• Strengthening the signal of a wifi router with your own hands. Use of additional equipment. Selecting the location of the router

    Hi all! In this article I will tell you how to strengthen the signal wifi router in your home or office.

    WI-FI is very popular today in terms of demand in the region computer technology. There is WI-FI around large number problems. If the speed of the Internet connected wireless connection, is very low, then in my article you will find 10 tips that will help you strengthen the router signal, and thereby increase the Internet speed.

    Why is the wifi signal very weak?

    If your internet speed improves when you reboot your router, then you can use this tip. When conducting an in-depth study, you can find out what the problem is, most often it is overheating of the iron or old firmware. But you shouldn’t get hung up on this, you can just do it about once a day (or more often).

    You can reboot using DD-WRT firmware or a timer. If you set up automatic reboot router, then you don’t have to do it manually every time.

    We increase the wifi signal using DD-WRT firmware

    Significantly improves wifi signal router firmware DD-WRT. With this firmware you will not only get additional features, but also improve the stability of the router.

    Of course, this can damage the equipment, but more Routers can easily tolerate power increases up to 70 mW. Do not forget that radio radiation is dangerous for the body, and therefore you should not leave the router running at high power too often.

    Restrict Internet connection to others

    If anyone in your home network If you often sit in video chats, download movies and music, or play online games, this, of course, significantly affects the Internet speed of other home network users.

    If this is your case, then increasing the signal strength will be useless; in your case, you should configure the “Quality of Service or QoS. With its help, priorities will be set for speed direction for more important programs that you need for your work.

    Setting a good wifi password from neighbors

    If a password is set on your router, this does not mean that it is. It's not that difficult to do this. There are methods that will help you detect all users who are connected to your Wi-Fi. But this will not give much, it is better to completely deprive neighbors who love “freebies” from the opportunity to use your Wi-Fi.

    How to strengthen a wifi router signal by extending the antenna

    Install the router in the center of the room!

    It often happens that the router does not fit into the design of the apartment, but you should not hide it too far, for example, in a closet. To strengthen the signal of the router, you should place it in an open and free place.

    It is better to install the antenna in a vertical position. The higher the router is installed, the better it will be. In order for the signal to cover the entire apartment, it is advisable to install the router in its center.

    Buying a modern router (expensive)

    This method is not only the simplest, but also the most reliable. The point of this method is to use the most modern equipment.

    That is, buy a router with the most long range signal transmission. It will be expensive, but you will forget about how to strengthen the router’s wifi signal.

    Installing a wifi repeater (repeater)

    If all the tips I listed below did not help you, then you need to install a WiFi signal repeater in your house. It won't cost you a lot of money, and if you still have an old router at home, you can use it, which will allow you to increase your coverage area wireless communication.

    It is necessary to flash the old router using the DD-WRT firmware mentioned above. There is a possibility that the speed will not be as high as the speed of the main router, but this is much better than not having it and it is completely possible to connect to wireless Internet in the far corners of the apartment.

    Having done everything that I advised you in this article, you will learn how to strengthen the wifi router signal and the speed, reliability and security of your wireless internet. Recently I spoke very interesting point, you can read it very interestingly, and you can also read about that. That's all for me, I wish everyone great health!

    With UV. Evgeny Kryzhanovsky

    Almost every user thinks about how to strengthen the signal of a wifi router at one time or another. As a rule, such a brilliant thought occurs to a “user” when, at the most inopportune moment, the WiFi signal disappears in an unknown direction: for example, there is an urgent need to send a message on a social network, or the climax has arrived in a favorite movie.

    However, it is quite possible to strengthen the signal of a wifi router in an apartment with your own hands, and you don’t need to be a “hacker in a Guy Fawkes mask” to do this.

    How to strengthen the signal of a wifi router with your own hands?

    1. One of effective ways WiFi signal improvement is . Let's say you have a 4-room apartment, and in each room there is a device that requires wifi connection(for example, a laptop, smartphone, phone and tablet): in this case, the optimal solution would be to install the router in the center of the apartment so that there is an equal distance between the wifi transmitter and the devices.

