Wi-Fi routers aren’t all the time the prettiest devices to take a look at, so most of us tuck ours away someplace the place it will not draw an excessive amount of consideration. But in case your mesh system is struggling in sure rooms and also you need to give it a velocity enhance, it’s price doing an audit in your router placement — even with a mesh system.
I’ve been testing and reviewing routers for years, and few issues have as nice an affect on Wi-Fi speeds as the placement of your router. While a conventional Wi-Fi router sends out a sign from a single level in your house, a mesh system makes use of a number of gadgets to emit alerts from varied factors. That makes it extra like a group of routers that work collectively to relay your visitors again to the modem.
It’s a a lot better method to dwelling networking, significantly in giant, multistory houses, the place a conventional, single-point router will possible depart you with lifeless zones within the rooms which might be farthest away.
Where must you place your mesh router?
Mesh routers and different Wi-Fi gadgets carry out their finest once they’re positioned out within the open, and up off of the bottom.
You’ll need to think about the place you set your router and satellite tv for pc extenders, that are additionally generally referred to as nodes (or “Points” in the event you’re a Nest Wi-Fi consumer), as their particular location will considerably affect the system’s efficiency. Here are some pointers to bear in mind as you go. (You also can try our recommendations on one of the best location to your Wi-Fi router and learn how to defend your property Wi-Fi community from hackers.)
Move the primary router
First issues first, you will need the primary router in your setup — the mesh gadget that is wired to your modem — to be positioned as centrally in your house as potential. That’s the identical method you’d take with a single router, and the reasoning is similar: Routers put out Wi-Fi alerts in all instructions, so inserting your router in a central location inside your property will take advantage of out of your connection.
That goes double for mesh methods, the place the power of the connection close to your extenders will largely rely upon the power of the incoming sign from the primary router. A stronger connection between the 2 will assist make sure that you are hitting the quickest Wi-Fi speeds potential all through your complete dwelling.
Your choices for shifting the router may appear restricted by the placement of your modem, and the incoming wiring to your dwelling’s web connection. An extra-long Ethernet cable can come in useful right here, providing you with the liberty to maneuver the router away from the place the modem sits, if crucial. If that is impractical, you will not less than need to transfer that most important router out into the open, and ideally as excessive off the bottom as potential.
This information from Asus highlights a mesh rule of thumb — for one of the best efficiency, attempt to maintain every gadget in your setup not more than two rooms away from one other one.
Move these extenders round
Once you have acquired the primary router located in one of the best spot potential, you will need to select good spots for the extenders. With most methods, you possibly can join every gadget to the primary router with an Ethernet cable for the quickest speeds potential, however most customers desire to attach every thing wirelessly. In that case, you will need to be extra-strategic about the place you place the extenders all through your property.
Again, out within the open and up off of the bottom is your finest guess for a transparent sign, however you will additionally need to put some thought into the structure of your property, as bodily obstructions in between the primary router and the extenders can sluggish issues down.
A very good rule of thumb, typically talking, is to try to maintain the gadgets in your mesh setup not more than two rooms away from one another. That’ll range from dwelling to dwelling, particularly if yours is constructed with dense supplies like brick or concrete within the partitions that may be tough for Wi-Fi alerts to penetrate. You’ll additionally need to be careful for digital interference from TVs and different giant home equipment, so in the event you’re sticking a mesh extender within the kitchen, resist the urge to cover it away on prime of the fridge and transfer it away out of your home equipment altogether.
Most mesh methods include companion apps that embrace placement guides to your gadgets, sign power checks, and different diagnostic instruments that can assist you be sure to’ve acquired every thing in one of the best spot potential.
Furniture can block Wi-Fi alerts, too, so when you’ve got something giant or cumbersome in between two of your mesh gadgets, think about relocating them. Aquariums are one other traditional antagonist to your mesh setup, as Wi-Fi has a tough time transmitting via water.
The finest manner to make sure that your mesh community is as well-connected as potential is to open its app and examine the sign power of every gadget, which is one thing most methods supply. You also can discover system-specific steering on-line on the hyperlinks beneath:
Avoid these lifeless zones
If you have acquired a again nook of your property the place the sign drops out, it could be tempting to stay a mesh extender smack in the midst of that lifeless zone to spice up your speeds. In a whole lot of circumstances, that’d be a mistake.
Remember, identical to your cellphone or laptop computer, your mesh extenders want to attach wirelessly with the primary router in your setup. And if that again nook is a lifeless zone to your cellphone or laptop computer, then it will possible be a lifeless zone to your mesh extender, too.
The higher method is to position that extender adjoining to the lifeless zone in a spot the place it will have a better time connecting with the primary router. In some circumstances, that could be midway between the lifeless zone and the primary router, however you may have to experiment a bit. Hit the candy spot, and the Wi-Fi sign it places out ought to be a wholesome one, and one which’ll prolong into the lifeless zone to convey it again to life.
A very good velocity check will allow you to perceive how your Wi-Fi is holding up from room to room.
Run a velocity check
Apart from the diagnostic instruments in your mesh router’s app, the quickest solution to examine in your system’s efficiency is to run some velocity exams. There are loads of free companies on-line that we advocate, any of which is able to let you know the add and obtain speeds on no matter gadget you are utilizing in a minute or much less.
For one of the best intel, seize your laptop computer or cellphone and run a number of velocity exams in every room of your own home the place you want a usable Wi-Fi sign. In the tip, you must have an excellent ballpark sense of the place speeds are the steadiest and the place they dip. From there, you can strive shifting your extenders to try to steadiness issues out, or you can think about shopping for an extra extender to fill in any gaps. Either manner, your property ought to be all set with a robust sign wherever you want it.
Running a velocity check can assist you determine one of the best spot to place your mesh router.
Other issues to your mesh router
Just do not forget that your mesh router can solely supply speeds which might be as quick as what you are paying for out of your ISP. If speeds are extensively inadequate in your house, then it could be time to think about upgrading to a quicker plan (and it could be price seeing in case your ISP will allow you to strive a quicker plan for a couple of days to see if that’s, certainly, the issue). Your ISP may additionally have the ability to offer you an up to date modem that’ll convey higher, quicker speeds to your mesh system to start with. Can’t harm to ask.
If speeds nonetheless appear slower than you would like, and your ISP is not the reply, then there are a couple of different issues you possibly can strive. For starters, in case your supplier’s modem is a gateway gadget that doubles as a router, you then’ll need to disable its Wi-Fi community in order that it does not trigger interference to your mesh system’s Wi-Fi community.
Speaking of interference, it is potential {that a} neighbor’s Wi-Fi community is interfering with yours. To treatment that, hop into your mesh router’s app and search for channel settings that allow you to tune your community to a special a part of the Wi-Fi airwaves, doubtlessly steering away from no matter channel close by networks are utilizing. You’ll additionally need to be sure that your mesh system’s firmware is updated, which ought to be straightforward to examine inside its app.
For extra, try our picks for one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, and learn how to discover free Wi-Fi anyplace on the earth.
