5 Ways To Make Wifi More Stable At Home

Stable, strongWiFi at home is a covetous thing. A reliable internet connection is no longer a frivolous wish, but an increasingly necessary tool for many people’s professional and personal lives. And, of course, it’s just plain frustrating to pay a hefty monthly fee for a mediocre connection. So what can you do if your home WiFi is pretty lackluster? Luckily, you don’t necessarily need to pay more for a premium internet package to improve your current connection.

A number of factors beyond our control affect our WiFi signals, such as the area you live in (rural vs. urban, for example), available service providers, and even geographical features like mountain ranges or valleys. But while those issues are hard to change, you can make some changes at home to improve what you have. You might even live in an area with typically sturdy WiFi, but have accidentally sabotaged your own connection by giving your router a less than ideal set-up.

StarHub created a video with a short list of five simple tips and tricks to boost your home WiFi connection’s range orsignal strength.Here are the tips themselves, and you can check out the actual video below the list!

1. Get your router high

…No, not like that. People’s favorite place to put their router— on the floor, in the corner of their living room or home office— is actuallypretty terrible. You know how people sometimes hold their cell phones above their heads to try and get a stronger signal?They’ve got the right idea. Your router should be mounted somewhere high off the ground, and in the center of your house to reach all ends equally.

2. Personal space

Think of your router like you woulda person who doesn’t like their personal space being invaded. Keep clutter away from the router (this will be easy if you do the suggestion above!). You also might want to see if any other devices or appliances near or next to your router are causing signal disruption. Microwaves, home phone sets, and even wires can interfere with your WiFi signal strength.

3. DIY modify

You can also try a simple do-it-yourself modification using a soda can. Cut the bottom of an empty soda can off, then cut the can lengthwiseto the top. Then, cut around the top in one direction and then in the opposite direction, leaving a little bit connecting the top to the can’s (now unfurled) body. Stick the router’s antenna through the hole in the top used to drink out of, and arrange the cut-out body so it looks a bit like a sail.

Keep in mind that people have reported varying levels of success with this trick, with some people claiming it had no perceivable effect. Still, it’s worth a shot for a small increase in signal strength.

4. Extend it

Not into DIY? Buy your way to farther-reachingWiFi. You can purchase

WiFi extenderswhich will increasethe range of your signal. It does this by picking up your router’s signal and then rebroadcasting it, thus artificially extending its range. However, doing so usually decreases the strength of the signal, sothis is a solution for people who have a strong signal but a short range.

5. Go 2 for 1

There are some instances where more does not equal better, but happily this isn’t one of them! Having not one, but tworouters in your home will indeed increase the amount of signalsaround you and potentially solve your WiFi woes. Since there are plenty of affordable WiFi routers out there, this solution is both simple and low-cost.