How to fix Wi-Fi dead zones at home

A room with weak Wi-Fi is rarely about the plan. It is usually about where the signal starts and what stands in its way. The good news: most dead zones can be fixed in an afternoon, often without buying anything.

What is a Wi-Fi dead zone?

A dead zone is a part of your home where the Wi-Fi signal is too weak to use. Pages crawl, videos buffer and calls drop, even though everything works fine next to the router. Wi-Fi is a radio signal, and it gets weaker with distance and with every wall, floor and object it passes through.

Step 1: Find your weak spots

1. Walk through your home with your phone and note where the Wi-Fi bars drop.
2. Run a speed test next to the router, then in each room you use most, at the same time of day.
3. Mark the rooms where speed falls sharply or calls break up. Those are the spots to fix.

If speed is low everywhere, even next to the router, the issue may be the connection rather than Wi-Fi. Our guide to why Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting covers what to check next.

Step 2: Move the router

Router position is the single biggest fix. Wi-Fi spreads outwards in every direction, so a router in a corner sends much of its signal outside your home.

• Place it centrally, in the room nearest the middle of your home.
• Raise it to shelf or table height rather than leaving it on the floor.
• Keep it in the open, not inside a cabinet, behind the TV or under a desk.
• Keep it away from microwaves, cordless phones and baby monitors, which can interfere with the signal.

Moving the router a few metres can do more than a faster plan.

Step 3: Know what blocks Wi-Fi

• Thick walls, concrete pillars and floors between storeys.
• Mirrors, metal cupboards, refrigerators and other large appliances.
• Water, including aquariums and bathrooms between the router and the room.
• Dense furniture such as wardrobes and full bookshelves.

You can’t move walls, but you can give the router a clearer path towards the rooms you use most.

Step 4: Use the right Wi-Fi band

Many routers broadcast on two bands. 5 GHz is faster but travels a shorter distance, so it suits devices in the same room or the next one. 2.4 GHz reaches further and passes through walls better, so it suits far rooms. If your devices keep jumping between the two, one network name that switches bands automatically usually works best.

Step 5: Extend the signal when one router isn’t enough

In larger homes, duplexes or homes with thick walls, one router may never cover every room. That is when you add more access points.

• Extenders repeat the router’s signal into a weak area. Place them halfway between the router and the dead zone, not inside it.
• Mesh systems use several units that work as one network, so your devices move between them without dropping.
• Wired access points, connected by cable, give the most consistent speed in far rooms.

For bigger homes, I-ON Managed Home Wi-Fi covers every room, designed and managed by us. On installation day, our engineer maps your floor plan and places access points where your dead zones actually are, rather than wherever the cable ends. Read what to expect on installation day.