    Yes, modern models routers will not be frightened by small obstacles in the apartment (such as tables, headsets, refrigerators or thick walls), however, such “obstacles” have a significant impact on the propagation of the wifi signal from “early” models of routers.

    2. A special device - a repeater - will help to strengthen the signal of the wifi router in the apartment.

    This inexpensive device will cost several times less than buying a new, more powerful router, and by “cloning” the router signals, the repeater allows you to improve the wifi signal several times.

    To configure the repeater correctly you need:

    • - turn on the repeater and connect to it via cable or wifi connection;
    • - go to the repeater interface from your computer: to do this, enter and specify your login and password in the browser;
    • - on home page go to the “Repeater” section: after activation, the device will find all available wifi points access;

    To strengthen the wifi signal in the apartment, select your access point and click “Apply”.

    3. Special influence on wifi speed renders the network standard set in the router settings.

    Today, the most common is 802.11n, which replaced 802.11g (we will not take the absolute leader 802.11ac as an example, since it has not yet entered mass production).

    Setting the required standard is not difficult: the main thing is that your router fully “supports” it.

    How to strengthen the wifi signal on a router?

    4. On some models D-link routers and Zuxel it is possible to manual settings signal strength. To strengthen the wifi signal yourself, you need to find the “Transmit Power” (or “Wireless Transmit Power”) item in the router interface in the “Advanced settings” section and set it to 100%.

    To do this:

    Let’s take as a basis that , and the main router (let it be “1”) successfully distributes wifi;
    - go to router settings “2”;

    Select " Wireless mode"and fill in the fields in the same way as on router "1";

    Go to the “Enable WDS” section: a window with available WiFi networks will appear here;

    Here you will see the SSID (network name of router “1”) and BSSID (router “2”): click “Search” and in the “List of Access Points” window that appears, select the network distributed by router “1”.

    This option for strengthening the wifi signal is suitable for routers equipped with WDS standard technology. If your router does not support it, then simply connect the routers with a cable and set up a “bridge” between them:

    Connect the cable on router “1” to LAN input and on router “2” in the WAN;

    In router settings “1”, enable DHCP;

    On router “2” go to “WAN” - “Connection type” - “Dynamic IP address”;

    The parameters “Ip address”, “ ”, “ ” must already be specified: this means that router “2” acts as a “client” of router “1”, and the bridge is configured.

    All these methods can be used individually or in combination. Particular attention should be paid to the “repeater” - the device famously burst onto the market and quite quickly “picked up” it for itself. And this is deserved: for its low price (for example, a decent option from TP-LINK TL-WA850RE can be purchased for no more than 1,500 rubles), the device will fully work out the money spent.

    And, of course, you can increase the distribution of the wifi signal by purchasing a more powerful router: for example, the Tp-Link Archer C60 router, the price for this “miracle” varies around $100.

    Every year there are more and more different gadgets that have access to the Internet. Almost every apartment has a laptop, smartphone, tablet or TV, and maybe even a refrigerator with Wi-Fi module. At the same time, users often face the problem that it is not possible to “catch” a connection to the Internet everywhere. The reason for this may be that the distance from the router to the device is too large. The coverage radius of the router is about 30 meters, and sometimes more. However, there are a number of other factors that can affect the signal level.

    Interference can be caused by:


    There are software and hardware methods that can be used to solve this problem. The following recommendations will help strengthen Wi-Fi and make Internet use more comfortable.

    Software Gain

    The most common mistake when using wireless access points is that owners pay too little attention to setting up the network. Often, users set a security key and change the SSID. This is where all the shenanigans end. At the same time, there are still a lot of parameters that remain by default. Setting them up will help increase the coverage area. Let's consider the main methods of programmatic signal amplification.

    Video: Boost WiFi signal

    Correct location

    First of all, you need to pay attention to the location of the router in the apartment. It is recommended to place the router closest to the device from which you access the Internet. If it is difficult to figure out such a place, and the connection is made from different rooms in the house, then it would be best to install the router in the central part of the apartment.

