1.
When entering the gateway it will ask you for a password or a username and password and there are two basic possibilities:
- A classic of routers is to ask for “1234” username and password, or “admin”.
- Now, the most common is to include a password to enter the gateway,which will be indicated on the bottom of the router.
So, to change the channel you should enter the advanced configuration of the router.
Check that there are no intruders on your network
Another of the biggest threats when it comes to dealing with WiFi signal problems is intrusion into our network. This can happen especially if you have the default password (although less and less), a password that is easy to guess or that many people know. There are fewer and fewer freeloaders, but it is still possible that someone is using your WiFi nonstop, hogging all the signal.
This is something that you can easily check at the gateway, as we pointed out, and there are apps for that too. The key is that you look for any suspicious devices connected to the network.
Be very careful, because you could have more normal devices connected to the network than you think. For example, the printer, the TV, the console, any internet of things device… therefore, take action only if you see an extra device and you are very sure that it should not be there. The best thing you can do for this is to reset the router and then configure better network security, with a complex password.
Change the WiFi router and other more sophisticated alternatives to improve the signal
If your WiFi network still does not improve the signal, you may need to resort to more severe alternatives. Specifically, we are talking about extending the WiFi network.
REBATES
TP-Link RE190 AC750 – WiFi Repeater 750Mbps 5GHz/2.4GHz, WiFi Extender Amplifier with Plug, Signal Indicator, Internal Antennas, White
Super high speed: dual band up to 750mbps, 300mbps, 2.4ghz, 433mbps 5ghz; Plug play: simply pressing a button, without additional configuration
€19.72
Last updated on 2022-09-03
The cheapest way to do this is through a WiFi repeater. These devices create a new WiFi network from the main one, so that if we place the repeater in an intermediate position in our home we can improve the signal. However, we will have to manually switch networks at the right time and that can be a bit annoying. Even so, it is the solution to the problem of positioning the router in a central area, since we will only need a plug, we will not need a telephone cable or a fiber optic connection.
REBATES
TP-Link TL-WPA1000 WiFi Powerline Kit, PLC, AV1000 Mbps, 750 Mbps WiFi, Dual Band, 1 Gigabit Port, Plug and Play, HomePlug AV2, White Color
Plug, Pair and Play – Quickly set up a secure Powerline network
€75.00
Last updated on 2022-08-17
An alternative is to resort to PLCs with WiFi. A PLC is a device that we connect via Ethernet to the router, we plug it in and it spreads the Internet through the electrical network of our house . So, at one end of our home where we want to improve the signal , we place the other PLC (they come in a pack) and there we can connect a new router as a repeater, or we can also use a PLC with WiFi like the ones we propose here above. It is a quite acceptable solution.
REBATES
Google Wifi – Mesh router, bundle, set of 3, for a reliable connection, coverage of up to 85 square meters per point
€145.00
Last updated on 2022-09-03
The almost perfect solution is to use a WiFi Mesh network, with which we can greatly improve our signal. Mesh networks are ideal because they work in a similar way to a repeater, but much more efficiently and without us having to change networks. Thus, we will always be connected to the best possible node, completely automatically and without having to do anything.
Xiaomi Mi Router AX1800 No.2, 5-Core WiFi6, Powerful Quad-Core CPU
Independent network acceleration engine and hardware acceleration with lower latency
€67.61
Last updated on 2022-09-03
Finally, changing routers can always be an option, especially if yours does not support 5GHz WiFi connections. In any case, the improvements in signal with respect to the modern routers of the operators become notable only in very specific cases, where the WiFi network is used in a particularly strict manner.
Conclusions about improving the Wifi signal
As we have seen, there are several possible ways to improve our WiFi network and get a better signal. The advice we have given is summarized in:
- Correctly position the router, so that it is as centered as possible and with the fewest obstacles.
- Connect to a different WiFi band, signal problems usually come when we are connected to 2.4GHz, and should be solved by connecting to a 5GHz network. Sometimes, the opposite could be the case, and that the band of 2.4 is the best.
- Restart the router so that all connections are restored and renegotiated with the devices.
- Choose a suitable WiFi channel, especially if we connect to the 2.4GHz band.
- Expel intruders from our WiFi network.
We recommend reading the best routers on the market .
Of course, we have also talked about some more sophisticated solutions that, although they have an economic cost, are more effective. It is about using a WiFi repeater, a PLC, or converting our network into Mesh.
What do you think are the most effective methods to improve the signal of a WiFi network? Leave us your comments!
