Do you always find yourself reaching your hand out to fetch a decent Wifi connection on your phone? Since student life is already challenging as it is, you should at least make sure to have a good WiFi connection to avoid any extra hassle. From classes to extracurricular activities and assignments, if you have a reliable WiFi connection, then your workflow will be a lot smoother. However, if you are living in a shared accommodation, and through pure bad luck, your room doesn’t get good Wifi signals, then you know how frustrating it can be. In this situation, it might be worth trying some fixes that can help boost Wifi signals. Read on for tips on how to boost WiFi signal…

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student


Update Your Router’s Firmware

Before you start making any modifications, the very first thing you should do is update your router’s firmware. Router manufacturers are constantly working on the router’s firmware as it helps increase your router’s speed to a certain extent.

However, upgrading the firmware can be easy for some while tricky for others, as it all comes down to the model and manufacturer of the router. Most routers have the upgrade process built into the administration interface, so it’s just a matter of a few clicks. 

On the contrary, if the router model is relatively older, you must download the firmware file from the official website and then paste it into the administration interface. Updating your firmware not only increases the speed of your router, but it also comes with performance improvements, security updates, and better features that will help boost your WiFi signal.

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

Ensure That Your WiFi Router Is In The Right Place

One of the best ways to boost your WiFi signal is to ensure that the router is at the right place. If you are living in a shared accommodation, chances are that your WiFi signals aren’t distributed equally. And if we talk about boosted WiFi signal, the router’s placement can be a real game changer.

So where should you place your router?

For starters, you should keep your router surrounded by open air and ensure that it’s away from walls and obstacles so that there’s no interference. You should also ensure that your router is placed at the centre of your house so that WiFi signal will reach every corner of your place. 

Lastly, mount the router up high and avoid using electronics or heavy-duty appliances, as running them close to the router can affect your WiFi signal.

Know Your Router’s Frequency

If you want to boost your WiFi signal, you need to have the optimal configuration of your router, which can be done through the network’s administrator interface. If you use a dual-band router, you should shift to the 5GHz band instead of the 2.4GHz one. 

Not only will 5GHz boost your WiFi’s speed, but the signals will be much better since 5GHz is an uncommon frequency, so interference from other wireless networks is rare. Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that 5GHz doesn’t handle distances as well as 2.4GHz, so if your room is far from the router, then shifting frequency isn’t the optimal option for you.

Try Shifting To Wireless Mesh For Better Signals 

Here’s a money move you can make if you have the budget. All you have to do is get wireless mesh for more excellent WiFi coverage. Though if you are a student, this might be a little investment; it will pay off instantly through boosted WiFi signal. 

A wireless mesh network is a pre-eminent way to get consistent WiFi signal at every corner of your place. Typically, mesh WiFi networks cover your entire accommodation using multiple network devices. This means that you will have the same signal in all rooms. 

However, you should know that a wireless mesh network differs from a WiFi signal extender. A WiFi signal extender creates another extended network. In comparison, a mesh network is a single unified wireless network; since it’s unified, you won’t face any latency issues.

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

Upgrade Your WiFi Antennas 

If you didn’t know already, antennas play a crucial role when it comes to WiFi signals. If you are using the basic antennas, maybe it’s time to check your router’s compatibility and get some new antennas. 

But what’s the point of upgrading the antennas of your router?

For starters, you will have an increased broadcast range. This is one of the finest benefits of upgrading to better antennas, as with new antennas, you wouldn’t have to worry about your signal dropping anywhere in your accommodation. 

Upgrading antennas also gives you broadcast controls. If you replace a high-gain omnidirectional antenna with a directional antenna, you will have complete control over your WiFi broadcasting directions.

Change Your WiFi Channel 

If you feel like nothing has worked for you so far, here’s a solution that would probably work for everyone. Your WiFi signals get affected by the WiFi channel used by your router. There are two bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz) for broadcasting. And there are multiple channels within the two bands, and some of the channels overlap, which causes your WiFi signal to degrade.

If you can change the router’s WiFi channel, interference can be reduced, and signals can be boosted. All you have to do is go to your router’s settings and change the channel. Ensure that the channel that you have now set has less interference.

If you have the budget, you can get the latest WiFi, 802.11ax, better known as WiFi 6E. This WiFi has an additional band of 6GHz. The tech is uncommon at the moment, and chances are that you would be the only one in your neighbourhood with the 6GHz WiFi band, which means you will have little to no interference.

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

How To Boost WiFi Signal As a Student

Conclusion 

Having boosted WiFi signals is a blessing. Though sometimes you might have to invest in equipment for better signals, but it’s all worth it. Nonetheless, ensure that you have tried all the free methods to boost your WiFi signal before you go on with investing and modifying your router.