How to improve Wi-Fi signal strength and speed, step by step

Measure your Wi-Fi before you change anything

Slow or patchy Wi-Fi has four usual causes: the internet plan, coverage (distance, walls, placement), interference or crowding from other networks, and the device itself. Each fix below helps with only one of them, so start with numbers. Microsoft's Wi-Fi and your home layout guide recommends the same routine: record speed tests in several places before you change anything, then repeat them after each change.

1. Pick three spots: a short distance from the router (the strongest reading is usually a few feet away, not right beside it), the place you normally work, and the worst spot you care about.
2. At each spot, note the signal strength and run a speed test, with the same device and the same test each time.
3. Plug a laptop into the router with an Ethernet cable and test again. That result is the ceiling the Wi-Fi is working under.
4. Change one thing at a time, then repeat the tests. Two changes at once tell you nothing about either.

On Windows

Open Terminal or Command Prompt and run:

netsh wlan show interfaces
netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
netsh wlan show wlanreport

The first command reports your current connection, including its receive and transmit rates and a signal percentage. Windows' WLAN API defines 100% as -50 dBm and 0% as -100 dBm, linear in between, so 60% is about -70 dBm. The second lists every access point in range with its signal strength, channel and radio type, which Microsoft's troubleshooting guide uses to find band, channel and coverage problems. The third writes an HTML wireless network report of the last three days of Wi-Fi sessions, with the reason for each disconnect. In Windows 11, your network's properties under Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi also show the network band and channel.

On a Mac

Hold Option, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and choose Open Wireless Diagnostics. Per Apple's Wireless Diagnostics guide, it analyzes the connection, lists the issues it found with possible solutions, changes no settings, and saves a report in /var/tmp for whoever supports your network. If the Wi-Fi menu shows a Wi-Fi Recommendations item, macOS has already detected a problem and suggests a fix.

What the numbers mean

Signal strength (RSSI) is measured in dBm, a negative number where closer to zero is stronger. A practical threshold is the point at which devices themselves give up on an access point: Apple's iPhone and iPad start looking for a better one when the signal falls to -70 dBm, and a Mac at -75 dBm. If the place where you work reads weaker than about -70 dBm, it needs better coverage, not a different channel.

The receive and transmit rates are link rates, not speeds. Apple defines the physical layer (PHY) data rate as the highest rate at which a client can transmit over Wi-Fi; a speed test measures what actually arrives. Read the results together:

Check whether your internet plan is the real limit

Wi-Fi cannot deliver more than the connection behind it. The wired test from step 3 is how you find out: Microsoft's own Wi-Fi troubleshooting steps use a PC plugged in by Ethernet to tell a router problem from a provider problem. Compare the wired result with the plan. In the US, providers must show a broadband label for each plan that discloses its speeds; elsewhere, check the plan details from your provider.

• Wired result close to the plan, Wi-Fi far below it: the Wi-Fi is the bottleneck, and the rest of this guide applies.
• Wired result well below the plan: restart the modem, then the router, and test again. If it stays low, call the provider; no Wi-Fi change will fix it.
• Both fine, but the plan is too small for the household: the fix is a faster plan, not a new router.

Also check what else is using the connection while you test. Cloud backups, game downloads and several video streams can fill a modest plan, and Microsoft suggests looking in Task Manager for processes using a lot of network bandwidth.

Put the router in the right place

Placement is the first free fix. Microsoft's setup guide says to put the router as close to the centre of the home as possible, off the floor and away from walls and metal objects such as filing cabinets; its home layout guide adds that a corner or the space under a desk reduces signal strength, and that higher is better. Every wall between the router and your device costs signal, and some materials cost far more than others. Apple rates them this way in its guide to wireless interference:

Apple's own example is a metal-reinforced concrete floor between the router and the device. In practice, keep the router out of metal cabinets, away from fish tanks and off the floor of a concrete basement. Keep it clear of other radios too: Microsoft notes that microwave ovens and many cordless phones use the same 2.4 GHz frequency and can interrupt the signal while they run, and Apple adds power cables, fluorescent lights, wireless video cameras and poorly shielded USB 3 devices.

If the modem sits in a corner because that is where the line enters the building, run an Ethernet cable from the modem to a router placed in the middle of the home rather than living with the corner.

