Start With Where the Router Sits

Before you change a single setting, move the router. Placement is the single biggest factor in Wi-Fi coverage, and it costs nothing to get right. Most people tuck the router next to the master phone socket in a hallway cupboard, behind the television, or on the floor under a desk. All three are close to the worst possible spots.

Wi-Fi travels outwards in roughly all directions, so put the router as central in the home as you can manage. If the master socket is stuck in a corner, that is fine — a longer broadband cable or an extension will let you move the router a few metres into a better position. Keep it out of cupboards, off the floor, and away from thick walls. Ideally, mount it about 1.5 to 2 metres up, on a shelf or bracket, with clear space around it.

Things that quietly kill signal include:

• Mirrors, metal filing cabinets and foil-backed plasterboard, which reflect or block radio waves.
• Fish tanks and large houseplants, because water absorbs Wi-Fi.
• Microwave ovens, cordless phone bases and baby monitors, which cause interference when in use.
• Stacked electrical equipment, especially anything in a metal AV cabinet.

If you live in a tall, narrow house, remember that Wi-Fi spreads sideways more easily than upwards. A router on the ground floor will struggle to reach a loft conversion, no matter how you configure it.

Make the Most of the Two Bands

Almost every modern router broadcasts on two frequencies. The 2.4GHz band travels further and pushes through walls better, but it is slower and far more crowded. The 5GHz band is faster and cleaner, but its range is shorter and it dislikes solid walls.

Some routers give both bands the same name and let the device choose. That is convenient, but it can leave a laptop clinging to a weak 5GHz signal in a back bedroom. If you are comfortable in the router's admin pages, give the two bands separate names — something like HomeWiFi and HomeWiFi-5G — so you can decide which one each device uses. Connect televisions, games consoles and anything streaming video to 5GHz. Connect doorbells, smart plugs, printers and older gadgets to 2.4GHz.

Aerials matter, too. If your router has two or more, point them vertically for a single-storey home, or angle one horizontally if you are trying to reach a room directly above. A quick reposition often makes a surprising difference.

Pick a Clearer Channel

In busy streets, everyone's router is shouting over everyone else's. On the 2.4GHz band there are really only three channels that do not overlap: 1, 6 and 11. Most routers default to a channel that is already congested, so switching to whichever of those three looks quietest can tidy up a lot of stuttering.

You can see what your neighbours are using with a free Wi-Fi analyser app on a phone or laptop. Walk around the house with it, note which channels are busiest, then log into your router and set the channel manually rather than leaving it on "auto".

The 5GHz band has many more channels and usually manages itself well, so leave that on automatic unless you have a specific problem. If your router offers a choice between 20MHz, 40MHz and 80MHz channel width, remember that narrower channels travel further while wider ones go faster. On 2.4GHz, choose 20MHz for reliability.

Update the Firmware — and Do It Regularly

Router manufacturers release firmware updates that fix bugs, patch security holes and sometimes improve wireless performance. Many routers never get updated because the owner never looks.

Log into your router's admin page — usually by typing its address into a browser — and find the firmware or maintenance section. Check the current version against the latest one listed on the manufacturer's support page. Some routers update themselves if you switch that option on; do so. Others need the file downloaded and uploaded manually, which sounds daunting but takes about five minutes. While you are in there, change the admin password from the default, and make sure the Wi-Fi password uses WPA2 or WPA3 encryption.

If the router has been running for months without a break, a simple power cycle — unplug it for thirty seconds, plug it back in — can clear glitches and restore a sluggish connection.

Test One Change at a Time

This is where most people go wrong. They move the router, change the channel, tweak the band settings and update the firmware all in one afternoon, then have no idea which change helped or whether anything did.

Change one thing, then test it properly. Walk to the same three or four spots in the house and run a speed test each time, noting the download speed and the ping. Do it at a similar time of day, because evening congestion is real. Keep a simple note on your phone or a scrap of paper.

If the change makes things worse, put it back. If it helps, keep it and move on to the next idea. Give each change a day or two of normal use before judging it, since a speed test is not the same as a video call that keeps freezing.

When to Add More Hardware

If you have done all the above and still have a dead spot, no router setting will fix it. That is a physics problem, not a configuration one.

Two sensible options exist. The first is a wired access point or a mesh system with two or three nodes placed around the house, connected to each other wirelessly or by cable. The second is powerline networking, which sends the internet through your home's electrical wiring to a socket in the far room, where you plug in another access point. Powerline works well in some homes and poorly in others, so buy from a shop with a straightforward returns policy.

Wherever possible, connect the main router to any extra node with an Ethernet cable. A cable is always faster and more reliable than a wireless hop, and it frees up the wireless bands for the devices that genuinely need them.