    Photo: location of the router in the apartment

    This way, as much space as possible will fall within the range of action.

    If the apartment or house has two levels, then the router must be placed on the ground floor at the highest point, this can be a mezzanine or a closet. You should not litter the area where the router is located with various objects (including metal ones). This will allow the signal to travel unhindered.

    Device frequency matching

    In apartment buildings, there may be up to 20, or even more, wireless networks in the accessibility zone. It's not good for working alone specific device. All available networks tend to overlap and use the same frequency channel. As a result, the network supply level deteriorates even at a relatively close distance.

    In this case, strengthening the Wi-Fi signal is very simple and easy; even the most inexperienced user can figure it out. First, you should install on your laptop special program, which is used to determine free channel. The most commonly used is inSSIDer. After launching the program, the screen will display a list of all available wireless networks and the frequency channels they occupy. You must select a free channel. To do this, perform the following steps:


    If all channels are already used by other people's routers, you should choose the least loaded one. For the settings to take effect, you need to click “Save/Change”.

    Modern Wi-Fi protocol – 802.11n

    Today, the 802.11n standard is the newest. In addition, it is also the fastest due to its increased coverage radius. If all devices in the apartment that access the Internet support this standard, in this case it is possible to switch to 802.11n.

    In order to switch to the 802.11n operating mode, you must:


    Low transmitter power

    Many router models are equipped with a function for adjusting the Wi-Fi signal strength. You need to make the appropriate changes in the router settings:


    Transition to 5 GHz

    Most routers operate in the 2.4 GHz band. However, more expensive models Routers can send signals in the 5 GHz band. Therefore, it is recommended to switch to this particular range, since it is practically free and not occupied by other devices. In this case, the coverage will spread over a larger area.

    The transition to the 5 GHz band is possible if the connected devices can operate in this range.

    Hardware Wi-Fi signal booster

    If all the above steps have been carried out, but access to the network is interrupted, do not despair. Perhaps all is not lost yet. There are several tricks that can help solve this problem. To do this it is necessary to modernize wireless device. You can increase the coverage radius using a second router. To do this, you need to configure between the two devices wireless bridge, using Wireless Distribution System technology. It will allow you to increase your coverage area by combining several routers into one network.

    You can also do some tricks with antennas. Most routers are equipped with external removable antennas. They are often underpowered by about 2 dBi, sometimes 5 dBi. They can be easily replaced with stronger ones. To do this, it is worth unscrewing the old ones and placing new ones with a higher coefficient in their place. In addition, you can purchase an antenna with a cable and a special stand. It connects to the router. At the same time, it can be moved around the apartment, thus providing coverage without changing the position of the router.

    If a device has more than two antennas, then replacing them will be too expensive. It will be cheaper to purchase a repeater. It is also called a repeater. In other words - a repeater.

    Using a Repeater

    Users often encounter the problem that in large apartments the range of the router signal is not enough to provide coverage in all rooms. To solve this problem, aids will be useful. A repeater can be used as a signal amplification device. This device connects to an already existing network as a client. With its help, the coverage area expands. It must be installed between the router and the work computer.

    The repeater is compact in size and relatively inexpensive. The repeater looks like a small power supply and operates from the network. There are many options for such devices on the market.

    Improving the adapter on your computer

    The reception of the distributed signal can also be enhanced on the client device. This advice will be useful to those users whose computers have adapters connected via USB port. However, this option will be useless for owners of tablets, smartphones and laptops, since the antennas in such devices are built-in. When using a USB adapter to access the Internet, do not connect it directly to the computer. To begin with, you can use an extension cord,

    and connect the device through it. A long cord will allow you to move the modem around the house, searching for a network.

    You can also purchase a USB adapter booster. It is capable of providing network access in areas with weak signals. TO this device The modem is connected and placed in a place with Wi-Fi coverage.

    Rebooting the Router

    Weak signal and interference may occur due to outdated firmware of the router or if installed drivers require updating.

    There is no financial cost required to update drivers. They can be downloaded for free on the official website of the router manufacturer. Install them on your computer, the level and quality of the signal will increase.

