How to Get a Stronger WiFi Signal
Few gadgets in your home can make you quite as frustrated or bewildered as a router with a crummy WiFi signal. Without a fast and reliable internet connection, you find yourself huffing as you wait for websites to load on your laptop, fidgeting as YouTube videos freeze on your tablet, and staring in despair at email inboxes and social media feeds as they struggle to refresh on your smartphone. As for streaming the latest edition of “WrestleMania” on your smart TV? Forget about it. To add to your angst, you may not know how to troubleshoot those problems—beyond calling a tech-savvy relative and pleading for help.
Sick of all the waiting? Let our experts bring you up to speed on solutions.
Understanding the basics of what your wireless router does will go a long way toward helping you fix some hiccups.
“Think of a router as an electronic traffic cop,” says Richard Fisco, who oversees electronics testing for Consumer Reports. Once it’s hooked up to the modem provided by your internet service provider (ISP), a router directs the internet connection throughout your home, making it wirelessly available to devices like your laptop, smart speaker, and smart TV.
Your router serves as a link between the outside world and all of your personal and financial data. The tax return you filed electronically? It travels through your router. Those credit card numbers you share online with Amazon? They exit through the router, too.
That’s why a router has to be a security guard in addition to being efficient and convenient. A good one receives routine firmware updates from the manufacturer to combat potential threats from hackers and other ne’er-do-wells.
If your WiFi connection is noticeably sluggish, you may be tempted to write off your current router as a dud. But don’t be too hasty—there may be other factors at play.
First, take a look at a bill from your ISP to see what level of broadband you’re paying for.
You’ll need a connection of at least 25 megabits per second to stream Netflix video for 4K TV, for example. If you’re not paying for that, or if you don’t have access to that kind of speed where you live, a brand-new router won’t help you.
You can easily run a speed test using a service like fast.com to see what you’re really getting. You may want to run this test a few times. First, run it with your laptop plugged into your router to check your speed in the best-case scenario. You can then move around with your laptop to different areas of your home to see how fast WiFi is at different locations.
Next, you’ll want to assess the placement of your router. They tend to do best when set up in the center of a home, allowing the signal to reach out in every direction. A router tucked away in a corner may not have the range to travel to the other side of the house, or from the second floor to the basement, because the signal degrades the farther it gets from the source.
If your router is in a suboptimal spot (the basement, for example), try moving it.
One way is to buy a long Ethernet cable (keep it under 300 feet), plug it into the modem and the router, and move the router yourself. Or you can ask your ISP to help you relocate the modem, though the company may charge you depending on the labor involved. If you’re planning to change providers, Fisco says, you may be able to get the job done free, so ask while you’re negotiating the switch.
If your router is already in a central location, the slow connection might be due to obstacles in the house that can impede a WiFi signal. (See “5 Common WiFi Roadblocks & How to Fix Them,” below.) You can try moving the router around a room to address such problems.
If those tweaks don’t help, it may be time to find a model better suited to your needs, especially if you’ve been using a single-unit router in a multi-story home.
These days, you’ll find two types of wireless routers: traditional models and mesh network models. You’re probably familiar with the former. They’re single-unit devices that plug into a modem.
They can be plenty fast, supporting even the data-hungry activities of families with dozens of internet-connected devices. But they don’t always have the range to effectively blanket a whole home in WiFi, especially if you have a large or obstacle-laden layout.
Mesh routers are typically packaged in a set with multiple units—a hub and one or more satellites—that work together to spread WiFi into the far-flung corners of a home. If you place the hub, which plugs into your modem, near the center of your dwelling, you can shift around the satellites, which help relay the WiFi signal, until you find a configuration that helps you eliminate any dead spots.
So why doesn’t everyone simply choose a mesh router? They’re pricey, for one thing. The top-rated models in our ratings cost $400 to $500. By contrast, our top-rated single-unit model sells for $200, followed by one that goes for about $160. There’s also an argument to be made for simplicity. With a mesh system, you have several devices strewn about your home vs.
just one with a traditional router. If you don’t actually need mesh routers, there’s no reason to invest in them.
Once you start shopping for a router, you’re likely to hear a lot of buzz about WiFi 6, a new technology standard that promises faster speeds, a longer range, and better support for the ever-expanding fleet of connected devices in modern homes.
