How to amplify a router's wifi signal in an apartment

The repeater can connect to the router via Wi-Fi and retransmit its signal. But you can connect them to each other by cable, if the distance is too long. Setting up is easy. With a wireless connection, you can usually just press the WPS buttons on the repeater and router. Or connect a cable to the repeater.

How to increase the signal of a Wi-Fi router at home?

This is an urgent topic that has started to pop up in people's minds more and more often. And for good reason, since there are a lot more routers that distribute wireless network and feed people the Internet. Just 10 years ago nobody had heard of such technology, and now every neighbor has this simple box with antennas.

Strengthening the router signal level is a common problem in large private houses, when you need to have a signal on all floors and preferably on the street (for CCTV cameras). But even in ordinary apartments, this problem is quite acute. It's the nasty neighbors who have bought themselves routers and are messing up your wireless network.

To explain simply, the more routers around you, the more difficult it is to work yours and distribute wi-fi. It can cause slowdowns, interference or even loss of connectivity. In this article I will tell you step by step how at home to strengthen, improve a bad Wi-Fi router signal, as well as tell you what it drops and why. All in simple terms.

Changing the location of the router

This point is one of the most important, because a weak WiFi router signal can be influenced by a lot of factors. First of all, it is best to place the device as close to the center of the house or apartment as possible.

If this is not possible, then install it in such a way that there are as few walls and obstacles in the path of the wave. A good location is in the hallway, where all the rooms and the kitchen meet.

Also, there should be no mirrors, metal fences, or plates in the path of the Wi-Fi signal, which kill the wave permanently. Keep radios and microwave ovens that operate at the same frequency away from the router. Another tip, don't install it on the floor or under the ceiling. The router should be about centered between the ceiling and the floor.

You've probably seen a lot of videos where they allegedly install amplifiers made of beer cans and foil. But in fact they do not amplify, but simply redirect the signal by reflecting off the metal surface. They also reflect the neighboring waves, which can interfere, but only in the range of this metal device.

I can not say anything about this method because I have not tried it. But you can make this construction and share your experience in the comments. The effect should be, but minimal.

Another thing is the correct positioning of the antennas. They should be at a 90 degree angle. This way the waves will spread out over a longer distance. If you have three of them, then the two on the sides tilted at an angle of 45 degrees, and put the central one under 90 degrees.

Ways to boost the Wi-Fi signal

Many users choose too cheap router models, absolutely regardless of their characteristics . Meanwhile, often these budget devices are not able to provide even 2÷4 Mbytes/sec speed, constantly breaking the connection.

In general, here is my brief summary: for normal network operation in the whole house – you must have a modern router (the word is underlined for a reason).

1. support for max. data rates: from 300 Mbit per second (note: operating modes "AC" or "N");
2. 4 or more antennas (the bigger the antenna, the stronger the signal is usually);
3. RAM: preferably not less than 128 MB;
4. processor: at least 240 Megahertz;
5. a router brand from a well-known brand: Zyxel (Keenetic line), D-Link, ASUS, Netgear, Tenda, Tp-link and Trendnet.

Router Tenda: pay attention to models with 4 (6) antennas. They provide the best signal strength

📌 Help!

By the way, quite good routers are available today from Chinese online stores – https://ocomp.info/kitayskie-internet-magazinyi.html

Signal strength in router settings

In some router models you can manually adjust signal strength (especially for models with 4 or more antennas).

By default, the signal strength in the settings is usually set to an average value. If it is not enough for you, it is worth changing the parameter to maximum . .

Most often, this parameter can be changed in the wireless settings in the router's web interface. As it looks in the device from Tenda – presented in the screenshot below. 👇

📌 Help!

How to open the Wi-Fi router settings (login to the web interface). What to do if the settings page does not open – [see router settings]

Note that for some routers, in order to change the signal strength, it is necessary to use an additional tab (for example, TP-Link, the required parameter is "Transmitter power". ).

Settings – Wi-Fi settings – Xiaomi Mi Router 4A // Signal level – "High"!

