The Golden Rules of Router Placement
Follow these principles and you'll get the best possible coverage from your existing router.
- 1Place it in the center of your home — not in a corner or at one end of the house
- 2Elevate it — a shelf or table is much better than the floor
- 3Keep it in the open — not in a cabinet, closet, or behind the TV
- 4Keep it away from competing electronics — especially microwaves, cordless phones, and baby monitors
- 5Point the antennas straight up for the best horizontal coverage
- 6Keep it away from large metal objects like filing cabinets and appliances
The Worst Places to Put Your Router
Avoid these common placement mistakes:
- Inside a cabinet or entertainment center (blocks signal in all directions)
- In the basement (signal has to travel up through floors)
- Next to the microwave (causes significant interference on 2.4GHz networks)
- In a corner of the house (wastes half your signal broadcasting into the wall)
- On the floor (signal spreads horizontally, not vertically — you lose coverage on upper floors)
- Behind the TV or near other large electronics
Warning: Placing your router inside a closed cabinet can reduce your Wi-Fi range by 25–50%. If your router is currently in a cabinet, try moving it to an open shelf and see if your coverage improves.
Multi-Story Homes
In a two-story home, the best placement is usually on the first floor, as centrally located as possible. This allows the signal to reach both floors. If you have a three-story home, you'll likely need a second router or a mesh system to get reliable coverage on all floors.
Tip: If your internet comes in at one end of the house, consider running a longer ethernet cable to a more central location before connecting your router. This one change can dramatically improve whole-home coverage.
When Placement Isn't Enough
Even with perfect placement, some homes simply need more than one router or access point to achieve full coverage. This is especially true for: homes larger than 2,500 square feet, homes with thick concrete or brick walls, homes with multiple floors, and homes with many connected devices.
- Router is in a central, elevated, open location
- Router is away from microwaves and cordless phones
- Antennas are pointing straight up
- Coverage is still poor in certain rooms
- Consider a mesh Wi-Fi system or additional access point