Q&A for How to Improve WiFi Reception

When choosing a wireless channel to use for optimal WiFi signals, try to find one that people around you are not using. Many routers choose a default for you but if that appears to be getting interference in your home, then try channels 1, 6 or 11 instead because these are known as non-overlapping channels. On other channels, co-channel interference can occur where other WiFi devices are trying to use the same channel, which can slow down the transfer while each device “takes its turn.” You will still need to work out if the neighbors are also using 1, 6 or 11 and there are tools that allow you to do this, so download one, use it, then choose the channel with the least or no other users on it.

Ways to boost your WiFi signal include: Using a WiFi booster, either a commercial or homemade one; shifting your router’s position to find an optimal placement in your home or office; shifting large furniture to external walls, to prevent signal blocking; reducing the amount of mirrors in your home; if you have a two-story house, place the router on the top floor to allow the radio waves to travel downward; and locate the router centrally. Replace your router after several years too, as the older it gets, the less effective it is likely to be. Details for these suggestions and more are fully explained in the steps above.

Yes, the WiFi booster will work, provided you buy a quality booster that has had good reviews. It will work to increase the range of WiFi throughout a residential building or other building. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the booster and use it within the spatial area it is recommended for. No booster can solve a WiFi problem in an area larger than what it’s designed for.

Yes, but you need to set them up as a wireless bridge. Settings vary based on the router.

Yes, you should look for your router web settings; usually you can access this via your explorer by typing this address : 192.168.0.1. Then look for wireless settings and switch the transmission channel to 1 or 11 (it is probably set at channel 6 by default).

A cellular phone can be used as a WiFi hotspot if it's available in your phone plan. If you are traveling on an airplane, many airlines offer WiFi during the flight.

The speed will be a bit slower and after some time, the proxy address might change.

Probably because people from different countries join your game, making the sever process multiple information from thousands of miles away. However, with browsing, it's only you and the website.

The more devices you add to a network, the more the router has to distribute. Some WiFi routers can only handle 5 devices. Maybe check to see if your router is helping too many devices.

The aluminium foil around the router's antenna will still do. But generally there's not much you're left with but buying another router or installing one of those bigger Chinese antennas from eBay to replace the one on your router.

Try the aluminum foil method, and if that doesn't work, you'll probably have to purchase a repeater. Ensure that the router is located high in the room and as free of obstructions as possible.

If your PlayStation is in the same room as the router, consider using a Lan cable to boost bandwidth. In most cases, the download speed isn't going to effect gaming -- that falls more to the ping (the rate at which data is transfered between the server and the computer), which I don't think can be tested on PlayStation.

Wifi is a technology for connecting computers, usually your desktop/laptop/phone/tablet and the router. If all you need is to connect your devices with each other, the wifi router should be enough. In most cases, though, you want you devices to reach the world wide web, in which case, the router will need to be able to connect to the external Internet, which needs an Internet provider.

You can either wait until the person is finished downloading or ask them to do it later, if it's not necessary right now.

Your WiFi signal might be weak, in which case unplugging and restarting your router might improve the connection. Your router could also be located in a part of the house that's more secluded, like a basement, which could hinder the signal.

No. WiFi cameras use the most efficient bandwidth without compromising router speeds.

You could buy a high gain stand alone antenna with a long cord from eBay/Amazon and put the antenna in a spot that is getting better reception. I did this with one of my external WiFi cams and gained 2 bars.

Yes, just turn your hotspot on and go in your TV's Wi-Fi menu and connect using your set password.

Yes, this should work if the TV is wireless-enabled and your phone can produce a mobile hotspot. Keep in mind that this WILL use up your data.

Sit close to a hotel with non-password protected WiFi. Or buy a WiFi hotspot.

It's called ISP throttling. Your service provider deliberately limits your connection speeds. Contact your service provider and report that you're not getting the advertised speed of your plan.

It does, although your modem's antenna is mounted internally. Not to worry: at one point in time, buying a modem with an internally-mounted antenna was possibly a performance-buster, but anymore that isn’t the case.

When the router sends data, it does so in an omnidirectional, or circular, pattern. This is not efficient if you want to broadcast straight ahead. What the foil (or any solid piece of metal) does is refocus the broadcast signal in a more localized and precise area. The distance between foil and router is important, because if placed accurately, the signal that was not allowed to transmit will be refocused to the desired location. This is called "signal reflection", and it's very important in radio, TV, wireless phones, etc. A correctly-sized solid piece of metal at the correct distance from antenna (this distance is related to the frequency being broadcast on) will double the signal strength!

Buy a WiFi antenna. You can also free up memory and storage on your phone so it can run more efficiently.

Try the tinfoil method or try a different modem to see if your router works better.

Yes. If you already have a second router, you can disable its DHCP features, connect it via Ethernet cable to the primary router and use it as a signal booster; methods for doing so are in the article Connect One Router to Another to Expand a Network . If you don't already have a second router and/or don't want to run Ethernet cable, you can save money by purchasing a network extender, a device that plugs into an electrical outlet between point A and point B that will amplify the WiFi signal.

If you have WiFi internet access, then you definitely have a router. Your Xfinity setup is probably using a single box/unit (the box connected to your cable), which is actually your modem AND your router -- both built into the same unit. You can access your router settings from your computer by typing the router's LAN IP into the address bar of any internet browser (as you would any website, but without the three "w" in front of it). Of course you first have to find your router's LAN IP. It can often be found on a label somewhere on the modem/router unit. If you still can't find it, try "10.10.0.1", that is the LAN IP version Xfinity likes to use in their routers.

It depends on how far you are from you router. If you are far enough from your router, or have too many obstacles between you and your router that your WiFi signal is weak; then installing a WiFi repeater (amplifier) between you and your router will give you a stronger signal. It is easy to set up, then you log your computer into the amplifier's WiFi network (same password as your regular network), which will have a much stronger signal.

The WiFi signals and speed are determined by various factors. No service provider can guarantee the speed. Do the home checks like placement of hub, number of devices connected, how far you are from the hub. These factors determine the speed of the hub.