Also known as 802.11ax, WiFi 6 replaces the WiFi 5 standard formerly known as 802.11ac, which debuted in 2013, and WiFi 4 (802.11n), which dates back to 2009. The consortium that sets these standards announced a WiFi 6 certification program in September 2019, and a number of routers that support the standard are now available, including three models in our ratings.
But only a few internet-connected devices are currently WiFi 6- compatible. (The latest Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones are examples.) WiFi 4 and 5 devices can connect to a WiFi 6-compatible router, but they get none of the technology’s speed benefits.
So our experts say it’s fine to hold off on making the leap if you can save money on a slightly older model. “If you still have a WiFi 4 router but your smartphone, TV, and laptop all support WiFi 5, get a WiFi 5 router instead,” Fisco says. That will set you up for a good five years.
Many consumers simply accept the model provided by their ISP. But internet companies usually charge a $10 to $12 monthly rental fee for the privilege, which can eclipse the price of a new router within two years.
In addition to providing potential savings, buying your own router gives you far more say in the operation and security of your home WiFi network. Using a simple mobile app, you can set up your router to receive automatic firmware updates. If you have a large family or frequent houseguests, our experts suggest a model that offers robust settings that let you establish parental controls and a guest network to wall folks off from certain websites and private information.
If your router doesn’t come with a companion app, however, instructions on how to update routers vary by brand.
For most models, you need to log in through a browser on your computer, using the router’s IP address. Here are links on how to update widely used routers: Apple, Asus, D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear.
You may also be able to get security notices via email from your router’s manufacturer. To learn how, go to the company website—you’ll probably have to register the device.
Rodrigo Damati
Rodrigo Damati
“WiFi is electromagnetic radiation, just like light,” says Bhaskar Krishnamachari, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science at the University of Southern California. “There are objects that block it and others that let it through.” Here are some common obstacles to think about as you place routers and use connected devices.
In this diagram, we’ve arranged a three-piece mesh router network to help eliminate potential dead spots in a multilevel home.
For the best results, place the hub in the center of your home (1) and between the satellites (2 and 3), says CR’s Fisco. Note that satellite 3 sits on the kitchen counter away from the refrigerator (4). The WiFi signal from both the hub and satellites can also reach up and down to other floor levels, eliminating potential dead zones.
The Walls
Thicker walls tend to absorb more of a WiFi signal than thinner walls, Krishnamachari says. While you can’t easily change how thick your walls are, simply repositioning a mesh satellite closer to a room’s entrance may help boost the signal.
The Fridge
A refrigerator and other appliances that contain a lot of metal can cause trouble, too. WiFi signals may bounce off them instead of passing through to the other side. Metal plumbing and rebar in your walls create similar problems.
The Neighbors
If you live in an apartment building or a heavily populated neighborhood, you might be susceptible to wireless congestion created by nearby devices running on the 2.
4GHz frequency band. Try changing your router and devices to the 5GHz frequency band, which has many more channels. If your router doesn’t support 5GHz, select another channel in the device’s settings.
The Microwave
Microwave ovens also operate in the 2.4GHz frequency band, Krishnamachari points out. That can cause interference, he says, if, for example, you decide to make a second bag of popcorn while streaming a Netflix movie. To avoid the interruption on movie night, try switching your laptop or smart TV to the 5GHz band.
The Fish Tank
Water absorbs radiation, Krishnamachari says. So your WiFi signal is likely to get hung up near pools, tubs, and, yes, that 100-gallon fish tank you installed.
Check out these wireless routers that impressed our product testers.
Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the March 2020 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Can’t get a decent wireless internet connection in your home? On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports’ expert Nicholas De Leon explains to show host Jack Rico how mesh networks provide faster speeds and better coverage.
Nicholas De Leon
I’ve been covering consumer electronics for more than 10 years for publications like TechCrunch, The Daily (R.I.P.), and Motherboard. When I’m not researching or writing about laptops or headphones I can likely be found obsessively consuming news about FC Barcelona, replaying old Super Nintendo games for the hundredth time, or chasing my pet corgi Winston to put his harness on so we can go for a walk. Follow me on
Twitter (@nicholasadeleon).
The differences between a WiFi booster, WiFi extender and WiFi repeater.
The term WiFi booster was a catch-all phrase for devices that extended a WiFi signal. A WiFi booster now is more accurately defined as a wireless range extender, MoCA® wired extender or a MoCA/Ethernet WiFi Wireless Network Extender.
