Boost WiFi Range

Don’t you just love the way we are able to set up our Wi-Fi networks these days? You buy an inexpensive

router, you connect the Internet cable to it, and then you can connect your Wi-Fi devices to the router

straight away!

Sure, there are a few settings that need to be adjusted, but often times it's a "set it and forget it" process.

Simply change the router admin password, name your Wi-Fi network, choose a password for it, and that is all!

Setting up a router based Wi-Fi network is easy indeed. And modern routers provide a strong Wi-Fi signal, which

is enough for most people’s needs.

In theory. Because real life situations paint a totally different picture. One filled with lots of Wi-Fi black holes,

which get more and more numerous as you move away from the router.

Want your wireless network to work OK even when the devices that access it are 30 feet away from the router?

You’d better give up any hope if you’ve got one or two walls that separate them from the Wi-Fi transmitters!

I know I’m painting a dark picture here. I may be influenced by my own frustrations. Because I’ve seen several

expensive routers that were only able to deliver those impressive down/up speeds that were prominently

advertised on their boxes within a range of 5 to 6 feet.

Basically, those routers were only able to transfer data at the advertised speeds if the Wi-Fi clients were in the

same room. But as you were moving away from the router, signal strength and quality were quickly degrading.

Don’t lose hope, though. There are several methods that help boost Wi-Fi signal, and some of them won’t cost

you a dime. As always, "free" may not get you too far, though.

But at least you won’t have to invest into expensive pieces of hardware before deciding that the free route

doesn’t deliver the expected results.

Let’s see what can be done to boost Wi-Fi signal power for free, shall we?

1. Here's the easiest method: move your router closer to the area that needs its signal the most! The end result

may not look pretty, and you may need to hide the Internet cable behind a closet, but it’s one of the most

efficient solutions to the problem.

2. The second free method that has a lot of potential is software based. I am talking about firmware

replacements, of course. Router operating systems such as DD-WRT or Tomato are 100% free and can easily

increase the router range by 10...20 feet.

How is that done? These router OSs allow you to increase Wi-Fi power from their menus to values that simply

aren’t possible with the original firmware.

3. Most routers ship with omnidirectional antennas, which broadcast signal in all directions. It’s the sensible

thing to do, and the method works OK if you place the router in the center of the room.

But if your router is placed near a wall, you’d get much better results with a directional antenna. You will need

a special cable to connect it to the router, but it won’t cost you more than a few dollars.

The free alternative is to use a home-made Wi-Fi signal reflector, which is placed behind the router antennas

and can focus the signal towards the desired area. Yes, even the plain aluminum foil that can be found in

anyone’s kitchen, or a soda can will do the job. Here’s a tutorial on how to do it.

4. Sometimes your router isn’t reaching its potential because it broadcasts on the wrong channel. I mean, the

channel is okay, but there are too many routers in the area which make use of the same frequency!

To fix this problem, install an app on your phone - this one, for example - and then determine the least

crowded channel. That’s where you want your Wi-Fi network to live.

You can change the Wi-Fi channel from within your router’s admin panel. It may sound counter-intuitive, but

you should always use the 2.4 GHz band channels. The newer 5 GHz band is known for its shorter range. It’s

pure physics - higher frequency waves tend to bounce a lot more.

I hope that you like these free Wi-Fi signal boosting methods; they will work fine for most people, especially if

you combine a few of them.

Don't be sad if they don’t work as expected, though. I promise to write another article that highlights some of

the most efficient Wi-Fi boosting pieces of hardware.