In the English version of the router firmware the signal level is indicated as Transmit Power or Tx Power .

How to speed up your home Wi-Fi? Simple tips

In today's world, it's hard to imagine life without the Internet. Most people read the news, watch movies or play games online, of course. But often with the home Internet can be a problem – the signal fails, or disappears altogether. It's especially frustrating when it happens at the most inopportune moment – during work or study, for example. Today I'm going to share with you some very simple tips on how you can improve the speed of your internet connection at home.

I think many people know that a router is a radio transmitter for which a direct signal is important. More specifically, for your device to work better, it is best to place the router as close as possible to the necessary equipment (such as a smart TV, or a laptop). Also, it is worth considering that walls, cabinets, and sometimes even shelves, can weaken the Internet signal. So try to install your router in as open a place as possible without any possible obstacles.

In order to improve the signal in a two-storey house, you can try to place the Wi-Fi router as high as possible.

Also, do not place the router somewhere in the corner of the house, "on the edge" so to speak. Then the signal will be transmitted not only to the house or apartment, but also to the street, or neighbors, respectively, the far side of your home will be "deprived" of good Internet.

It is worth knowing that the Wi-Fi signal is divided into channels. Different routers will use the same channel to communicate with your gadgets. The choice of channel can also affect the speed of your Internet, especially if there are many devices connected to Wi-Fi.

Here it is very simple – you can reconnect to another channel to solve the problem. I will not describe here how to do this, because depending on the router the algorithm may vary. So look for the necessary hints in the manual to your particular router, or look for information on the Internet (if you have it at the time, of course).

Complain about a comment

In any case, the router should be located as high up as possible, ideally under the ceiling. Once stayed at a friend's in St. Petersburg in an old building, two-room apartment type "comb", the far room, where I and the living room, where the router, at different ends of the apartment, between me and the router two brick partitions. I had practically no signal, so we started looking into it and found the router in a pile of wires behind my computer desk by the outside wall. We threw it on the cabinet and immediately got a great signal throughout the apartment. And originally thanks to the wooden floors signal from the lower communal neighbors was clearly better than the owners :).
I same in my apartment, due to the peculiarities of the layout (L-shaped), had to put an additional access point around the corner of the corridor, for which at the stage of repair were provided by sockets under the ceiling, for reliability of a point connected to the router via cable, as the need for an access point was evident from the layout. In general, when arranging the electricity from scratch, you must immediately plan the location of access points.
And it is also desirable to get a router for 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz range in the MFB has long been overloaded. Right now I can see five neighbor's 2.4 points and my only 5 GHz point, but now the operator's routers are also equipped with 802.11ac, so soon the crowd will be there too. My house has very low population density, 4-5 apartments per floor, I can imagine what a crowd in the "home Internet" in the houses with a lot of apartments of small size and respectively higher population density.

Get a very strong signal will only help buy a router at Ali exclusively for the Chinese market Huawei ax3 pro or Xiaomi ah3000. The routers for the Chinese market does not have the signal strength limitation that there are routers for the global market. I have installed such a router, now I can catch the signal at the entrance, although I have a very high floor.

I think the low signal strength is one of the features of Wi-Fi, which allows you to use many different networks in a limited space without interfering with each other. Then how do the Chinese with their "very strong signal" share the airwaves in their man-houses?

How to speed up your home Wi-Fi

Before you buy a more expensive tariff from your provider or a new higher speed WiFi router, you can take a number of steps to improve the work of your existing wireless network. It is quite possible that you will be satisfied with the result and postpone the upgrade to a better time.

Location of the router

The first thing to pay attention to is the location of the router. It should be closer to the center of the apartment/house and be a little closer to the ceiling than to the floor, if possible; an open bookshelf is a good option – so the signal will spread better around the room. There should be no foreign objects near the router, and the ceiling, floor and walls should be in its direct line of sight, so that the signal is reflected from them unhindered.

