My wifi is terrible in half my house, what can I actually do about it?
You’ve got dead zones, plain and simple, and we can usually fix that by moving your router or adding a cheap extender, but if your whole house is slow, your internet plan or old router might be the actual culprit.
Quick things to check first
- Move your router out of the closet or corner and put it as high up in the center of the house as you can, away from metal and thick brick walls.
- Unplug your router and modem from the wall for about 30 seconds, then plug the modem back in, wait for the lights to settle, and plug the router back in.
- Check how old your router is; if it’s the free one the internet company gave you five years ago, it’s probably struggling to push a signal through modern walls and needs replacing.
- Walk around the house with your phone and watch the Wi-Fi bars to map out exactly where the signal drops so you know where the dead zone actually starts.
If that didn’t fix it
- Download a free Wi-Fi analyzer app on your phone and walk through the weak rooms to see if your neighbors’ networks are overpowering yours on the same channel.
- Stand next to your router and run a free internet speed test, then go to the dead zone and run it again; if the speed right next to the router is way lower than what you pay for, your internet service or the router itself is the problem, not just the dead spots.
When to call a pro
If your internet drops completely across the entire house even when you’re sitting three feet from the router, or if you find exposed, chewed-up wiring outside your house, stop messing with it and call your internet provider or an electrician.
Pro tip
Next time you upgrade, skip the cheap single router and look into a mesh system with multiple pods spread around the house, which talks to itself to blanket a two-story home way better than one router and an extender ever will.
Sources cited: https://www.tp-link.com/us/blog/2587/how-to-fix-a-weak-wi-fi-signal-in-your-home/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/s168o7/what_do_i_do_if_my_current_wifi_router_is_not/ https://www.hostdime.com/blog/how-to-fix-weak-wifi-signal/ https://www.quora.com/I-live-in-a-two-story-house-and-my-Wi-Fi-signal-is-weak-upstairs-Ive-tried-restarting-the-router-and-my-devices-but-the-signal-strength-is-still-inconsistent-What-are-some-possible-solutions-to-improve-Wi-Fi https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/fix-wi-fi-dead-spots-how-to-get-internet-throughout-your-home/
Sources
- How to Fix a Weak Wi-Fi Signal in Your Home - TP-Link
- what do I do if my current Wifi router is not covering the whole house?
- 7 Easy Ways to Fix a Weak WiFi Signal
- I live in a two-story house and my Wi-Fi signal is weak upstairs. I’ve tried …
- Fix Wi-Fi Dead Spots: How to Get Internet Throughout Your Home