HOW TO IMPROVE WIRELESS ROUTER SIGNAL RANGE AND SPEED

Improving Wireless Router Signal Range and Speed

Signal strength depends on the distance, the number of obstacles, and the type of obstacles your signal encounters. Signal strength stability is affected by physical changes in the environment, such as movement of the computer, people movement, and electrical devices. In fact, I completely lose my signal if I have my laptop in the kitchen when the microwave is running. Troubleshooting your wireless router can be very difficult because there are so many constantly changing variables that affect wireless signal quality. Consider the following to improve your wireless router signal and speed:

Position your router in a better location. Try to locate it in the center of the house. Elevate the router in the room and keep it away from other electronic devices and metal objects. Since cordless phones can adversely affect router performance, position the router as far away from phones as possible. The fewer obstacles in the way, the better chance your computer has of obtaining a quality signal.

Change the Wi-Fi Channel. Signal quality can be adversely affected if too many people use the same channel. See if switching channels makes any difference. You can use channels 1 through 11, but for best performance, use 1, 6, or 11.

Update firmware or drivers. Check your router's web site to ensure the latest firmware has been installed on the router. Also, make sure the latest driver has been installed. I noticed a slight increase in signal strength when I updated my driver.

Replace your antenna. Replacing your antenna with a high gain antenna may improve your signal quality. There was no noticeable improvement when I tried this option.

Replace your adapter. Check to make sure your computer's internal adapter isn't defective. If necessary, you can either replace the internal adapter or purchase an USB adapter, The USB adapter includes an external antenna.
Implement an additional access point or repeater. In theory, additional access points and repeaters will extend the distance of the signal. There are mixed reviews as to how effective these are, but they are worth a try if other options are unsuccessful.