3 Easy Ways to Increase Your WiFi Range

Nearly 80 percent of U.S. homes have a broadband internet connection, according to the Pew Research Center. But while WiFi is common, using the hardware it involves still means a lot of guesswork and confusion for the average homeowner.

When you first realize that you don’t have a wireless signal throughout your home, you might be quick to blame your provider or the strength of the WiFi package you purchased. Before you decide to upgrade your package though, there are a few things you should know. Keep reading to learn three easy ways to increase your WiFi range without paying more for your broadband internet.

Consider Your Hardware Placement

One of the biggest culprits behind poor WiFi signals is router placement. Many homeowners opt to tuck this important hardware away. Maybe you stash it behind your couch or hide it inside a cabinet. The problem is that while WiFi signals can travel through walls and furniture, every obstacle affects the strength of the signal. The more obstacles between you and your router, the weaker your signal will be.

Luckily, this can be an easy fix. All you need to do is place your router out in the open. Try to pick a spot with as few obstacles as possible. This spot should be in the center of your home so that you can use your WiFi throughout your space. If you tend to only use the internet in certain rooms, pick a location that is central to those rooms instead. Larger homes might require more than one router to cover the entire space.

Boost Your Signal

Whether you don’t want to add additional routers or you need more coverage for your home, you might need to give your current router a bit of a boost. A WiFi extender can help with this. But how do WiFi range extenders work? Unlike adding additional routers, which requires ethernet cables, these devices are wireless. They pick up the signal coming from your existing router and send it on to your devices. This can help drastically extend the range of your current router.

A WiFi range extender is great for spreading the signal through a large home, from one floor of your house to the next, or for use in any trouble spots in your home where you struggle to get a signal. Finding the perfect location for your extender might take a bit of guess and check. But once you’ve found the right spot, you’ll enjoy stronger signals from now on, without paying any extra from month to month.

Give Your Router a Reboot

If you’re already using a WiFi range extender, additional routers, or are sitting close to your unblocked router, but you still aren’t getting a good signal, there’s may be a simpler solution. Routers are just like any other type of complicated electronics. They run off of software that needs to be updated from time to time. And if they’ve been left on for weeks or months at a time and are used heavily, they might also need a reset from time to time. Before you start thinking about upgrading your current wireless internet package, it’s a good idea to restart and update your router to make sure that isn’t the source of your problems.

Boosting Your WiFi Range Without Paying More Each Month

If you’re struggling to get a signal with your current WiFi, you shouldn’t automatically assume that you need to upgrade your package. Instead, consider where your router is placed and what might be in the way of your signal. Reboot and update your router software to make sure that a bug or old software isn’t getting in the way. And finally, consider adding a WiFi range extender to boost your signal to those far rooms where you’re still struggling to get a wireless signal.