    Antenna Upgrade

    This method will help you upgrade your device using a reflector. To make it you will need foil and thick paper or cardboard.

    A parabola with two holes for the antenna is cut out of paper and attached to a rectangle made of foil. The resulting device must be secured to the antenna. Thus, the signal will become directional. You can also use a drink can as a reflector by cutting it lengthwise, cutting off the bottom, and placing it behind the router. The reflector is directed in the direction where coverage is needed.

    By following these simple tips, you can significantly strengthen the Wi-Fi signal on your laptop. To do this, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on buying new devices. You just need to take a little time to study the router settings or use available tools and upgrade the device yourself.

    In June 2007, a record was set: the longest wireless connection(382.9 km) using a WiFi connection. It would probably be unreasonable to hope to repeat it within the framework of a private WiFi networks, although it is a tempting idea. We present to your attention several simple tips, which will help you maximize signal quality and minimize interference with a little wireless feng shui.

    Steps

    Improving WiFi reception at home

      Place bulky furniture along the exterior walls of your home. If signals no longer have to fight through large, bulky furniture, the level of communication quality will only increase.

      Minimize the number of mirrors. All metal surfaces reflect WiFi signals, including the thin metal coating that most mirrors have.

      Place it correctly network router in order to maximize its effectiveness. The efficiency of a router mainly depends on its proper placement. The best location for the router is:

      Improve your reception quality with a repeater or wireless bridge. If your main workplace located far from wireless point access and you constantly have to move to the edge of the room in order to have more quality reception, then install a repeater wireless signal. Wireless repeater allows you to increase the coverage area without the need to add additional wires or other unnecessary hassle. In order to quickly and effectively improve the quality of communication, place the repeater halfway between the access point and your computer.

      • A wireless bridge (also sometimes called an Ethernet converter) is used to improve the reception quality of wired devices. If you have problems with the reception quality on your wired devices, then use an Ethernet converter to get an additional speed boost.

    1. Instead of WEP, start using WPA/WPA2. WEP and WPA/WPA2 are security algorithms that prevent hackers from hacking into the network. The only problem is that WEP ("wireless encryption protocol" - Wired Equivalent Privacy) is significantly less secure compared to WPA / WPA2 (Wireless Protected Access protocol). . So if you're still using WEP rather than WPA/WPA2, consider switching to prevent your network from being hacked.

      Limit the number of devices for which your WiFi will support MAC addressing. The fewer devices your network supports, the faster and more reliable the transfer speed (usually). Limit the number of devices that can access the network by creating an allowed list of MAC addresses. Device MAC addresses are identifiers for “Media Access Control” and are used by all participants in your network.

      • Create a list of allowed device MAC addresses. First, determine the MAC addresses of the devices, and then go to the configuration window of your wireless access point and configure the allowed addresses.

    2. Don't leave in open access the name of your network. If you don't want other people to try to get into your network, then don't give them any way of knowing it exists in the first place. (Even though there is software, which is capable of finding "hidden" networks, you still shouldn't leave your network name publicly available.) Go to your access point's admin page and uncheck "allow SSID sharing." You will still be able to access your network, but it will not appear on your computer in the list of available networks.

      Using kitchen foil

      1. Use aluminum foil to reflect radio signals away from the router.

        Before you start, go to settings network connections on the computer. Click on the name of your WiFi network. Another window will open. Note the speeds /Mbps and make a note of the number displayed (for example, 72.2 Mbps). Once you've done this, tear off a sheet of foil the size of regular format A4.

        Carefully bend the sheet of foil. This is easier and faster to do if you wrap a 2-liter plastic bottle in the place where the label is glued and hold the sheet in this position for about 5 seconds. Expand the sheet; it should retain its curved shape.

        Place a curved sheet of foil on its side (so that it stays in horizontal position) behind the router.

        Return to network connection settings. Check Mbps/speed. It should increase compared to the speed it was before adding the foil.

