Router placement, extenders and mesh Wi-Fi explained

If Wi-Fi is strong in one room and weak in another, the cause is often where the router sits, not the router itself. Learn how to place a router, and how to choose between an extender and a mesh system when moving it is not enough.

How Wi-Fi signal reaches your rooms

A router sends its signal outward in all directions, and the signal gets weaker as it travels. Walls, floors, doors and large objects absorb or block part of it. Metal and water, such as a fish tank, are especially hard for the signal to pass. So a device in the same room as the router usually gets a strong signal, and a device two walls away gets a weaker one.

The aim is to put the router where the signal has the least in the way, as close as possible to where you use your devices.

Where to place the router

The router has to stay connected to your modem, which limits where it can go. Within that limit, these placement rules help most:

• Central. Put it near the middle of the area where you use devices. A router in a corner or against an outside wall sends part of its signal outdoors.
• Raised and in the open. Google advises placing the router off the ground in plain view, such as on a shelf, and at eye level if possible.
• Away from blockers. Do not put it in a closed cabinet, behind a television, or next to large metal objects.
• Away from other radio noise. Microwave ovens and cordless devices can interfere with the 2.4 GHz band. Keep the router away from the kitchen if you can. The Wi-Fi bands guide explains why.
• Antennas. If your router has adjustable antennas, upright is a sensible starting point. Check the router's manual for what the maker advises.

Extender or mesh: what is the difference?

Range extender

An extender picks up your router's signal and sends it out again in a weak area. It does not replace the router. NETGEAR notes that extenders typically create a second network name, so you may have to switch networks as you move around, and the speed can drop. NETGEAR says extenders suit small or medium homes with only a few weak spots, and are not well suited to thick or dense walls.

Place an extender roughly midway between the router and the weak area. It must be close enough to the router to receive a solid signal. An extender placed in the dead zone itself has nothing good to repeat.

Mesh Wi-Fi system

A mesh system is a set of units (often called nodes or points) that work together as one network. Your devices see one network name, and the system passes traffic between units. NETGEAR describes mesh as a better fit for medium to large homes, several floors, and homes with dense walls.

Google's guidance for its mesh points is to place each one about halfway toward the area that needs signal, and no more than two rooms from the router or the next point. Points work better when they can "see" each other, so avoid walls, doors and large objects between them. Check the guide from your own system's maker, because the advice differs by product.

Which one should you choose?

Use a cable if you can

NETGEAR presents wired Ethernet links between mesh units as the most effective fix for large homes with severe wall interference. A cable between units does not compete with your devices for the wireless signal. If your home already has network sockets in the walls, ask whoever installed them how they connect.

Powerline adapters, which send the network over your home's electrical wiring, are another option. Results depend on the wiring, so try one in the exact outlets you plan to use before you rely on it.

What this means for you

• Move the router first. It costs nothing.
• If one room is still weak, an extender placed midway is a modest fix.
• If the whole home is patchy, or the walls are thick, a mesh system fits better.
• Keep the router's software up to date. The US Federal Trade Commission advises checking the maker's website or asking your internet provider whether updates install automatically.
• If your internet provider supplied the router, ask on the support page of the provider's website whether it allows extra equipment.

Frequently asked questions