Can i boost my wireless signal

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Log out. Smart Home. Social Media. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Dave Johnson. You can boost your Wi-Fi signal without replacing your router by first testing your internet speed and making sure the router's firmware is up to date. If your Wi-Fi is slow or spotty, there are a lot of possible causes, such as your ISP, the router itself, your Wi-Fi settings, and obstacles in the house that block the signal.

Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning.

He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Additional comments. Email optional. Receive a selection of our best stories daily based on your reading preferences. ISP BI-freelancer. Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Some routers make it very easy to configure QoS settings, while other routers are far from intuitive.

When in doubt, consult the manufacturer of your router. The newest wireless technology, IEEE To take advantage of the latest WiFi technologies to boost home WiFi, you need to make sure that both your home router and your WiFi-enabled devices, such as smartphones and laptops, support them.

A good router should be able to serve you well for at least five years, which is approximately how long it usually takes for a major new WiFi technology to become mainstream.

Near the end of this article, we recommend five best WiFi routers from leading manufacturers, so all you need to do is pick one that fits your budget. The 5 GHz wireless frequency provides faster data rates at shorter distances and is typically much less busy than the 2. If your router supports it, consider switching to it for an instant short-range speed boost. That way, you can get the best of both worlds.

A simple reboot is often enough to considerably improve your WiFi speeds. To reboot your router, either press the restart button located on the back you may need a pointy object like a pen to get to it because many router manufacturers use recessed restart buttons or simply disconnect the router from power and turn it on again.

To do that, you need an Ethernet cable and a laptop or desktop computer with an Ethernet port. We recommend you repeat the wired internet performance test several times, preferably at different times of the day. Some of the most popular mesh WiFi systems available today come from Asus, Eero, Orbi, and Google, and we offer some recommendations later in this article.

This means that you can start with just one main router and one satellite unit and upgrade only if your WiFi is still not performing up to your expectations. The good news is that most modems let you change your DNS address, which is often the easiest way how to boost WiFi performance. This free Windows application offers features designed to enable serious DNS performance investigation, and you can use it to find the fastest DNS server in your area with just a few clicks:.

From computers and mobile phones to various smart home products and appliances, these WiFi-connected devices consume a substantial amount of bandwidth, and not all internet plans can provide it. You might even be able to save some money since the prices of fast internet plans have gone down substantially since the early days of broadband internet. Last but not least, consider contacting your internet service provider and asking for help.

If the ISP truly cares about their customers, they will help you remotely diagnose your WiFi performance issues or even send over a technician to measure your WiFi signal strength and help you boost wireless signal. Most WiFi boosters are designed to be plug and play, making it possible for anyone to install them on their own to enjoy a strong and reliable WiFi signal everywhere.

When selecting a WiFi booster, make sure you have at least a rough idea of how large is the area that you want to cover. You can use a network analyzer like NetSpot to create a signal heatmap of your space. Then you need to set a budget and evaluate the potential candidates based on their features. To make the selection process easier for you, we selected the top 5 best WiFi boosters according professional reviews and real users alike. Thanks to the support for the Just keep in mind that this high-end WiFi booster is much larger than most other WiFi boosters on the market.

Its dimensions are much closer to WiFi routers, but its performance more than makes up for the bulky form factor. When you purchase and open the box, you discover two units inside. One of the two units is meant to connect to your WiFi router, while the other unit connects wirelessly to the first one, seamlessly extending your WiFi network to other parts of your home. Together, the two units can cover up to 5, sq.

Since the two units broadcast the same WiFi network, you can move with your smartphone or laptop from room to room without ever having to connect to a different WiFi network. It supports both the 2. Its two integrated high-gain antennas provide surprisingly wide coverage considering their elegant design. The light turns red when you get too far away from your router and blue when the connection is good.

For example, if your WiFi router is on the ground floor and you want to extend your WiFi to the attic, a traditional WiFi booster would most likely struggle. This unique WiFi booster uses your home electrical wiring to extend your home network. You simply plug the receiver unit near your router and connect it using an Ethernet cable. You than plug the transmitter unit in any location in your home that shares the same electrical wiring and enjoy a strong WiFi signal.

The job of a WiFi extender is to extend your WiFi network beyond what your WiFi router is able to cover by grabbing the existing WiFi signal and rebroadcasting it. Because the Nighthawk X6 uses the same WiFi network name SSID as your router, it creates a seamless network, eliminating the need to switch between different networks. On the back of the Nighthawk X6 are two gigabit Ethernet ports that can provide a stable, wired connection to a desktop computer, smart TV, or any other stationary device that benefits from a rock-solid internet connection.

Despite its compact size and affordable price, it can stream simultaneously on 2. Of course, you can always simply unplug it from one outlet and connect it to a different one if you need to change its location.

This wall-plug WiFi extender from Netgear surprises with its amazing performance and easy setup. It can extend 2. Thanks to its support for Smart Roaming, your mobile devices will be able to automatically connect to it as they leave the range of your WiFi router. The Linksys Velop Wi-Fi extender is a compact device that can help you cover your home or any other building with a strong wireless signal.