      Improve WiFi reception on the go

      • If all else fails, then you can think about buying a WiFi repeater, which is necessary to strengthen the signal between the router and the device.
      • You can also use reflectors. Use NetStumbler to help you position the reflector correctly. You can use a CD as a reflector, as well as anything that looks like a parabolic reflector. The reflector, of course, must be placed behind the receiving device or antenna. As a result of its use, a large increase in signal strength can be expected. This trick also works with mobile phones.
      • Depending on the make and model of your wireless router, you may be able to replace the firmware with another one - with open source code, which will add much more options for customizing and increasing the power of the wireless antenna
      • The computer case itself can become a significant obstacle to the Wi-Fi signal - try to place the case so that it does not create a barrier between network card and the router antenna.
      • Addition external antenna with "high gain" (with more high value dBi) often results in improved signal reception and increased performance. It should be noted that the higher the dBi value, the stronger the signal propagates in the horizontal direction and weaker in the vertical direction. If you need to cover several floors, then more high level dBi probably won't help you. In this case, you should consider purchasing a Wi-Fi booster that will boost your signal.
      • If you still require a larger range of coverage, then consider upgrading to the version you are using. wireless standard to Wireless N or Wireless G with MIMO. These two technologies significantly increase the range of existing 802.11g or 802.11b networks.

      Warnings

      • Replacing your router firmware may void your warranty. If the replacement is not done properly, it may cause irreparable damage to your router.
      • If you apply too much power to a modified device in this way wireless router, then it may fail irreparably.

    I decided to prepare an article with tips on signal amplification Wi-Fi networks. On the Internet, there are many different articles on this topic, but in almost every article there are a lot unnecessary information. More precisely, a lot of recommendations for some settings that have nothing to do with increasing the range of the Wi-Fi signal and cannot in any way affect the range of the network itself.

    If we are talking about strengthening the Wi-Fi signal, then of course we will introduce the coverage radius of the network itself, that is, the range Wi-Fi actions. For example: we bought a router, installed it, configured it, but in the farthest rooms there is no Wi-Fi at all, or the signal level is too weak. Or, the router is installed on the ground floor (where there is a signal), and on the second floor the signal is already very weak or absent altogether. A common situation that many people face, and I’ve encountered this myself.

    What determines the range of a Wi-Fi network? There are a lot of different factors: from the router itself (number and strength of antennas), from the walls in your house, from the quantity neighboring Wi-Fi networks, the location of the router, some other interference, etc. Many people ask to recommend a router that, for example, will provide a stable Wi-Fi signal for a three-room apartment, a private house, etc. In such cases, it is impossible to advise anything specific. Everyone has different conditions, different walls, etc. The only thing I can advise is to roughly focus on the area of ​​your home. If, for example, you have a one-room apartment, then even an inexpensive router with one antenna with a power of 3 dBi will cope with its task without any problems. Well, if you have a larger house or apartment, then take a more expensive device. Although, price is not always an argument. I have - dear, three antennas, some kind proprietary feature Asus, which increases the network coverage radius. So, under the same conditions, at the same distance, it does not show much better results than the same one. Which has internal antennas, and is several times cheaper.

    How to strengthen the Wi-Fi signal in the router settings?

    If you have already purchased and installed a router at home or in the office, and Wi-Fi is not available everywhere you need it, then you can try to strengthen the wireless network. We will now look at how to do this. You can strengthen the signal both using the settings in the router and using individual devices, and devices.

    1 Search and change the channel on the router. If your devices see many of your neighbors’ networks available for connection, then all these networks can load the channel on which your network operates, and thereby reduce the network’s range.

    You can try to set some kind of static channel in the router settings, or set it to Auto. This is where you need to experiment. If you are not too lazy, then using the inSSIDer program you can find a freer channel and set it in the settings of your router.

    I won’t go into detail, I’ll just give you a link to the article. In it, I talked in detail about channels, and how to find an unloaded channel. Also, there are instructions for changing the channel on routers from different manufacturers.

    2 We switch our network to 802.11N operating mode. As a rule, by default on all routers the wireless network operates in mixed mode b/g/n (11bgn mixed). If you force the router to broadcast Wi-Fi in 802.11N operating mode, this can increase not only the speed, but also the Wi-Fi coverage range (if your router has more than one antenna).

