How to boost your WiFi signal by training your broadband router
There are many online tips on how to boost the WiFi signal of your broadband router. But have you ever thought of training your router?
The Utterly Shocking Performance of My New Broadband Service
Yesterday, my new broadband service was activated, and I immediately checked the speed near the router. It showed 45 Mbps on my 40 Mbps plan. Satisfied, I let the installer leave.
The router was installed in a small room on one side of the house with two large attached rooms at the back. The small room is my “machine room,” and is rarely occupied.
Feeling content, I moved to my room and turned on both my laptop and desktop on my work table. To test the WiFi speed, I opened fast.com on both devices. The laptop showed a speed of 9.6 Mbps, while the desktop, which only supports 4G WiFi, showed just 3.8 Mbps—results that were totally unacceptable to me.
Reloading fast.com several times didn’t improve the situation. Checking the WiFi speed on my mobile yielded the same disappointing result—around 9 Mbps. This new service provider is one of the top in India and comes highly recommended by a friend who’s used it for years. How could this happen? I was utterly perplexed.
Troubleshooting with My Installer
After a lengthy discussion with my installer about the poor performance, he suggested relocating the router to a more central and open area of the house.
“What if I close the door to my room at night while I’m working?” I asked. His response was predictable: the signal would weaken.
Although I wasn’t convinced that relocating the router would significantly improve the WiFi signal strength, I agreed to let him come back to reposition it. Given the circumstances, it seemed to be the only possible course of action.
An Unexpected Pleasant Surprise
Just as I ended my call with the installer, I glanced at my computer screens and saw 48 Mbps displayed on the laptop, while the desktop showed 15 Mbps. Repeated tests confirmed these results. While I was speaking with the installer, the router somehow adjusted its settings to enhance the signal strength in the area of my computers.
“This is very unusual. Such a big change in just 15 minutes!” I wondered. I began testing the speed on my mobile as I slowly moved from one corner of the house to the other. In areas where the signal was low, I waited a minute before reloading fast.com to check the speed again. Each time, the signal strength improved.
My Surmise: Is My Router Learning?
It seems the router automatically senses device locations and adjusts the WiFi speed accordingly. Perhaps when I first checked the speed standing very close to the router, it assumed its main task was to cover just that small room!
An Explorer’s Curiosity
Being an explorer at heart, I wanted to see how far I could push this “intelligent” router. My objectives were twofold:
- To better understand this unexpected behavior.
- To achieve any potential value-added results.
So, I went up to the roof of my three-story house. This location was within the building but the most challenging for any broadband router installed in my ground-floor flat. As expected, there was no signal, even after waiting for more than 15 minutes.
My long experience in teaching reminded me of a golden principle: never jump from Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 directly. Learning must be step-by-step.
“I trained the router in the ground-floor flat,” I thought. “So, I should now use a proper training method for the rooftop.”
In search of a new starting point for the router, I slowly descended the staircase, stopping occasionally to check the speed. On the first floor, I suddenly got a speed of 16 Mbps. “Now, towards the final destination—the rooftop. It’s time to go up again,” I decided. This time, I climbed the staircase just two or three steps at a time, allowing the router to adjust and reach my mobile with its signal.
Finally, on the rooftop, I achieved an unprecedented, completely unexpected speed of 14 Mbps. With all my previous broadband services, the signal strength from a ground-floor router was very weak. But this new, seemingly intelligent router could reach my mobile through three solid concrete floors and 40 feet with a decent signal strength.
Conclusion: Don’t Give Up on Your Devices
These days, with devices becoming increasingly intelligent, don’t give up if you’re not getting the expected service. Try training your devices.
Postscript
When I shared this experience with a knowledgeable person from the new service provider, he said, “It must be a glitch!”
Below are two prominent articles on how to boost your WiFi signal:
Note on Training a Router
While training your broadband router can significantly enhance WiFi signal strength in some cases, it’s important to note that not all routers support this feature. The effectiveness of training can vary depending on your router’s model and its built-in capabilities.