Central to WiFi boosters is WiFi bandwidth ‘extension’. To completely cover your home and yard, you may need more than one WiFi booster.
Learn More
Wireless repeaters are first generation WiFi signal extenders.
As the name implies, wireless repeaters re-broadcast the WiFi signal received to a finite localized area. The quality of WiFi signal strength received by the wireless repeater will be the same WiFi signal strength distributed. Latency, or WiFi network response time, is typically increased. If you need a short hop, have less than 5 wireless devices and are not going to stream anything, a repeater might work – but I doubt it.
Wireless range extenders are stand-alone equipment which sit between your wireless router and the location where you want better wireless coverage. Similar to a wireless repeater, a wireless range extender grabs existing WiFi signal from your wireless router and re-broadcasts it. Range extenders rebroadcast on a different wireless channel from the one used by your wireless router. The challenge with range-extenders is location. Incorrect placement means a range extender may not obtain sufficient WiFi signal from your router to simultaneously rebroadcast, stream and engage in online gaming or watching a video.
To solve this challenge you can hardwire a wired range extender to your router, improving the speed of your entire network.
WiFi Network Extenders are the best WiFi boosters for consistent, reliable high speed WiFi to every floor and corner of your home. Unlike repeaters or range extenders that rebroadcast existing WiFi signals, ScreenBeam’s WiFi Network Extenders communicate directly with your gateway or WiFi router using a wire.
Just like cellular towers, WiFi Network Extenders use a “wire” or cable as the means of communicating back to the router or source. ScreenBeam’s WiFi Network Extenders then use that “huge pipe” or “Internet Autobahn” to create a second or third WiFi boosted network.
As you may know, the further away a WiFi device is from the WiFi access point/router, the slower its speed. So by using WiFi Network Extenders around your home, you can shorten the distance between your WiFi devices and the WiFi signal thus increasing each device’s speed and improving performance.
ScreenBeam WiFi Network Extenders are the key to unlocking complete WiFi home network coverage as the ultimate WiFi booster.
Learn More
5 Reasons you need a WiFi Booster
Getting reliable and fast WiFi around the entire house can be a challenge. Maybe there’s a dead zone in an upstairs bedroom where your kids want to stream a movie, or maybe the signal drops in the backyard. WiFi has become as indispensable as electricity in many homes, yet WiFi performance can be temperamental. Given all the devices, metal appliances, and architectural features that can cause interference in the typical house, even the most powerful WiFi router can miss some spots.Here are five common scenarios where a WiFi booster can help improve your wireless experience:
Learn More
Simple Tips to Boost your WiFi
Tired of videos buffering when you’re binge watching on Netflix? Are there places in your home where surfing speeds slow down to a crawl? The broadband plan you signed up for promises blazing fast speeds, but that’s not what you are getting in the living room.
Sometimes a simple change in your home network can crank up the speed and make a huge improvement on your surfing, streaming, and gaming experience. If you’re suffering with slow speeds and patchy Wi-Fi coverage, here are several things to try to boost WiFi:
Learn More
Wi-Fi Router Antenna Cable, coaxial, to socket
Wi-Fi Extender is a special device that works on the principle of a standard antenna, which helps to bypass signal obstacles. A Wi-Fi extender can be used to amplify the signal in combination with a laptop and a router. Such devices will allow you to well extend the distance of the Internet signal, increase speed and work anywhere in the room. An extension cable for a Wi-Fi router is inexpensive, you can simply plug it in and get high-quality amplification. In addition, if desired, they do it independently. The control of the equipment is quite simple, there should not be any problems with the work.
Contents
- Causes of poor signal
- Amplifiers
- Wi-Fi extender
- Choice for home
- Advantages and disadvantages
Causes of poor
Incorrect installation of the router at home or in the office greatly affects the quality of the signal, which accepts a laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Regardless of the number of antennas and their power on the router, a large number of obstacles can greatly degrade the network connection speed with equipment.
The following factors affect the quality of wireless communication in the home network:
- Incorrect installation of the router in the room.
- The presence of household appliances with strong signals in different ranges. The location of the microwave oven, which gives maximum interference, has a very big influence.
- A large number of walls and partitions made of concrete or brick.
Please note! Doors, cabinets and other interior items have a small effect on signal quality.
