Stop Hiding Your Router: 5 Rules for Placement

You can buy a $500 gaming router, but if you shove it in a closet behind the TV, you are going to get terrible speeds. Wi-Fi signals radiate outward and downward. Follow these 5 golden rules of placement to instantly boost your network range.

1. Centralize It

Routers send signals in all directions (like a lightbulb). If you place your router against an exterior wall of your home, half of your Wi-Fi signal is being broadcasted out into your garden or the street. Place the router as close to the physical center of your home as the NBN/Fibre box allows.

2. Get it Off the Floor

Routers are designed to broadcast signals slightly downward. If your router is sitting on the floor or bottom shelf of a TV unit, a massive chunk of its broadcasting power is being fired directly into the floorboards. Place it on a high shelf, a bookcase, or mount it to the wall.

3. Beware of the Kitchen (and Fish Tanks)

Microwaves operate on the exact same 2.4GHz frequency as your Wi-Fi. Every time you heat up food, you generate a massive cloud of wireless interference. Additionally, water is highly effective at absorbing Wi-Fi signals. Never place a router next to a large aquarium, a hot water cylinder, or thick pipes.

4. Don't Hide it Behind the TV

Modern TVs are essentially giant sheets of metal and glass. If you put your router directly behind the TV, you are creating a "Faraday cage" effect that blocks the signal from reaching the rest of the room.