We know, we know—routers and other wireless access points tend to be visually boring at best, downright ugly at worst. But if you don't stop hiding yours, you will keep making your own network performance worse than it needs to be.
How problematic a barrier is, depends largely on the material, which you can read more about here: How Building Materials Affect Wi-Fi Signals.
Therefore, the best position for any router, extender, or other wireless access point, is:
Because network equipment is often co-located with television receivers in the home, a common temptation is to take that ugly router and shove it behind the TV where it might not get noticed. The trouble with that is, your TV is a double whammy for your Wi-Fi: a physical barrier of materials that weaken the signals as they try to pass, and possible signal interference from the electronics.
We understand this may not have been your idea—some companies have made it their standard solution to put all networking equipment they deliver inside the same "technical cabinet". These cabinets are usually made of metal and often located in the basement, hallway, or another less-than-ideal location.
If your only wireless access point is inside a cabinet, get it out of there if at all possible, or replace it with access points that you can move to more appropriate locations.
For anyone looking to improve their home Wi-Fi with new equipment, we recommend a mesh network that covers your entire home - Eye Networks provides mesh solutions eero and Zyxel MPro Mesh to internet service providers.
Article by Jorunn D. Newth
