Have you ever wondered the most optimal position to place your new WiFi mesh router?
WiFi mesh routers, if positioned at the most optimal locations, can provide you with the most efficient distribution of wireless connectivity. Whether you are at home or an office, let us help you optimize your connection with very easy to use solutions. If you have not installed or set up your mesh router yet, we suggest you do just that. Our method is best executed after the correct pairing of your mesh routers. Most mesh routers would insist you pair your device first before positioning them, and we show you the easy way to do it.
Please note: The term 'node' and WiFi mesh router can be used interchangeably.
Step one: Download a WiFi strength detection app on your smartphone
Easy way to position WiFi mesh routers
Whether you are an android or iPhone user, there are plenty of free apps available which can detect the strength of your WiFi signal. These applications are great tools in determining the optimal position of your WiFi mesh router. Choose the one which you like; they are all quite decent. If you want to keep it simple, choose the ones that have a more straightforward interface and show the strength of the signal by colour. Once you have installed the application, test it to make sure you are comfortable and proceed with the next step.
Step two: Turn off all the additonal mesh nodes
Easy way to position WiFi mesh routers
WiFi mesh routers (or nodes) come in sets of two or three. Sets of three cover a large area whereas a set of two covers a smaller area. Once you have completed pairing all your secondary WiFi mesh routers to your main router (the central WiFi mesh node), please physically turn off all of the nodes except your primary node. Now we can begin to determine the best position for your WiFi mesh routers. Take out your phone and connect your phone to your new home WiFi, and look at the WiFi icon on your phone, you should see all three WiFi signal arcs or bars. Do not turn on the app for the strength yet, make a note of where the signal drops from three arcs to two arcs, mark the place with tape or mentally note the point where you lose full WiFi signal strength. Once you have done so, turn on the application and record down the strength of the WiFi at the edge of your signal strength, after which take a few more readings closer to your primary node and note the point where the speed of your internet begins to drop substantially. But if the speed is still consistent up to a point at the edge of your full signal strength, brilliant. Mark the spot again and measure the physical distance (B) parallel to the elevation of the router from it. Measure the distance between the place where your speed is optimal to the router (A) if it is different than the spot of full WiFi strength. To ease your confusion, refer to the image illustration shown below.
Step three: Planning and placement of secondary nodes
Easy way to position WiFi mesh routers
Just a reminder, your central node or primary node is also your main WiFi mesh router. Usually, nodes directly connect to your ISP modem, which is why we have illustrated Node 1 or N1 positioned close to the wall since fibre or cable points are rarely available in the centre. We need to understand how mesh systems work before we can determine the best position for your WiFi mesh router. The initial connection between the first node to the second node is referred to as a hop. The first hop is from N1 to N2, and the second hop is from N2 to N3. N1 and N3 are not directly connected; they connect through N2 as a medium. With each hop, there is a substantial degradation of latency and bandwidth. Latency is how quick your connection responds and bandwidth is the overall speed and strength of your connection. So even if you position the next node to the edge of the first node's signal, you would be repeating a weak signal. Let's look at the next illustration to explain further.
In the diagram above we see two similarly set two-node mesh system, wherein the scenario on the right N2 is positioned at the edge of your property, so your mobile phone at the edge of your home gets a full WiFi signal as opposed to the scenario on the left where we N2 place at the edge of N1's full signal strength but resulting in a weaker signal on your mobile phone at the edge of your home. Believe it or not, even though the signal on the phone is full, does not mean it is a good quality signal. Because your second node is repeating a weak signal from the primary node due to its position, even a perfect signal on your phone results in poor connection performance. You are much better off with a weaker signal on your phone that carries a better quality signal bandwidth from the primary node. The idea here is to position the WiFi mesh routers as close as possible and as far away from each other as possible at the same time, maximizing the quality of the bandwidth which deteriorates after each hop, especially if you have a three-node WiFi mesh system. Repeat the same thing we did with the first and second node with the third one. Make sure your third node has the best connection possible to the second node and as far away as possible before it begins to lose a significant amount of bandwidth. If your home is smaller than average, bunch up the nodes even closer to each other, don't worry about jamming or confusing signals, these are well-designed technology which can decide between itself who takes up the connection best and better than we can. If your last node is positioned at the edge of your house, all you would be doing is ensuring your neighbour has a good connection to your WiFi too. Remember to take into account the size of your entire property and where you want the WiFi to be made available. If you already have a WiFi mesh system set up, following our steps above improves your connectivity and performance of your internet connection at home for sure.
Thank you so much for reading our 'Easy way to position your Wifi mesh router' by IT Block. IT Block is an IT support services firm based in Singapore and we love sharing our IT knowledge with you. #IT #mesh #router #node #support #services #Singapore
