WARNING: Using Tips n Tricks on this website incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Operating System. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Tips and Tricks can be solved. Use Tips and Tricks at your own risk.

Improve wireless router signal strength

1. Center your router.

A vertical antenna and its radiation pattern.

Setting up a wireless network is like investing in real estate: it's all about location. Unfortunately, it's hard to know exactly what your coverage area will be before you install the equipment. Transmission power, antenna sensitivity, and environmental conditions such as walls and furniture all help shape your coverage area. Moreover, the router alone is not responsible for your range. Your computer's wireless adapter must also be able to transmit data to the router. An ultra powerful router with a sensitive antenna transmitting at 1 watt does you little good if your adapter has a poor antenna and is kicking out only 30 mill watts. Replacing your router will often do nothing to improve your range.

If possible, place your wireless router in the center of the area you wish to cover. The Omni directional antennas on most routers radiate in a three-dimensional doughnut-shaped pattern around the pole. If your router is located in a corner of your house, much of that radiation pattern will fall outside your home. Also, consider mounting your router high on a wall or ceiling far away from furniture and shelving that can impede or block Wi-Fi signals.

 

BONUS TIP- The process of selecting the right drug rehab center can be confusing. Most of us don't know exactly what to look for or the questions to ask that will help determine the drug rehab center that's best designed to meet our needs. As you research and evaluate potential drug rehab centers, ask however many questions it takes for you to address the following basic considerations - and before you make any final decisions, make sure you feel satisfied that all of your questions have been thoughtfully and thoroughly answered.
 

2. Add antennas or repeaters.

Some wireless adapters and routers are equipped with a connector that lets you add a high-gain antenna. High-gain antennas focus the energy they radiate in a particular direction and you can use them to extend your range into rooms where your wireless signals otherwise might not reach. This solution works best when high-gain antennas are added to both sides of the connection.

You can also use a wireless repeater to extend your range. Repeaters receive data packets and retransmit them at full power. Unfortunately, this double duty of receiving and transmitting each individual packet cuts the throughput of your network connection in half. Repeaters can also be difficult to install, especially if you're new to networking. To make it easier, Buffalo sells a router/repeater combo that comes preconfigured out of the box. Keep in mind that repeaters tend to rely on proprietary solutions that are vendor specific and work only when you use the same brand of router and repeater. Still, a repeater can significantly increase the range of your wireless network and is well worth considering if you want to add a few rooms to your coverage area.