I have poor reception in part of my house. What can I do to improve the range?
Poor reception in part of your home may have various causes. The most important are:
• Positioning of the router
• Interference from other devices.
• The distance between the router and connected devices is too great
What can you do to improve the range?
• Place the router in a different location
• Change the channel on the router
• Use a range extender or homeplug
Place the router in a different location
It is advisable to position the router as centrally as possible in your home or (home) office. This is because most routers transmit signals in a spherical pattern around themselves. If a router is located in a basement, attic or meter box, the signal has to pass through several walls and/or floors, which will adversely affect wireless performance.
Do not place the router too close to the floor. It is advisable to position the router high on a bookcase or to mount it on the wall. Furthermore, on account of interfering equipment, it is not a good idea to place the router in a meter box.
I have poor reception in part of my house. What can I do to improve the range?
Change the channel on the router
A poor range can be caused by interference to the wireless signal transmitted by the router. Most Sitecom routers have 13 different channels by default. If you have a dual-band router, which in addition to the 2.4 GHz frequency also transmits at 5 GHz, then you will have 15 channels (13 for the 2.4 GHz frequency plus 2 for the 5 GHz frequency).
It is not just network solutions, such as routers, computers and tablets, that use the 2.4 GHz frequency, but also other household appliances. These might include, for instance, microwaves, baby monitors, etc. It is possible that these devices in your home are all using the same channel, which will have an adverse effect on your wireless range.
In the event of a poor wireless range, it is advisable to change the router's channel. The range may then improve. It is impossible to say in advance which channel provides the best performance in any given situation. It is therefore advisable to try out all the channels one by one.
For more information, see How do I change the router's wireless channel?
I have poor reception in part of my house. What can I do to improve the range?
Use a range extender or homeplug
Sitecom routers are available in various models and are equipped with x- number of internal or external antennas. The more antennas, the better the range. As mentioned above, there are various environmental factors that may affect the range of your wireless network. The good news is that you can easily improve the range of your wireless network with a range extender or a homeplug.
Range extender
With a range extender, you can easily increase the range of your existing wireless network. Place the range extender in a location where you have good reception; the device will pick up the signal and increase the range. In this way, you can have Internet access throughout your home.
A Sitecom range extender works in combination with all routers. This means you do not have to replace your existing router in order to use a range extender. For more information, click here.
Homeplugs
With a homeplug, you can connect devices to the Internet via the mains power line in no time at all. The big advantage of a homeplug is that you can benefit from fast and stable Internet access. Ideal for streaming HD videos, online gaming and downloading large files.
Get started with a dual pack, consisting of 2 homeplugs. You connect the first homeplug to the router and then use the second homeplug to connect a desktop PC, smart TV or games console, for instance, to the Internet. Sitecom also offers Wi-Fi homeplugs that enable you to turn any mains socket into a wireless hotspot and to connect devices wirelessly. Homeplugs work with all routers. For more information, click here.