Choose the right band: 2.4, 5 or 6 GHz

Consumer Wi-Fi uses three bands, and each trades range for speed. Microsoft's home layout guide sums up the differences:

The gap is large even on one device. Apple's specifications for its Wi-Fi 7 iPhones (iPhone 16 and later, except the e models) list a maximum PHY rate of 2,400 Mbps on 5 or 6 GHz with 160 MHz channels, against 229 Mbps on 2.4 GHz with 20 MHz channels. A laptop that has drifted onto 2.4 GHz can be the whole problem. What Wi-Fi 7 adds on top, and when it is worth buying, is covered in Wi-Fi 7 explained.

Vendors disagree on network names. Microsoft suggests a separate name per band so you can see which one you are on. Apple's recommended router settings ask for one name across all bands and routers, because devices may otherwise not connect reliably to every band, and Apple devices flag a Wi-Fi 6E network with different names per band as having limited compatibility. Use one name day to day, and a temporary separate name only to test one band.

Where 6 GHz Wi-Fi is allowed

6 GHz needs a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router and a device that supports it; Apple's list starts with the iPhone 15 Pro, Mac models from 2023 and the MacBook Air from 2024. It also depends on where you are, because each country's regulator decides how much of the band Wi-Fi may use:

The US allows low-power indoor access points across the full 1,200 MHz; standard-power access points get 850 MHz of it, under an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system, and Canada's decision sets out similar classes. Apple notes that its 6 GHz features are not available in every region, and that Wi-Fi 6E is not available in mainland China.

Pick a clear channel and the right channel width

Most routers use a channel set at the factory, and in an apartment building or a dense street that channel is often shared with many neighbours. See what is around you with netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid or a Wi-Fi analyzer app, then follow Microsoft's rules:

• On 2.4 GHz, use channel 1, 6 or 11. These are the only channels that do not overlap. Pick the one with the fewest networks on it and on the channels next to it.
• On 5 GHz, overlap matters less, so pick the channel with the fewest access points.
• Start with Auto. Apple recommends the Auto setting, and most routers scan for the least crowded channel when they start or reset. Microsoft notes that some Auto implementations choose badly, so check what the router picked and set a channel by hand if it sits on a crowded one.
• Give each access point its own channel when you have more than one, especially if they are close together.

Channel width

Channel width is how much of the band one connection uses at once. Apple recommends 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz and Auto (all widths) on 5 and 6 GHz, because wider channels are faster but more susceptible to interference. Microsoft adds that 40 MHz on 2.4 GHz trips up some older adapters: if the signal is strong and the channel is clear but the connection is still unreliable, set the 2.4 GHz width to 20 MHz.

DFS channels on 5 GHz

Part of the 5 GHz band is shared with radar. In the US, FCC rule 15.407 requires Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) on 5.25 to 5.35 GHz and 5.47 to 5.725 GHz: a router must listen for radar for 60 seconds before using such a channel, stop transmitting within 10 seconds when it detects radar, and stay off that channel for at least 30 minutes. So a radar detection moves the whole network, and some devices rank DFS channels lower: Apple devices prefer non-DFS 5 GHz networks when choosing what to join. If the Wi-Fi drops for no visible reason while the router is on a DFS channel, set a non-DFS 5 GHz channel and see whether the drops stop.

Update the firmware, then check a few settings

Router firmware updates fix bugs as well as security holes. Apple's router guidance recommends turning on automatic firmware updates where the router offers them, because they deliver improvements to stability, performance and security. Before you change any setting, back up the router's configuration, as Apple also advises, so you can undo a mistake.

While you are in the router's settings, check three things that affect speed, all from the same Apple guidance:

1. Radio mode: all modes enabled. Every device can then connect with the fastest Wi-Fi version it supports.
2. WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia): on. It prioritizes voice and video traffic, should be on by default on any Wi-Fi 4 or later router, and turning it off can hurt performance.
3. No legacy security modes. WEP, WPA and anything with TKIP are insecure and also reduce reliability and performance. The rest of the security settings belong to a network hardening checklist, not to this guide.

Then restart the modem and the router, and repeat your tests.

Add coverage: extender, mesh or wired access point

When the measurements still show a weak signal in rooms you use, even with the router well placed, you need another radio closer to those rooms. There are three ways to add one, and the difference is the backhaul: how the extra radio gets traffic back to the router.

