I use the internet for almost everything, including gaming, streaming, working, and maintaining the functionality of all of my smart gadgets. These days, having a fast and reliable internet connection is essential rather than optional. However, despite paying for gigabit internet, I continue to experience annoying Wi-Fi dead zones and sporadic slowdowns.

You understand if you’ve been in a similar situation. When your speeds don’t match what you’re paying for, it’s inconvenient. The good news is that you don’t need to be a computer guru to make a few simple changes that will significantly improve your internet speed.

Take into account these easy tips and methods to maintain the seamless operation of your Wi-Fi, which are intended to maximize your Wi-Fi configuration and ensure that your Zoom meetings and gaming sessions continue without interruption.

1. Purchase the appropriate router for your area.

First things first: a lot of connection problems may be traced back to your equipment. Selecting the appropriate router is the first step. The size and design of your house often affect how fast your wifi connections are, and not all routers are created equal.

Most apartments and smaller households (less than 1,500 square feet) should be able to get by with only one wireless access point. Upgrade to a more recent model or Wi-Fi 6E if your router is a few years old. Although Wi-Fi 7 is the newest and best version of Wi-Fi technology, it is still more recent than what most people have in their homes and should provide you with greater overall coverage and quicker wireless connections at a reasonable cost.

To provide reliable coverage throughout the house, larger, multi-story residences would want to upgrade to a mesh network. Simply add another node to the distant section of your house if you install the primary access point and discover that it lacks reliable wifi coverage. The issue has been resolved.

See our list of the top mesh routers to find out more. Refer to our router purchasing guide if you want more assistance.

It is important to remember that whether you have a mesh network or a single access point, the location of the main access point still matters.

2. Determine where your router should be placed.

The modem is often mounted along the wall in one of the far corners of the house when you initially move into a new house or apartment. This is only because the technician’s duty is to set up the connection, not to optimize your network, and that’s where the line enters the home. You are in charge of it.

It’s tempting to keep things exactly as the technician set it up, particularly if you’re unsure of where a router should be placed. However, it’s rare that the original placement is the ideal one. However, while attempting to improve your Wi-Fi, location may be the most crucial factor. If your router is positioned badly, you may not be receiving the quickest speeds even with the newest router technology.

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The signal is sent out in all directions via routers. Your neighbors may easily access your network if they can figure out your Wi-Fi password, and you will lose wireless coverage if you maintain your router on the left corner of the home. The easiest way to ensure steady speeds (and network security) is to move the router to a central place.

It might be difficult to install a router across the home from the modem. A very lengthy Ethernet cable may need to be physically laid beneath the floor or along the bottom of your walls. Alternatively, power line network adapters, which utilize the electrical wiring in your house to transmit an internet signal from one location to another, may be needed. It will be worth it for the better wireless coverage. Hallie Seltzer of CNET tested both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections at her home to see which performed better in case you’re wondering how they vary.

Lift the router.
In order to enhance coverage, it is advisable to install the router as high as possible since routers have a tendency to disseminate their strongest signals downward. Consider installing it on the wall or putting it high on a bookcase.

Many bespoke wall mounts made for certain routers, such as this stick-up mount for the Eero Pro 6 mesh router, can be found online. If you’re having trouble finding a raised location for your router without a jumble of wires, a router mount is a simple fix.

Stay away from other electronics.
Choose a spot away from big metal items and other gadgets. The likelihood that anything may interfere with your signal strength increases with the number of walls, huge barriers, and gadgets close to your router.

The microwave is a particular kind of electrical gadget that should be avoided since it transmits a powerful signal in the 2.4GHz band, which is also the wireless band that your router uses. Avoid placing your router behind a big TV as this might physically obstruct or interfere with the transmission and also create electrical interference.

In addition to gadgets, be aware of large furniture and other items that may be obstructing the signal’s path. For example, if you have an aquarium in your house, try to keep it out of the way of your router and the device that needs to connect since Wi-Fi doesn’t work well over water.

3. Switch Wi-Fi channels

Although switching between channels is quite simple, your speeds are impacted by the Wi-Fi bands your router utilizes. The 2.4Ghz or 5GHz channels that are included with the majority of routers may be thought of as the data highway that your internet network utilizes. A 6GHz channel is included with more sophisticated routers, such as the Wi-Fi 6E and the Wi-Fi 7.

Although this may vary somewhat depending on the router, you should be able to change the Wi-Fi band under the Wi-Fi network settings. You may be able to choose a Wi-Fi band to prioritize, even though the majority of routers employ dual-band technology, which enables them to use both frequencies simultaneously. Although it is slower than the 5GHz frequency, the 2.4GHz band has a greater range. The 5GHz band, on the other hand, is speedier but has trouble maintaining fast connections across the whole home because to its small range. However, changing channels is a fast fix for sluggish Wi-Fi.

4. Properly configure your Wi-Fi antennae

Some routers contain up to eight antennae, while others have none at all. These antennas aid with signal direction. Avoid placing all of your router’s antennae in the same direction if it has more than one.

Instead, place one horizontally and the other vertically so that they are perpendicular to each other. Alternately, to cover a broad variety of angles, move all the antennas slightly. It may be necessary to conduct speed tests in order to determine the optimal arrangement.

While a horizontal or angled antenna will emit a signal that travels upward, which may be more useful in a multistory home, a vertical antenna will be more helpful in single-story homes because the signal from each of those antennas will emerge as a wave that travels in all directions and is perpendicular to the antenna itself.

A picture of a Wi-Fi mapping program
You may more easily fix weak areas in your network by seeing its strengths with the use of Wi-Fi mapping tools such as NetSpot.
Matt Elliott/CNET 5 screenshot. Locate your Wi-Fi signal.
In the worst situation, you may need to map out your home’s Wi-Fi signal in order to identify dead zones and assess coverage range. We mapped out the signal strength across the CNET Smart Home a few years ago using the NetSpot program. In the end, we were able to see where our Wi-Fi network was weak, which allowed us to strengthen it by relocating our gear to better positions.