Signal Tuner's Guide to Improving Your Wi-Fi Signal

A stable Wi-Fi connection can mean the difference between getting work done and a day wasted.

This guide will address all potential causes of and solutions to Wi-Fi signal degredation, so  you can get reconnected.

Identify the issue

First, rule out any other potential issues that may be impacting the health of your connection. 

• Are the services you are trying to use experiencing an outage?
• Is your computer running low on RAM or CPU capacity?
• Is your Internet Service Provider (ISP) operational in your area?

SignalTuner will monitor all these potential points of failure, letting you know exactly what the problem is.

If you're not using SignalTuner yet, download it now. It's free!

Get SignalTuner now!

Optimize your space

There are a number of simple steps you can take, for free, to improve the quality of your Wi-Fi signal. If your confident you issue is more technical in nature, you can skip to the next section 

• Put your Wi-Fi router in a central, open locaction.

Your router trasmits radio waves in all directions. If it's hidden in the corner, it's not working as efficiently as it could be. 

• Make sure your Wi-Fi router is within 30 feet of your workspace. 

Standard Wi-Fi routers lose signal strength beyond 30 feet and may not work at all beyond 50 feet. If you can't easily rearrange your space to optimize Wi-Fi access, consider purchasing a Wi-Fi extender or long range router. (paid links)

• Keep a clear line of sight between your router and device. 

Metal, concrete, wire, or plaster can all prevent a Wi-Fi signal from transmitting through your doors or walls. There best way to ensure a clear signal is to make sure you can see your router from your workspace. If that isn't possible, consider a mesh network or powerline adapter. (paid links)

• If your router has external antennae, adjust them away from each other and to align with your device’s internal antenna.

Most laptops will have horizontally oriented internal antennae. Adusting your router's antennae hoizontally can help it communicate more efficiently with your work device. If your router only have internal antennae, you may want to consider upgrading to one with external antennae .   (paid link)

• Identify any electronic devices which may be interferring with your Wi-Fi signal.

Microwaves, baby monitors, remote control toys, and garage door openers all transmit radio waves that can overlap with your router's Wi-Fi frequency. If your connection issues are infrequent, check to see if they coincide with the operation of devices that operate using radio waves. 

Optimize your router

There are also adjustments you can make to your router's internal configuration that may improve the health of your Wi-Fi. 

The proceding steps assume you have a modern router using the "Wi-Fi 6" protocol. So first, let's confirm your router is up-to-date.

• Confirm your router utilizes "Wi-Fi 6" on Windows

1. From the Windows menu, open "Network and internet".
2. Open "Wi-Fi" from the available options.
3. There should be an option labelled with your network name + "properties". Select this option.
4. Scroll down to the value for "Protocol". 

If you see anything other than "Wi-Fi 6" here (e.g. Wi-Fi 4), you may want to consider upgrading to a newer router running the latest Wi-Fi protocol. (paid link)

• Choose the best Wi-Fi network available on your router.

Most Wi-Fi routers provide both 2G and 5G networks. 5G is faster, in ideal conditions, but 2G is better at penetrating through surfaces. If you're on your router's 5G network and experience instability, try switching to the 2G network.

If you still experience instability in your W-Fi signal, consider a Wi-Fi router that utilizes "beamforming" technology to improve performance through wall and surfaces. (paid link)

• Change the channel of your Wi-Fi network

Within the 2G and 5G networks available to you, there are aso multiple channels you may select to utilize. If an excessive amount of routers within a given area are all utilizing the same network then they can cause interference with one another. You can avoid this by selecting a less utilized channel.

The process changing the channel on your router differs from one manufacturer to the next. Here are the instructions for some of the most common brands:

Netgear
Linksys
TP-Link
Asus
Belkin

• Check for firmware updates

Keeping your Wi-Fi router updated is important, both from a performance and security perspective. 

Again, the process for updating your router's firmware will differ between manufacturers. Here are instructions for the most common brands:

Netgear
Linksys
TP-Link
Asus
Belkin

Upgrade your equipment

We've already linked to some recommended products above but, in this section we will outline some connection scenarios and indicate the hardware you can upgrade to, alleviating the issue. 

• Your Wi-Fi router is out of date.

Upgrade to a router running the latest protocol, "Wi-Fi 6"

We recommend the TP-Link AX1800 (paid link)

• Your workspace is too far away from your router.

Extend your router's signal with a Wi-Fi extender. 

We recommend the NETGEAR Wi-Fi Range Extender EX6120 (paid link)

• Your router is hidden away, providing a poor signal to your work computer and other devices depending on Wi-Fi.

You can provide a more consistent Wi-Fi signal across your entire home by replacing your router with a "mesh network". 

We recommend the TP-Link Deco AX3000 Mesh System (paid links)

• You work in a large, open space but, you are more than 50 feet from your Wi-Fi router. 

Get a long-range router, with an amplified signal. 

We recommend the NETGEAR Nighthawk 6-Stream AX5400 (paid link)

• There are an excessive number of internet connected devices utilizing the same Wi-Fi network.

Get a W-Fi router that utilizes "multiple-input and multiple-output" (MIMO) technology. 

We recommend the Synology RT2600ac (paid link)