How to improve WiFi at home before buying anything

Almost every "slow internet" complaint is a WiFi complaint. Here is what to do about it, cheapest first.

Move the router. Seriously, this first.

WiFi radiates outward in a rough sphere. A router in the corner of the house sends most of its signal into the neighbor's yard.

• Central and high. Middle of the home, on a shelf, roughly chest height or above.
• Out in the open. Not in a media cabinet, not in a closet, not behind the TV. Enclosures cost you a wall's worth of signal.
• Away from interference. Microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors and Bluetooth speakers all sit in the 2.4 GHz band.
• Antennas. If yours has them, one vertical and one horizontal covers both device orientations.

This costs nothing and frequently doubles the speed in the far bedroom.

Understand the two bands

Most routers broadcast both:

• 2.4 GHz — travels further, penetrates walls better, tops out around 100 Mbps in practice, and is heavily congested.
• 5 GHz — much faster, much shorter range, does not like walls.
• 6 GHz (WiFi 6E/7) — faster still, shortest range, almost no congestion.

If your router publishes them as separate network names, connect the things that stay near the router to 5 GHz and the far-away, low-bandwidth things to 2.4. If it uses one name and steers automatically, leave it alone — modern band steering works well.

Fix the channel

In an apartment building, twenty neighbors are broadcasting on top of you. A WiFi analyzer app on your phone will show which channels are crowded. On 2.4 GHz only channels 1, 6 and 11 do not overlap — pick whichever of those is quietest. Most routers built in the last five years handle this automatically.

Cut the clutter

Every device on the network takes a turn on the air. Thirty smart bulbs, plugs and sensors add up. Remove what is not in use, and move anything that supports it onto the 2.4 GHz band so it stops competing for the fast air time.

Update the firmware

Router firmware updates fix real performance and security problems and most people never install them. Log into the admin page (usually 192.168.1.1) and check. Many routers can be set to update automatically — do that.

Only now, buy something

If you have done all of the above and a room is still dead:

Mesh system ($150–400). Two or three units that talk to each other and hand devices off. This is the right answer for a house over about 1,800 square feet, or one with thick walls or multiple floors. Buy a real mesh system, not a range extender.

Ethernet backhaul. If you can run a cable to where the second mesh node goes, do it. A wired backhaul roughly doubles what a mesh system delivers, because the node no longer spends half its air time talking back to the base.

Powerline or MoCA adapters ($60–120). Use your home's electrical wiring or existing coax to carry Ethernet to a distant room. MoCA is much better than powerline if you have coax outlets.

A new router ($120–250). Worth it if yours is older than about five years or came free from the provider. WiFi 6 handles a crowded house far better than WiFi 5, and buying your own also gets you off a $15/month rental.

What does not work

• Range extenders halve throughput and create a second network your devices cling to at the worst moment. Mesh instead.
• Aluminum foil behind the router. No.
• A faster plan. If WiFi is the bottleneck, a bigger plan changes nothing at all.