If the Wi-Fi in your home is slow, unreliable or simply refuses to reach certain rooms, replacing your router can seem like the obvious answer.
Sometimes it helps. Quite often, it doesn’t.
The problem is that good Wi-Fi depends on much more than the router supplied by your broadband company. The size and layout of your home, thick walls, extensions, neighbouring networks, the position of the router and the number of devices using your connection can all affect how well Wi-Fi performs.
That is why some homes can have perfectly fast broadband coming into the property and still suffer from buffering, weak signals and frustrating dead zones.
A professional Wi-Fi installation looks at the whole property rather than simply swapping one box for another.
Fast Broadband and Good Wi-Fi Are Not the Same Thing
This is one of the most common causes of confusion.
Your broadband connection is the internet service arriving at your home. Wi-Fi is the way that connection is distributed wirelessly around the property.
You could therefore have a very fast broadband package but still have poor Wi-Fi upstairs, in an extension or at the other end of the house.
You might notice:
- streaming services buffering despite having fast broadband
- video calls freezing or losing connection
- weak Wi-Fi in bedrooms or upstairs rooms
- smart TVs disconnecting
- phones repeatedly switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data
- poor coverage in extensions, garages or garden offices
- devices working well close to the router but badly elsewhere
In situations like these, paying for an even faster broadband package may make very little difference.
The issue is often how the connection is being distributed around the property.
Why One Router Cannot Always Cover the Whole House
Most broadband providers supply a single router.
In a small property with a straightforward layout, that may be all you need. But British homes come in all shapes and sizes.
Solid brick walls, older properties, converted lofts, extensions and several floors can all make it more difficult for a wireless signal to travel.
Router position matters too.
If your broadband enters the house in a front room and the router sits low down behind a television or inside furniture, you may be asking that one device to send a strong signal through several walls before it reaches the rooms where you actually use the internet.
The result can be excellent Wi-Fi in one part of the house and barely usable Wi-Fi somewhere else.
What Does a Professional Wi-Fi Installation Involve?
There is no single solution that is right for every home.
A proper Wi-Fi installation starts by looking at how the property is laid out, where the existing broadband equipment is situated and where a reliable connection is actually needed.
That might mean improving the position or configuration of existing equipment. In other homes, additional Wi-Fi access points, a mesh system or wired Ethernet connections may be the better solution.
The aim is not simply to make the Wi-Fi signal look stronger on your phone.
It is to create a stable network that works properly where you need it.
Mesh Wi-Fi
Mesh Wi-Fi systems use several units positioned around the property to create wider wireless coverage.
They can be extremely useful in larger homes and properties where one router cannot provide sufficient coverage.
Instead of relying on a single Wi-Fi source, devices can connect through whichever mesh point provides the most suitable connection.
However, simply buying a box of mesh units does not guarantee perfect Wi-Fi.
Their position matters, and the way they communicate with one another can have a significant effect on performance.
Wi-Fi Access Points
For properties where reliability and performance are particularly important, professionally positioned wireless access points can provide excellent coverage.
These are often connected back to the main network using Ethernet cabling, giving them a strong wired connection rather than relying entirely on a wireless signal travelling from one device to another.
This can be particularly useful for larger houses, home offices and properties with thick walls or difficult layouts.
Ethernet Cabling
Sometimes the best solution to a Wi-Fi problem is not Wi-Fi at all.
A wired Ethernet connection can provide a fast and extremely stable connection for equipment such as televisions, games consoles, computers and home-office equipment.
Using Ethernet for devices that do not need to move can also reduce the amount of traffic competing for the wireless network.
A professionally designed home network will often use a combination of wired and wireless connections rather than relying entirely on one or the other.
What About Wi-Fi Extenders?
Plug-in Wi-Fi extenders are inexpensive and can sometimes improve coverage in a small problem area.
However, they are not always the best answer for a larger property or a home with several Wi-Fi dead zones.
An extender still needs to receive a good signal before it can repeat it. Installing one in an area where the original Wi-Fi is already extremely weak can simply result in another weak connection.
That is why understanding the cause of the problem is important before buying more equipment.
Wi-Fi for Working From Home
Reliable Wi-Fi has become particularly important for people working from home.
A connection that is acceptable for browsing websites can become much more frustrating when you are relying on it for video meetings, cloud-based applications, large file transfers or internet phone calls.
Home offices are also frequently located in spare bedrooms, loft conversions, extensions or garden buildings — exactly the places where the main household router may struggle to provide good coverage.
In these situations, installing a proper network connection to the workspace can make a dramatic difference.
Wi-Fi for Smart TVs and Streaming
Modern television increasingly depends on the internet.
Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, YouTube and other streaming services all require a reliable connection, while newer television platforms are becoming increasingly dependent on broadband too.
If your television is several rooms away from your router, poor Wi-Fi can result in buffering, reduced picture quality or apps that are slow to respond.
Depending on the property, the best answer may be improved Wi-Fi coverage or a direct Ethernet connection to the television.
Garden Offices, Garages and Outbuildings
Trying to extend household Wi-Fi into a separate building can be particularly difficult.
A garden office might only be a short distance from the house, but exterior walls, insulation and the structure of the two buildings can weaken the wireless signal considerably.
There are several ways of solving this, including dedicated access points and wired network connections.
The correct solution depends on the distance, the buildings and how the connection will be used.
Do You Need Professional Wi-Fi Installation?
Not every Wi-Fi problem requires professional help.
Restarting your router, moving it into a more open position and checking your equipment are all sensible first steps.
But if you have already tried the obvious fixes and still have rooms where Wi-Fi is slow or unreliable, repeatedly replacing routers and buying additional boosters can become an expensive experiment.
That is where having the property assessed properly can save a lot of frustration.
Local TV Aerials & Satellite Services can diagnose Wi-Fi and home-network problems and recommend the right solution for the property, whether that involves improved wireless coverage, access points, mesh Wi-Fi, Ethernet cabling or a combination of technologies.
We work throughout East Sussex and West Sussex, helping homeowners and businesses get reliable internet connections where they actually need them.
If your broadband is fast but your Wi-Fi still isn’t doing the job, call 0800 802 1791 to discuss your setup and arrange a visit.
