Don't place your router near electronics The best place to put your router is at a reasonable distance (around 5 feet) from other electronics, which will ensure a better wifi strength for everyone in the household.
Putting the router behind a big TV or other electronic devices is generally discouraged as electronic devices give off electronic interference, and something large like a TV actually block the wifi signals. The best place for a router is a few feet off the ground, away from anything else.
A general rule of thumb in home networking says that Wi-Fi routers operating on the traditional 2.4 GHz band reach up to 150 feet (46 m) indoors and 300 feet (92 m) outdoors. Older 802.11a routers that ran on 5 GHz bands reached approximately one-third of these distances.
Central Location: Place the router in a central part of your home to ensure even coverage. Avoid putting it in a corner or at one end of the house. Elevated Position: Position the router on a shelf or high surface to help the signal travel further. Wi-Fi signals can be obstructed by furniture and walls.
Place two antennas vertically and two horizontally for optimal coverage. Ensure they are spread out and not too close together. Experiment with different positions to find the best signal strength and minimize interference.
So, if you only need to use it on the first floor in your home, or hanging on the wall to use the router in a horizontal direction, we recommend that you put the router antenna vertically.
In theory, Wi-Fi signals are capable of passing through walls and other obstacles relatively easily. However, in reality, some walls are thicker or use reinforced concrete and may block some of the signals. Materials such as drywall, plywood, other kinds of wood and glass can be easily penetrated by wireless signals.
The floor is a bad place for your router, since the wifi signal travels downwards too. This means checking your router height and elevating it will boost its performance. We recommend a shelf, which will achieve a higher coverage and stronger signal, keeping everyone in the house happy. No more wifi fights!
Your router will need to be plugged into a master telephone socket, otherwise, the signal quality will be affected. If you have a master socket in another room, you can move your router there.
Luckily, there is little chance of that, because Wi-Fi networks work on different frequencies than digital antennas. Digital TV antennas go up to a frequency of 693.25 MHz, according to Into Tomorrow. Wi-Fi routers, on the other hand, operate on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. That's a huge gap between frequencies.
Most WiFi routers have a range of up to 300 feet indoors and 1500 feet outdoors. However, for best results, your connected device should be within 150 feet of the WiFi router.
The best router for streaming we've tested is the TP-Link Archer BE550, a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. If you have newer devices compatible with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, you'll benefit from its blazing-fast 6GHz band.
Audio and video streaming
Streaming or downloading videos and music uses a lot of data. Video is the biggest culprit. Select SD playback instead of HD to lessen your data use when streaming. HD might look great on a 65″ HDTV, but if you're watching on a smaller monitor, it won't make much of a difference.
The industry standard will usually be the same as above, and people should plan for about 150 feet indoors and about 300 feet outside from most quality routers. This is still what you can expect without obstructions and other problems that can limit your coverage.
So, if you want to avoid a war zone of slow internet, it's best to give your router some breathing room and keep it away from other electronics. A happy router means happy streaming, gaming, and browsing for all.
Central is the Best Place to Start
To begin your router placement journey, start in a central location. For most people, it's the living room, dining room or family room. It may even be a centrally located bedroom.
The single most effective way to boost your Wi-Fi signal is proper router placement. Position your router in a central location within your house, elevating it off the floor to chest height or higher. Avoid placing it near metal objects, concrete walls, or electronic devices that might interfere with the signal.
A modem brings internet service into the home from internet service providers (ISPs), while a router delivers that internet connection to the devices in your home, allowing them to connect wirelessly via WiFi or through Ethernet cables.
Theoretical maximum WiFi range
The maximum WiFi range of industrial routers is usually between 100 meters and 300 meters in theory. This range is mainly based on the transmission power of the device, antenna gain and wireless frequency band used such as 2.
Placing the WiFi router at a high elevation can significantly improve signal strength and coverage. By positioning the router at a higher location, such as on top of a shelf or a cabinet, the WiFi signal can reach a larger area without being blocked by obstacles such as furniture, walls, or floors.
According to our actual situation, we suggest that the table should be about 1-1.5 ft so that the signal of the router is on the same horizontal plane as the equipment you usually use. Actual test case sharing: For an actual height test, we placed the router at a height of 6 ft.
Most of the TV signal in US are broadcast in horizontal polarization (check your terrestrial TV operator's website to get the latest information). Because most of the TV transmitter are horizontal polarized it would be best to start putting the antenna in a horizontal position.