Your internet box's Wi-Fi performance has been atrocious for some time now, and you don't know why? Its location may be problematic. This is because many objects can prevent it from transmitting properly. We explain everything to you.
Smartphones, laptops, tablets, printers, Smart TVs, smartwatches, robot vacuum cleaners, streaming devices, game consoles... The number of devices connected to our home Wi-Fi network has continued to increase in recent years.
And faced with these ever-increasing needs, it is essential to get the most out of your box, or more precisely of your router. And before embarking on complex adjustments to boost its performance, it's worth taking a look at an important detail: its location.
Choosing the location of your box carefully, a crucial detail essential
Generally, when you get your Internet box, you tend to automatically install it near the modem in your TV stand. Especially since you generally make sure to place your TV not too far from the fiber optic sockets.
However, this is actually the first mistake to avoid. In fact, it is strongly recommended not to place your router on your TV decoder. Why is this? Because the TV Player has the unfortunate tendency to block your Wi-Fi connection signal. In practice, all operators will advise you to place them 50 cm apart.
Another point, the TV stand is far from being an ideal location for your modem. To get the best possible distribution of Wi-Fi waves, it is imperative to place your router in the center of the home. Everything will obviously depend on the layout of the rooms, but the idea is to place it high up (at least one meter from the ground) in an open area. A hallway that serves as a connection between the living room, bedrooms, and office, for example, is a perfect candidate.
Beware of certain objects that can hinder Wi-Fi
Apart from the location, you also need to be careful about objects near your internet box. This is because some emit electromagnetic waves, for example, and can therefore cause interference. Others can also absorb the waves and therefore reduce the speed on your devices.
The problem is that we often have little idea of the impact of certain objects on the performance of our internet box. This is the case, for example, with mirrors. If you have installed a large mirror in your living room near the TV stand, be aware that it may significantly disrupt the signal quality. Why is this? Because of the thin layer of metal used in the composition of large mirrors. Simply put, some of the energy from the Wi-Fi signal will be reflected, which results in a loss of power. In fact, you must leave at least 1 meter of distance between the two objects to avoid any signal degradation.
In your home, another decorative element can also cause problems for your Wi-Fi connection: indoor fountains or aquariums! Indeed, you should know that water is an electrical conductor. As a result, the home of your beloved fish can absorb a large portion of Wi-Fi signals, especially when it is close to the modem. Furthermore, like mirrors, water reflects and refracts sound waves, which can therefore lengthen the time needed to transmit signals between the router and your various devices.
Change channel and frequency to have a better connection connection
As mentioned above, location isn't everything. Choosing the right frequency and Wi-Fi channel for your box is also essential. For beginners, you should know that Wi-Fi networks operate on limited frequency bands. Today, the majority of boxes use the Band Steering function to automatically connect to the best Wi-Fi frequency.
Generally, your box will choose to install itself on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or both at the same time. What's the difference? Simply put, the former offers good throughput at the expense of reduced range and low bandwidth (20 or 40 MHz maximum). The 5 GHz band, on the other hand, guarantees better coverage and higher bandwidths (up to 160 MHz), but a more limited throughput. It's up to you to choose according to your situation (position of the box in the home, needs depending on the rooms, etc.).
Where it starts to get complicated is that each frequency is divided into several channels. However, each box uses a channel. And inevitably, if you use the same frequency and the same channel as your neighbors, you are de facto sharing your bandwidth. The flow rate can therefore suffer.
On the 2.4 GHz band, there are 13 channels (from 1 to 13). On the 5 GHz side, the channels go from 36 to 48, then from 52 to 140. As you will have understood, the idea is therefore to manually choose your channel from the management interface of your box in the advanced settings. Specifically, on the 2.4 GHz band, ISPs recommend choosing channels 1, 6, and 11. Test your bandwidth by switching between the different channels to determine which one offers the best connection speed. As for the 5 GHz band, channels 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, and 161 are considered the most efficient because they don't interfere with other channels. They also offer good bandwidth.
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