16-05-2025
The 1 router position that 'seriously slows down' your WiFi and 4 more spots to avoid
Could you boost your broadband speed by simply moving your hub to a more suitable location?
Ever since the pandemic kicked in over five years ago - how time flies - home working has become the norm. While many workplaces are now back in the office full time, lots of others are still working remotely or on a hybrid model.
There are many benefits to working from home, including longer lies and much shorter commutes - if you can count going 20 paces from the bedroom a commute. But it has put an extra onus on people to have better broadband at home.
We're not just streaming our favourite shows at night any more, we're working hard on our laptops all throughout the day. And for many households, there is more than one person doing that.
While we would all love to have the top-of-the-range WiFi package in our homes, that's not possible for everyone. From instant barriers like the cost of better broadband to things like the make-up of our house, there are some issues that we just have to deal with.
Fortunately, however, there are certain other things we can do to improve our WiFi, such as where we place the router.
And one expert has shared some of the worst and best spots in your home to place the internet hub, revealing that one popular location can "seriously slow down" your coverage, The Express reports.
Geoff Pestell, CEO at broadband comparison site Fibre Compare, has explained how to avoid "dead zones" in your home and give yourself the best chance of having a reliable connection for fast home working and seamless streaming when you're chilling in the evenings.
The worst places to place your WifFi router
If you have poor signal strength, experience a lot of buffering, or have to reset your router regularly, then this could be down to where you've placed it. Several less than ideal locations could be interrupting your broadband signal.
Places to avoid include:
Inside cabinets or behind furniture
A common mistake many people make when it comes to placing a WiFi router in their home is tucking it away in a cabinet or hidden behind furniture. While this appears to make sense from an aesthetic standpoint - who wants to look at a router out in the open? - it may be causing you issues.
Concealing the device like this could significantly diminish the strength of the signal you get to your devices in your home, as well as causing all kinds of connectivity issues. This happens because airflow in tight spaces can become trapped and cause the hub to overheat and underperform.
Under the stairs
Similarly to the issues with having a router in a small cabinet, placing it under the stairs can cause issues. Again, it will keep it out of sight every day, but it can "seriously slow down" your WiFi speeds due to the stairwell walls blocking the signal.
Near other electronic devices
Many other people pop their routers near other electronic devices, like TVs or phones, because it seemingly makes sense to have them all in one place. But this is actually a mistake.
Other devices can emit interference that can impact the quality of your WiFi signal and, ultimately, lead to poorer performance.
Rooms that are far away from your main electronics
This might be more of an issue for those with larger properties, where the router has to have a much wider reach to connect with all devices. But if your hub is too far from the main gadgets you use - home working station, TV, etc - then you may find you have a weak signal.
Things like strong walls, flooring, and large objects can all reduce the strength of a signal, creating "dead zones" in parts of your house. And if the signal has to travel further, it's more likely to have to pass these obstacles.
It is therefore crucial that you place your router close to the electronics that need the best signal.
Near windows and water sources
Make sure you also avoid placing your router near any water sources or windows. The risk of water damage, either from rain getting in an open window or from showers, sinks, or washing machines, can damage electrical components or interfere with WiFi signal.
The best places to put your router
Geoff isn't all about the negatives, and offered some advice on where your should be placing your broadband hub too. While all homes are different, these tips should allow you to find the best possible position depending on the layout of your property.
In a central location
Whether this is a hallway or on the landing between floors, if you're lucky enough to have a big house, picking somewhere central reduces the need for the signal to travel as far to the extremities of the home.
But just make sure it's not being blocked by any big obstacles that could obstruct the signal getting out to your gadgets.
Off the floor
A raised router is a better router. Keeping it off the floor means the hub can send out a signal more effectively as there are fewer objects or walls in its path. Top picks include on a table or a shelf.
Furthermore, a router placed on the floor may experience issues due to the ground's ability to absorb it. There is also an increased risk of someone clumsily kicking the router and potentially damaging it.
Away from obstructions
Tying in with the other two suggestions, you should be minimising how many obstructions the signals will have to get past. While we can't guarantee a free path to all areas of the house, less is better.
So even when you are following the guidance, by having the hub in a central, raised location, make sure that there is nothing on top of it or close by blocking its signal path. You might want to blend it into your interior decor with trinkets, but this could disrupt the signal, so it is best avoided.
Test different places in the house
If you are not 100 per cent sure on where you want to place your router, testing out different locations is a great idea. Experimenting means you can see how the hub looks in various spots, as well as checking the strength of the signal.
As we said earlier, every home is different. So the best place for the router in your home may not be where you first thought. Try out a few sports and test your broadband speed to see which works best for you.
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