Router Placement and Signal Obstacles

Reduce the number of dense obstacles on important paths.

A central shelf is a better baseline than a floor, metal cabinet, utility closet, or corner. Keep ventilation and the manufacturer’s mounting instructions intact.

Material, thickness, angle, and frequency all matter.

Masonry, metal, mirrors, appliances, and foil-backed construction can attenuate signals. Do not assign a fixed loss to a wall without measuring the actual space.

Strong signal can still carry poorly.

Microwave use, neighboring networks, and crowded channels can reduce effective capacity. Compare different times and bands before moving equipment permanently.

Long or segmented homes may need another access point.

If several candidate positions cannot serve required rooms, compare wired access points, mesh, and an extender using the same repeatable location tests.