The extender is designed to boost WiFi signal by connecting to your existing Velop system for a seamless connection to all your devices.

Thanks to the Linksys App, controlling the Linksys Velop Wi-Fi extender and other Velop devices is a breeze, and you can, for example, create a separate, password-protected WiFi network or set up parental controls with a few simple clicks. This WiFi range extender from D-Link extends both 2. We like that it can also function as an access point, which may come in handy should your main router ever stop working.

The D-Link DAP has three external antennas that greatly improve its coverage, and it also features a single Ethernet port for wired internet access. To set up this WiFi range extender, you need to plug it into any wall outlet and press the WPS button on your router.

If so, it may be the right time to get a new one. Modern routers can broadcast on multiple bands at the same time, and they support features like Multi-user MIMO, which allows them to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. The router also has eight gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB 3. Because this Asus router is geared toward gamers, it can super boost WiFi signal strength with its Game Boost technology, which analyzes network traffic and prioritizes gaming packets above everything else.

This award-winning WiFi router from D-Link offers combined speeds of up to Mbps, the ability to simultaneously broadcast to multiple devices, and sophisticated yet easy-to-set-up parental controls that can protect the youngest members of your family from inappropriate content. Created to satisfy the needs of heavy internet users who spend a lot of time streaming 4K content, playing online games, and downloading files from the internet, the Netgear Nighthawk X10 is one of the fastest routers in the world.

This relatively affordable router as far as powerful dual-band routers go is equipped with a 1. The app works on both Android and iOS, and its simple and intuitive user interface lets you quickly and painlessly accomplish all common router management tasks, including installing firmware updates.

You can get the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 System with two or three units included in the box and expand it by purchasing an additional satellite unit in the future. The only downside is the steep price of the system. WiFi mesh systems are one of the best ways how to improve WiFi signal strength in large buildings.

Here are the top 5 best WiFi mesh systems that you can purchase right now. Even in the most basic configuration, Google Nest Wifi is able to handle up to connected devices and stream multiple 4K videos at a time. Each Wifi point doubles as a smart speaker powered by Google Assistant, so you gain the ability to play your favorite songs or find answers on the web with natural voice queries. The Netgear Orbi 6 is a high-end mesh WiFi system designed with ultimate performance in mind. Thanks to its support for the latest generation WiFi 6 technology, it offers 4x increased capacity compared with WiFi 5 and the ability to connect as much as devices at the same time.

Included with the Netgear Orbi 6 is an online threat protection solution called NETGEAR Armor, which can protect all connected devices from the latest malware and send instant alerts to your smartphone or computer to keep you informed. However, if none of the free DIY options work, purchasing a new router may well solve your network issues. While this is typically enough range to cover the average house or apartment, different obstacles and signal interferences can cause that signal to degrade before it reaches different parts of your home.

Some of that depends on the type of router you have and its signal strength. Instead, consider placing your wireless router in a more centralized location. Many families commonly place their routers next to computer equipment in home offices. However, you can place your router pretty much anywhere in your home. With the average range of a wireless router at feet, a centrally located router should be able to more effectively reach all parts of an average-sized home. All of the following devices can interfere with wireless signals:.

In general, wireless technology of various sorts is only increasing. This means that you likely have multiple forms of wireless equipment sending signals throughout your home.

If any of that equipment is operating at the same frequency as your wireless router, interference is going to occur. If you believe there may be interference issues, turn off your other devices that are also sending out wireless signals, one by one. Check to see if there is a difference in the signal strength or range after you turn off each device. Depending on your situation, your best option is to move your router as far away from the other device as possible, or preferably, relocate the interfering device.

This tip is fully dependent on your wireless router. It may be difficult to determine if this is an issue. However, if you use any wireless device, such as a mobile phone or computer, you can check to see how many wireless signals are in range. How you go about changing the channel will vary by device and brand. Low signal and strength issues can be a problem with the applications and devices using your internet connection.

Activities that can be significant bandwidth hogs include:. When devices are using a large amount of your bandwidth, they can cause slow-downs for other devices that can have the appearance of poor signal strength.

If you intend to stream high-quality video or play online games, try doing so without multiple devices running as well. You can automate this process somewhat if your router utilizes Quality of Service QoS methods. These methods automatically prioritize operations to help reduce connectivity and bandwidth issues. Check with your router manual or device manufacturer to determine if your device utilizes Quality of Service, and if so, how to adjust the device settings to make it work.

Certainly not a foolproof method, you can manage to squeeze a small bit of range out of your wi-fi router through some DIY methods using things like foil or aluminum beer cars. We also provide a detailed breakdown on how to make your own wi-fi extender. All wireless routers come with firmware a type of software designed to help make your hardware work properly pre-installed.

However, some wireless routers are capable of running third-party firmware to enhance their capabilities. DD-WRT can help you boost your wi-fi signal by allowing you to better adjust your router settings and fine-tune the frequency channels. Additionally, you can use DD-WRT to unlock technical capabilities of your device, allowing it to draw more power, a key to boosting wireless signal range.