If your Wi-Fi signal is woeful, fading in and out as you move around the rooms in your house, it could be down to where you’ve put your router.

Here’s one top tip to help - think of your router as a speaker!

To hear your favourite tunes around your home clearly you’d probably avoid putting the speaker in a cupboard or behind a big piece of furniture.

Your router needs the same sort of space so it can perform at its best and get the Wi-Fi signal to all your devices.

Don’t hide it away

Put your speaker in a cupboard and it will sound muffled.

A router in a cupboard will reduce its Wi-Fi range and strength because walls and doors absorb or block the signal.

Engineer Tip: Place the router in an open space where it can broadcast Wi-Fi freely, just like you’d place a speaker where sound can travel.

Location, location, location

If your speaker is in the corner of a room the sound won’t reach everywhere evenly.

A router placed in a corner does the same with Wi-Fi; it creates dead zones.

Engineer Tip: Position the router in the centre of your home if you can to ensure even coverage across all rooms. You can add YouMesh to get an extra router to boost the signal.

Height is key

Placing a speaker on the floor muffles sound because obstacles block it.

A router at floor level has a similar issue; furniture and appliances interfere with the signal.

Placing a router too high is also not great - like turning a shower-head upwards.

Engineer Tip: Place your router mid-height in the room for even Wi-Fi signal distribution.

Avoid signal ‘noise’

Imagine trying to listen to music while standing next to a running vacuum cleaner.

Wi-Fi signals face interference from other electronics, like microwaves or baby monitors. Even washing machines can affect the signal when they’re running.

Engineer Tip: Keep the router away from electronic devices that cause interference.

Think about distance

The further you are from a speaker, the quieter the sound becomes.

Wi-Fi signals also weaken over distance, especially through walls.

Engineer Tip: You can add YouMesh to your broadband to get an extra Wi-Fi router to amplify the signal.

Give them space

Playing music in an open field ensures everyone can hear it.

Wi-Fi works in the same way - open spaces allow for better signal distribution.

Place the router in an uncluttered area without obstructions.

**Look after your router **

Here’s some general router self-care to keep it running at its best:

• Keep it cool and ventilated

• Regular firmware updates – taken care of by us!

• Secure your network – consider changing default passwords regularly

• Clean and dust it – if it gets clogged up then it might overheat

• Space out the antenna if your router has them – no overlaps, no touching

• Restart it every now and then – who doesn’t need a little reboot from time to time!

• Manage your connected devices – ditch anything you’re not using regularly to free up bandwidth

More trouble-shooting tips

If you have a problem here’s some things you could do to troubleshoot:

• Restart your router, and the device/s connected to it

• Connect your device up to your router with an Ethernet cable (see below)

• Check for an internet outage

• Try connecting from a different device

• Check all your wires and cables are still connected where they should be

• Run your computer’s internet troubleshooter

You’ll find more help with all our different routers here.

We’re routing for you

If this all sounds too technical don’t worry, just log in to My Account to chat to us about routers, or ask your other burning broadband questions.