    The only problem is that if you have older devices that don't support 802.11N mode, they simply won't see your network. If you don't have any older devices, then don't hesitate to switch your network to n mode. It's very easy to do. We go to the router settings, usually at the address 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.0.1 ( detailed instructions to enter settings, see ).

    In settings, open the tab where you configure the wireless network. They are usually called: Wi-Fi, Wireless mode, Wireless network, Wireless, etc. Find the item there Wireless mode(Mode) and set it to N only. That is, the network operates only in N mode.

    For example: changing the wireless network mode on an Asus router

    Save the settings and reboot the router. If you have problems connecting devices, return the mixed mode back.

    3 We check the transmission power in the router settings. On some routers, it is possible to set the power level wireless wifi networks. As far as I know, the default is maximum power. But, you can check.

    IN Asus routers, these settings are changed on the tab Wireless network - Professionally. At the very bottom, there is a point " Tx power control". There is a scale that can be adjusted in percentages. It looks like this:

    On Tp-Link routers open a tab Wireless - Wireless Advanced. Paragraph Transmit Power allows you to adjust the signal strength. The High value means maximum power.

    These settings will be more useful if you want, on the contrary, to reduce the signal strength of your Wi-Fi router.

    How to increase the range of a Wi-Fi network using additional devices?

    1 Installing a repeater, or setting up a second router in amplifier mode. Of all the recommendations that you will see here, or generally find on the Internet, this method is the most effective and reliable. True, you will have to spend money on a repeater.

    Ordinary routers can act as a repeater. Here are the setup instructions ZyXEL routers and Asus in repeater mode:

    If your Wi-Fi does not reach some rooms, then installing a repeater will solve this problem. And if you have a house with several floors, then you can install a router on the first floor, and a repeater on the second. Excellent and working scheme.

    2 Changing the router antennas to more powerful ones. If your router has removable antennas, you can buy more powerful ones, and thereby slightly increase the coverage of your network. Why a little? Yes, because replacing antennas usually doesn’t give much good result. It is there, but not enough to increase the radius by several rooms. In any case, you will have to spend money on antennas. And it seems to me that this money would be much better spent on a repeater. Yes, it will cost more, but the benefits from it are much greater.

    If you decide to change antennas, then take powerful ones with a gain of 8 dBi. But they are expensive, and several of these antennas will cost as much as a repeater.

    I already wrote, you can see the results.

    3 Buying a new router, switching to 5 GHz. You can buy a more powerful, expensive router. Better yet, a router that supports the 5 GHz band. What is the advantage of the 5 GHz range? It is practically free, now most all networks and other devices operate in the 2.4 GHz range. Less interference means more speed and greater network range.

    There are places where a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network practically does not work. It glitches all the time, the connection drops, low speed etc. And all because there is a lot different networks. In such cases, switching to 5 GHz solves all problems.

    1 Select the correct location for your router. In fact, it is very good and effective advice. As a rule, everyone installs routers at the entrance, or in some distant rooms. Correct location router will allow you to correctly distribute the signal, thereby increasing Wi-Fi range.

    Simply put, you need to install the router as close to the center of the house as possible. Yes, this does not always work out, since you need to lay a cable to the router, and pulling it to the middle of the house is not very convenient. But even minor movements of the router can increase the network level in the rooms you need. Also, you need to remember that walls are the enemy of Wi-Fi networks.

    2 Homemade amplifiers for Wi-Fi antennas. You can find many instructions that show how to make amplifiers for a router. As a rule, this is ordinary foil and tin cans. It turns out that if we place a sheet of foil on one side of the antenna, the signal will bounce off it and be directed in the direction we need.

    I think this is all nonsense. Firstly, a cut beer can or a piece of foil on the back of the router doesn’t look very nice, and secondly, it has practically no effect. You can check.

    These are the tips. I think you have found a suitable way for yourself to increase the range of your Wi-Fi network. Share your tips in the comments!

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