As you can see and understand from the description of the influencing factors, interference in the room has the maximum effect on the signal. It is especially difficult for him to break through concrete blocks and walls. However, the cases presented are only for the home intranet.
There are a few subtleties in the case of public hotspots and networks. The main thing is the need to register the network legally. It is necessary to obtain a license to install equipment and constantly monitor the level of the electromagnetic field in structures.
Both at home and in public places, the best way to improve signal quality is to use antennas and amplifiers. For the best installation, it is recommended to use an extension cable for a Wi-Fi router.
Amplifiers
There are two ways to help amplify the Wi-Fi signal of a router or modem – software and hardware.
How to make a 4G signal amplifier for your smartphone with your own hands
You can start with hardware, since they are considered the most effective ways. These include the following equipment, which has the ability to lengthen and improve the signal with better capture without interfering with system and software settings:
- Repeaters;
- Antennas;
- Reflectors;
- Routers.
Important! The principle of operation of the listed equipment is to influence electromagnetic waves, which actually improves and amplifies the received signal.
There are special amplifiers that plug directly into a power outlet or via a USB cable to a router. Which one to choose is up to the user to decide.
The positive side of hardware equipment to improve the signal is the ability to increase the speed of the Internet for all devices that are connected to the home network.
As for the first method, software, today there is no program that could really improve the quality of the received signal on the phone. There are special applications that allow you to control the quality of communication, that is, they directly transmit data to the user about the level of the received signal. That is, with their help, you can choose a place with the best level of communication. Some programs may automatically switch to the station with the best information rate.
On this, the possibilities of such software methods are exhausted.
To choose the best Internet signal booster for your phone, tablet or any other device at home, you need to know the main differences and types of equipment presented. Such devices can be external and internal, active and passive, have repeaters or just an antenna connected directly to the router.
All amplifiers are divided into the following two types according to their parameters and characteristics:
- Active. Such devices work using a signal amplification method that uses amplifying equipment (repeaters, amplifiers, repeaters, etc.).
- Passive. This type is a way to amplify the communication signal, in which there is no active amplifying device (based on the use of various types of antennas and a passive repeater).
Wi-Fi extender
Important! Wi-Fi cable can be damaged very easily. It is recommended to handle it carefully.
Varieties and specifications of 3G antennas
As for extension cords, unlike the above amplifiers, they work in a slightly different way.
To make it easier to recognize and understand the nature of their operation, you should know that their operation does not require a special Wi-Fi cable as such. It is more often used in amplifiers.
The extension cable is able to function much more elegantly and simply. In a specific case, the device transmits a good signal from one part of the room to another, but it should not be located directly in the region of the maximum effective distance of the router. The principle is fundamentally different from the antenna method.
Extension cords only use electrical wiring that is used in a building or structure. These wires transmit a signal from the distributing Wi-Fi equipment. In this case, you need to manually connect one part of the extension cord to an electrical outlet near the router, and the other in the place where you want to improve the connection quality. That is, in a place where the user plans to do work or entertainment on the Internet. In addition, you can connect any device directly using the Ethernet port.
As can be seen from the diagram, one part of the extension cable needs to be connected in the children’s room near the router, and the second part – in the kitchen electrical outlet, where the user spends a lot of time on the global network.
Please note! However, like any other device, the extension cord has negative qualities. The most noticeable among them is the low level of signal reliability and stability.
You can have a video chat conversation at high speed, and after a few seconds, the connection may be disconnected, which is disappointing.
Choice for the home
Do-it-yourself 3G modem signal amplification – how to make an antenna
Any type of equipment that improves the signal quality is suitable for the home. The main thing is to build on ease of use. For example, all kinds of antennas and amplifiers need to be properly installed to work effectively. In addition, a lot of wires should go from them to the laptop for connection.
This brings its own inconvenience and discomfort.
The use of extensions is quite another matter. They work on the principle of relaying a signal over an electrical network. That is, one part of the device is plugged into an outlet in one room, and the other in the second room. This is how the system works. This connection eliminates unnecessary cables around the house. However, you will have to sacrifice the stability of the connection, as the transfer fails quite badly.
The criteria for selecting devices can be distinguished as follows:
- The first and most basic in the selection is the price of the device. Both the first category for strengthening the connection and the second, working by the extension method, have approximately the same equipment cost. Good and high-quality models start at $30.
