FAQ: Wifi Tips – Get the Best Out of Your Wifi – Zendesk

1. How can I improve my wifi signal range and speed at home?

Optimal Placement: Position your modem or wifi booster in a central and open location in your home where you use wifi most often. This ensures a more even distribution of the signal.
Avoid Obstacles: Keep your modem away from walls, especially thick ones, and objects made of metal or concrete as these materials block or weaken wifi signals.
Elevate the Device: Place your modem or booster on a shelf or table, not on the floor, to allow the signal to spread more effectively.
Distance Matters: While you should keep the modem close enough to your commonly used devices, avoid placing it too close to other electronics that may cause interference.

Physical Obstacles: Walls, floors, doors, and furniture—especially if made of concrete, brick, metal, or other dense materials—can greatly reduce signal strength.
Other Wireless Networks: Neighbors’ wifi networks operating on the same channel as yours can cause signal interference.
Electronic Devices: Appliances like microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, and even Bluetooth devices emit electromagnetic waves that can disrupt wifi.
Distance from Modem: The farther your device from the modem, the weaker the signal becomes.

Channel Selection: Use a wifi channel scanner tool to identify which channels have the least traffic and set your modem or router to one of those. In the 2.4 GHz band, channels 1, 6, and 11 are typically preferred to avoid overlap.
Switch to 5 GHz Band: If your device supports it, connect to the 5 GHz frequency band, which is usually less congested and offers higher speeds over shorter distances.
Modem Placement: Place your modem away from walls shared with neighbors to reduce signal clash.

Strategic Positioning: Place boosters or wifi pods roughly halfway between the modem and the area where the signal is weak, ensuring they still receive a strong signal from the modem.
Open Space Placement: Avoid putting boosters inside cabinets, behind furniture, or near large metal objects.
Avoid Extremes: Don’t put boosters too close to the modem or too far away, as both scenarios can cause poor relay of the signal.

Absolutely. Modem placement significantly impacts both speed and signal coverage.
A centrally located and elevated modem can broadcast signals more evenly and reduce dead spots.
Avoid placing modems in enclosed spaces like cupboards or basements, as signal absorption by materials is higher.

The signal strength can be heavily degraded by:
- Thick walls, especially those containing metal or concrete.
- Floors or ceilings between your device and the modem.
- Large appliances or furniture obstructing the signal pathway.
If certain rooms are far from the modem or separated by such obstacles, using a wifi booster or mesh system is advisable.

Test wifi signal strength and speed in different areas of your home using apps such as Speedtest by Ookla or wifi analyzer apps.
If you notice slow speeds or poor signal quality in areas you use often, experiment with different modem locations closer to those areas.
Ideally, most rooms you use frequently should have a signal strength of -60 dBm or stronger.

Use Mesh Wifi Systems: For large or multilevel homes, mesh wifi systems or multiple boosters/pods ensure seamless coverage.
Update firmware regularly: Keep your modem or router firmware updated to benefit from performance improvements.
Secure Your Network: Protect your network with a strong password to avoid unauthorized usage that can reduce bandwidth.

Avoid placing modems near windows where signals might leak outdoors.
Keep modems away from sources of heat which may cause overheating and performance drops.
Regularly restart your modem to clear temporary faults or memory issues.
When possible, use wired connections (Ethernet) for devices that need consistently high speed and reliability.