Heres how to position router antennas for the best performance.
How Should Wi-Fi Antennas Be Positioned?
When positioning router antennas, there is a simple method and a complex one.
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The approach to each is a little different.
It works best if you want good performance but don’t care about getting the best performance.
If your Wi-Fi router has feet, set the router on them and not on its side.
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Locate your routers antennas.
If you cant find any external antennas, your router has only internal ones.
To begin, youll need a method tomeasure your signal strengthon your system, tablet, or phone.
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After initial setup, measure your Wi-Fi signal strength in various positions throughout your coverage area.
Begin with your manufacturer’s recommended positioning.
Note thesignal strengthandspeedin various locations in your coverage area.
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There are many ways to view your Wi-Fi signal strength and speed.
macOS makes it easy right on the desktop.
Holdcommand+optionand click theWi-Fisymbol in the upper right corner.
Look at the RSSI and the Tx rate.
The lower the RSSI, the better, and the higher the Tx, the better.
Reposition your antennas and test again until you have the optimum setup for you.
Do the Antennas on Routers Do Anything?
A Wi-Fi router’s antennas are more than just decoration.
Home Wi-Fi routers typically have two types of antennas, internal or external antennas.
Internal antennas are inside your Wi-Fi router, and they typically broadcast signals in every direction.
Manufacturers design their position to optimize signal coverage, so you don’t have to worry about it.
External antennas are the moveable antennas you’re likely to see on a router.
Manufacturers can design them to stick out the back, sides, or even surrounding the whole router.
These antennas broadcast Wi-Fi signals in a donut pattern, sideways from the antenna.
So, an antenna pointed straight up will broadcast a signal sideways, expanding as it goes.
An antenna pointed to the side will broadcast one up and down.
Other methods include adding an amplifier, a wireless access point, or a Wi-Fi extender.
You canreplace the Wi-Fi antennas on a routerif they are detachable.