- In addition, you should consider all of the above factors and decide which equipment is most suitable for use in each specific case. For example, the amplifier category works by increasing the Wi-Fi transmission distance. The category of extension cords has a different method of operation, that is, they transfer the signal to a completely different part of the room or structure.
The category of extension cords has a different method of operation, that is, they transfer the signal to a completely different part of the room or structure. Advantages and disadvantages
Extenders have the following advantages:
- The ability to transfer the signal to another part of the building without the use of extra wires, antennas and directional devices.
- High connection speed, visually almost indistinguishable from a direct Wi-Fi connection.
- Relatively affordable kit price.
- There is no excessive clogging of the air and the room with unnecessary frequency bands.
Negative qualities are:
- Low connection stability.
- Large influence of various interferences on the connection. Even an ordinary microwave oven can have a high effect on the signal.
Please note! Wi-Fi connection extension cable is used for high-quality communication transfer from one point of the building to another.
For functioning, only the presence of sockets near the router and a laptop that receives the Internet is necessary.
The device allows high-quality signal transmission over long distances with almost no loss in speed.
Podgornov Ilya Vladimirovich All articles of our site are audited by a technical consultant. If you have any questions, you can always ask them on his page.
Cable and connectors for 3G 4G Internet, pigtails (extenders)
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Cable assemblies and extensions for 4G and 3G antennas, 50 and 75 Ohm.
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Cable assembly 5D-FB Nm-SMAm 10m
In stock
50 ohm cable assembly.
Suitable for antenna with N type connectors and for connecting to routers with SMA connectors.
Length, m:
10
Cable:
5D-FB
Connector:
N male, SMA male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
RUB 90.00
Cable assembly 5D-FB Nm-SMAm 7m
In stock
50 ohm cable assembly. Suitable for antennas with N type connectors and for connecting to routers with SMA connectors.
Length, m:
7
Cable:
5D-FB
Connector:
N male, SMA male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
$75.00
Cable assembly RG58 Nm-SMAm 4m
In stock
50 ohm cable assembly. Suitable for connecting antennas with N-type connectors and for connecting to routers with SMA connectors.
Length, m:
4
Cable:
RG58
Connector:
N male, SMA male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
RUB 30.
00
Pigtail SMAf-CRC9
In stock
Pigtail SMAf-CRC9. Used in Huawei E3372, 3131 modems to enhance the Internet signal
Length, m:
0.15
Connector:
SMA male, CRC9
Type:
Pigtail
Characteristics
20.00
Outdoor ethernet patch cord
In stock
Designed for data transmission in networks and power supply of PoE routers, outdoor
Length, m:
20
Cable:
UTP cat5e Cu 8
Connector:
RJ45
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
17.00 p.
Cable assembly F-F 10m
In stock
Cable assembly for satellite TV and terrestrial TV.
Length, m:
10
Cable:
TV
Connector:
F male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
15.00 p.
N extension 5D-FB Nm-Nf
On order 1-2 days
Designed to extend the antenna cable with an N female connector at the end
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
RG58
Connector:
N male, N female
Type:
Extension
Characteristics
SMA extension 5D-FB SMAm-SMAf
On order 1-2 days
Designed to extend the antenna cable with SMA female connector at the end
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
RG58
Connector:
SMA male, SMA female
Type:
Extension
Characteristics
N extension RG58 Nm-Nf
On order 1-2 days
Designed to extend the antenna cable with an N female connector at the end
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
5D-FB
Connector:
N male, N female
Type:
Extension
Characteristics
SMA extension RG58 SMAm-SMAf
On order 1-2 days
Designed to extend the antenna cable with SMA female connector at the end
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
5D-FB
Connector:
SMA male, SMA female
Type:
Extension
Characteristics
Cable assembly RG58 Nm-SMAm
On order 1-2 days
50 ohm cable assembly.
Suitable for antennas with N type connectors and for connecting to routers with SMA connectors.
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
RG58
Connector:
N male, SMA male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
Cable assembly F-F
On order 1-2 days
Cable assembly for connecting and setting up satellite TV and terrestrial TV.
Length, m:
up to 100
Cable:
TV
Connector:
F male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
Cable assembly 5D-FB Nm-SMAm 5m
In stock
50 ohm cable assembly. Suitable for antenna with N type connectors and for connecting to routers with SMA connectors.
Length, m:
5
Cable:
5D-FB
Connector:
N male, SMA male
Type:
Cable assembly
Characteristics
RUB 65.