6 effective ways to improve your home Wi-Fi

1. Buy a new Wi-Fi 5 router

Many of us still use old routers that use the 2009 802.11n standard, aka "wireless-n" or "Wi-Fi 4". They operate at 2.4 GHz.

If you are unhappy with your home wireless bandwidth, now is the time to upgrade to a 5GHz 802.11ac device, also known as "Wi-Fi 5". The speed boost is guaranteed.

By the way, your router is probably not very old and supports 5 GHz networks. In this case, you just need to switch to 802.11ac in the router settings.

2. Install the wireless adapter

You have a brand new router and gigabit internet, and an old laptop still loads serials at dialup speed, while everything flies on other devices? It is possible that the problem is in the WiFi module of your device. Try to connect it via a wire, and if the brakes disappear, the trouble is definitely with the antenna.

An external wireless adapter that supports the 802.11ac standard will bring high-speed wireless internet even to those devices that do not support it. For example,. Of course, this thing takes up a USB port, but if you intend to transport the laptop somewhere, you can always take it out and plug it back in when you get there.

And for a stationary PC, you should buy one that connects to the PCI-E slot on the motherboard. So the case can be placed anywhere in the house without pulling the cable from the router to it.

3. Connect the antenna to the router

If it is not possible to rearrange the router itself to a better place (for example, the cable from the provider is too short), or it simply does not have a very good Wi-Fi module, an omnidirectional amplifier antenna can improve the signal.

Most home routers have small antennas with a gain of about 4-5 dBi. Replacing them with a 9dBi antenna will make your home wireless network faster and increase your coverage. Craftsmen can make an amplifier from cans, but such a thing usually spoils the interior with its appearance.

4. Turn your old router into an access point

Those who have an old router lying around can turn it into either a signal amplifier or another access point. Both options are described in our guide. Sometimes, instead of trying to get the signal from the bedroom to reach the kitchen, it's better to put your own router in the kitchen.

If the signal amplification function is not available in your router, you can try installing third-party firmware on it, for example, DD-WRT or OpenWRT, which have it.

5. Disconnect unused devices

Do you really want gizmos like your smart kettle to always be connected to your wireless network? Check which devices are connected to the router, choose the least important ones and turn them off.

And devices that rarely move, such as a home server on a Raspberry Pi or a TV that shows content in 4K, are better generally connected to a router via a cable - this way Wi-Fi will be less loaded, and video streaming over the cable will go faster.

6. Run the Internet over electrical wires

If you have a really large private home, and the Wi-Fi signal remains weak in remote rooms, despite the tricks, try using alternative methods of Internet transmission. It is not always possible to pull LAN cables, but there is another way.

Plug a pair of Powerline-enabled network adapters into two outlets and data will flow between the two power lines! However, there may be interference if such adapters are placed next to energy-intensive appliances, so keep them away from the refrigerator and washing machine.