Where to Place Your Router for the Best Wi-Fi Speed & Coverage (2025 Guide)

Your router's location significantly impacts your Wi-Fi performance. Hiding it away might look neater, but it likely kills your signal. Follow these simple tips for optimal router placement.

Test speeds before & after moving your router:

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Why Router Placement is Crucial

Wi-Fi signals are radio waves. Like sound, they weaken over distance and get blocked or reflected by obstacles. Poor placement leads to:

  • Weaker Signals: Resulting in slower speeds, especially further from the router.
  • Dead Spots: Areas in your home with little to no Wi-Fi coverage.
  • Increased Interference: Making the connection less stable and reliable.

Finding the optimal spot can make a noticeable difference without costing you anything.

Top 5 Router Placement Tips

1. Go Central

Place your router as close to the center of your home as possible. This helps distribute the signal more evenly throughout your living space.

2. Stay Open

Avoid closets, cabinets, entertainment centers, or tucking the router behind furniture. Wi-Fi signals need open air to travel effectively. The fewer obstructions, the better.

3. Elevate It

Don't place your router on the floor. Put it on a shelf, desk, or table, ideally at least a few feet off the ground. This helps the signal travel further and avoid some low-level obstructions.

4. Avoid Interference Sources

Keep the router away from potential sources of electronic interference like microwave ovens, cordless phone bases, Bluetooth speakers, baby monitors, and large metal objects or surfaces (which can reflect signals unpredictably). Even fish tanks can block signals!

5. Point Antennas (If Applicable)

If your router has adjustable external antennas, experiment with their orientation. For single-story homes, pointing them vertically often works well. For multi-story homes, try angling one or two antennas horizontally or at 45 degrees to improve vertical coverage. Check your router manual for specific recommendations.

Common Router Placement Mistakes to Avoid

  • In a corner / outer wall: Reduces coverage to half your home.
  • Inside cabinets or closets: Blocks signals significantly.
  • On the floor: Limits signal propagation.
  • Next to the microwave or other interference sources: Disrupts signal stability.
  • Behind the TV: Large electronics can interfere and block signals.

Test Your Signal Strength After Moving

After finding a potentially better spot based on these tips, verify the improvement!

  1. Run SwiftSpeedTest on your phone or laptop from various locations around your home where you previously had weak signal or slow speeds.
  2. Compare the new results (Download, Upload, Ping) to tests run before you moved the router.
  3. If speeds or stability improved significantly, you've found a better location! If not, try another spot based on the tips above.

For larger homes or persistent dead spots, consider a Wi-Fi mesh system or range extenders as a next step.

Optimize Your Wi-Fi Today!

Find the best spot for your router and test the difference in performance.

Run SwiftSpeedTest →