10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

Browsing slowed to a crawl, the inability to stream, dropped Wi-Fi signals, wireless dead zones—each of these problems is maddening in a world where getting online has become, for some, as necessary as breathing (well, maybe not that critical—but still important). When the only way you can get decent reception is by standing next to your wireless router, our tips can help.

- By Whitson Gordon

1. Check your Wired Internet Connection

Before you blame Wi-Fi, make sure the internet coming into your house is performing as it should. Find an Ethernet cable and plug your computer directly into your modem— if your laptop doesn’t have an Ethernet port, you’ll need a USB to Ethernet adapter. Then run a speed test.

If your speed-test result doesn’t match the speed on your internet bill, you may need to call your ISP or replace your modem. If your result does match your bill, but your connection still seems slow, you might have to pony up for a better plan. (My grandmother was convinced her Wi-Fi was faulty, only for me to tell her she was subscribed to a snail’s-pace 3Mbps connection.)

If the modem seems okay, run the test again wirelessly, standing right next to the router. If you get similarly good speeds next to the router but not elsewhere in the house, then your Wi-Fi coverage may be to blame. But if your internet is still slow when you’re standing close to the router, you may have some outdated gear that needs an upgrade.

2. Update your router firmware

Before you start tweaking things, it’s a good idea to update your router. Router manufacturers are always improving software to eke out a bit more speed. How easy (or hard) upgrading your firmware is depends entirely on your device’s manufacturer and model.