The placement of your wireless router can greatly impact the quality of your connection throughout your home. A central location nearest to devices will allow for the best connection.
Here are some tips for optimal router placement:
Let it breathe — Depending on the brand, your router has little vents on the top, bottom and sides. Those vents are there so the router can get air. Help it out by placing it on a desk (or similarly hard surface) and make sure there are a few inches between it and the wall.
Keep it cool — Electronics don’t like to be overheated. Keep them out of direct sunshine, away from radiators and separated from other electronics.
Remove barriers — Physical barriers such as brick, walls, water, metal, reflective surfaces, windows and furniture can prevent wireless signals from effortlessly traveling back-and-forth between your router and computer. Wireless signals need to be able to travel. If they can’t, you end up with intermittent (or no) signal. To improve connectivity, try moving your router (or the physical barrier). You may need to try a few locations to figure out what consistently works.
Higher is better – Finding a place for your router that’s higher up (e.g., bookcase, shelf, upstairs), gets you better coverage. Places that are centrally located are even better.
Keep your devices close — While they need breathing space of a few inches, ideally, your router and computer shouldn’t be separated by more than a few feet. Also, pay attention to how far away your computer is from the router. Your wireless network only extends so far. When you’re on the periphery, the signal starts getting weak and can be intermittent. If you need to boost your signal range, consider installing a wireless repeater.