If it is not possible to install the router in an optimal location, at the very least you should make sure that there are no household appliances or other electronics near the device, be they refrigerators, microwave ovens, TVs, game consoles, audio systems, baby monitors, etc.

The Right Range

The second tip is to check what range your devices are connected to. Most more or less modern WiFi routers can operate in two bands – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The second is traditionally less "littered" with neighboring wireless networks, as well as providing higher bandwidth. Therefore, smartphones, PCs and laptops should be connected exactly to the 5 GHz band. But various "smart" lights, sensors, alarm systems and other undemanding to Internet speed devices is better to leave on the band 2.4 GHz.

Eliminating dead spots

If the signal from a WiFi router can't reach the farthest room in your apartment, it doesn't mean you have to replace it. It's quite possible that you have some old router lying around. There are many uses for it, and extending your existing network coverage is one of them. An alternative – buying a relatively inexpensive WiFi-repeater, their cost starts at 800 rubles.

Strengthening the signal with additional devices

To solve the problem of reconfiguring the router is not always possible. In large rooms with several rooms and concrete walls, even the maximum signal router may not be enough. Therefore, you will have to use hardware to increase network coverage.

Replace the standard antenna with a more powerful one

The signal gain of home router antennas is limited to 5 dBi. Some routers may have even less. This is usually sufficient for a standard city apartment. But in large rooms or private houses with several floors problems arise. In this case, an additional external antenna is used instead of the standard one to amplify the signal. It must be bought separately.

Here everything is very simple. You buy an external antenna, for example, 20 dBi, unscrew the standard antenna and connect the cable from the new antenna instead. You can also use a Range Extender Booster. This is a Wi-Fi signal booster. The booster connects to the router's antenna jack and the antenna to the booster. This allows you to greatly increase coverage and signal strength using the regular antenna.

By using external antennas, you can extend network coverage to your summer cottage and even distribute Internet to a neighbor's house. The type and power of the antenna is chosen depending on where it will be located – indoors or outdoors. And also taking into account the necessary range.

The disadvantage of this method is that router manufacturers are now saving on removable antennas. Therefore, not every router will be able to do such a trick.

You can, of course, disassemble it and solder the antenna connector, but this, firstly, is a method for those who are good with a soldering iron and understand electronics. And secondly, changing the design of the router will lead to a loss of warranty. So if you plan to use an additional antenna, choose the right router. And when you already have a router and the antennas on it are not removable, read how to extend its coverage area through a repeater.

Other Ways

Low signal strength can be caused by software glitches, improper router placement, and external interference. Devices that are connected to the router can also slow down. In this case, you can improve the signal without using additional devices.

Reboot your router

If the Internet was working fine, but then suddenly began to slow down, the cause may be a malfunction in the router firmware. This can be cured by rebooting. Turn your router off and on again. It is very likely that the problem will disappear. Do reboot regularly, every few days, to avoid errors piling up.

Find a new location for the router

Concrete walls, metal structures, and even ordinary mirrors can reflect radio waves and degrade signal quality. In this diagram, the router is not positioned correctly.

Because of this location, there are two areas in the apartment with a bad signal. To solve the problem, you need to move the router to the location indicated by the arrow.

It also makes sense to place the router as high up as possible. For example, hang it on the wall. This will help expand the area of stable coverage.

Move the router and check the signal strength to find the best spot for it.

Get rid of interference

Any electrical appliance can cause interference, even those that do not use radio frequencies. Refrigerators, TV sets, microwave ovens generate electromagnetic fields that affect the operation of the router. Do not install the router near other household appliances. Also, pay attention to whether the Wi-Fi speed drops when you turn on any device. If so, move the culprit away from the router.

Configure the receiver on your laptop or computer

If the Internet is slowing down on only one PC, the problem is most likely with the Wi-Fi receiver settings on that device. Install the latest drivers. This helps solve the problem with poor reception.
Monitor your applications' access to the Internet. Programs that are constantly connected to the network reduce internet speed. They can run in the background unnoticed by the user.

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