Extenders are, as Microsoft describes them, small devices that plug into an electrical outlet. Put one where the router's signal is still good, usually about halfway to the dead zone, not in the dead zone itself: an extender can only pass on the signal it receives.

Mesh systems make several access points behave as one network. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh, the Wi-Fi Alliance's standard for it, has the access points guide devices to the best one and adapt to changing conditions, and lets you mix access points from different vendors. Place the nodes so their coverage overlaps; a node at the edge of the router's range starts with a weak link.

Wired access points give the best result, because a cable carries the backhaul without using any airtime. Ethernet is the first choice. Where new cable is impractical, existing wiring can do the job: MoCA turns the home's TV coax into a network, rated at 2.5 Gbps with under 2.5 ms of latency for MoCA 2.5, and G.hn, a family of ITU-T standards, runs over coax, phone wires or power wiring. Powerline results depend on the building's electrical wiring, so test one pair before buying more. If your mesh system supports wired backhaul, a cable between nodes turns a mesh node into a wired access point.

Whichever option you choose, give every access point the same network name and settings, as Apple recommends. Devices then roam between them, but late: an iPhone holds on to its current access point until the signal falls to about -70 dBm, and a Mac until -75 dBm. If the router offers 802.11k, 802.11v and 802.11r, turn them on: Apple devices use 802.11k's list of neighbouring access points to find a roam target without scanning every channel, and 802.11r to reconnect faster.

In an office, plan for access points on Ethernet, each on its own channel, rather than one router in a server cupboard. Our IT support service takes on projects such as a new office or a device refresh, and patches operating systems, apps and firmware on a schedule.

Fix the device side: adapters, drivers and power saving

When one device is slow where others are fast, the problem is usually that device:

• Check what the adapter supports. On Windows, netsh wlan show drivers lists Radio types supported: 802.11ax means Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, and 802.11be means Wi-Fi 7, which Windows 11 supports from version 24H2. An older adapter may support only 2.4 GHz and never see a 5 GHz network. On Apple devices, check Apple's lists for Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 support.
• Update the driver. Run Windows Update, then compare the driver version and date in Device Manager with the latest on the PC maker's site, as Microsoft's Wi-Fi troubleshooting steps describe. The same routine for phones and other operating systems is in how to update your computer or phone.
• Turn off Wi-Fi power saving on a laptop that drops out. In Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options, change the plan's advanced settings and set Wireless Adapter Settings > Power Saving Mode to Maximum Performance; in Device Manager, clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power on the Wi-Fi adapter. It costs some battery life.
• On Apple devices, leave Location Services on for networking. Apple's router guidance explains that each country's regulations define the Wi-Fi channels and signal strength allowed, and Location Services for Networking and wireless helps the device use them correctly.
• Move USB 3 devices and hubs away from the laptop, and use shielded cables: Apple lists them as a source of interference for nearby wireless devices.

Also expect less from phones than from routers. Apple's Wi-Fi 7 iPhones, per its specifications, top out at 160 MHz channels and two spatial streams, so a router's 320 MHz channels do nothing for them.

Wi-Fi standards at a glance

A connection uses the best features that both the router and the device support. The Wi-Fi Alliance names each generation; Apple's specifications give the matching IEEE standards:

Wi-Fi 7 was introduced in 2024. Its Multi-Link Operation lets a device use two bands at once, and Windows shows it in the network's properties when Network band (channel) lists more than one band. What else it changes, and which devices benefit, is a subject of its own.

When to replace your router

Replace the router when one of these is true, not because a new model promises more range:

1. It no longer gets firmware updates. In a May 7, 2025 warning, the FBI noted that end-of-life routers receive no software updates or security patches, that routers dated 2010 or earlier likely no longer get updates, and advised replacing end-of-life devices.
2. It cannot carry your plan. If a laptop wired to the router tests well below the plan, but the same laptop wired straight to the modem does not, the router is the limit.
3. It lacks the bands your devices use: no 5 GHz, no Wi-Fi 6, or no 6 GHz when your devices support Wi-Fi 6E or 7 and your country allows it.
4. The home is too big for one radio. Then buy a mesh system or wired access points, not a bigger single router.

If you add your own router behind the provider's gateway, only one of them should hand out addresses (DHCP) and translate them (NAT). Apple warns that NAT on both, called double NAT, can cut devices off from some resources. For a business, the question of when to replace network equipment is part of keeping an asset register: our IT support service keeps one and advises on what to replace and when.