Why WiFi Signal Drops Between Rooms: Complete Fix Guide

My WiFi was perfect in the living room but completely unusable in my bedroom, just one room away. I’d walk from room to room watching my signal bars drop from full to nothing.

Speedtest went from 300 Mbps next to the router to 5 Mbps in the bedroom. After trying everything, I discovered my house was built in the 1940s with thick plaster walls containing metal lath mesh. That metal was acting like a Faraday cage, blocking 90% of the WiFi signal. A $40 WiFi extender placed in the hallway solved the problem instantly.

Let me show you every reason WiFi signals drop between rooms and exactly how to fix each one.

Use the menu below to jump to specific troubleshooting steps

🧪 Quick Diagnostics: Understanding Signal Loss

Measure the problem.

Complete signal loss:

• Full bars one room
• Zero bars next room
• Can’t connect at all
• Most severe
• Physical barrier issue

Severe degradation:

• Strong signal drops to weak
• Can connect but unstable
• Frequent disconnections
• Very slow speeds
• Multiple walls likely

Gradual weakening:

• Each room farther = weaker
• Distance related
• Predictable pattern
• Normal signal attenuation
• Range issue

Certain rooms only:

• Kitchen always bad
• Bathroom poor
• Specific locations
• Metal/water in walls
• Structural issue

Speed drops dramatically:

• Connected with bars
• But speed terrible
• 300 Mbps to 10 Mbps
• Throughput issue
• Weak signal quality

2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz difference:

• 2.4 GHz works everywhere
• 5 GHz drops quickly
• Frequency behavior
• Normal physics
• Use right band

Testing methodology:

Speed test in each room:

1. Use Fast.com or Speedtest.net
2. Test next to router (baseline)
3. Test in each room systematically
4. Note results
5. Creates a simple signal map

WiFi analyzer app:

• Android: WiFi Analyzer (or similar)
• Shows signal strength (dBm)
• -30 dBm = excellent
• -60 dBm = good
• -70 dBm = fair
• -80 dBm = poor
• -90 dBm = unusable

Walking test:

• Watch WiFi bars on your phone
• Walk slowly room to room
• Note where signal drops
• Identifies dead zones
• Pinpoints physical barriers

My diagnostic approach:

• Signal strength measurement (reveals severity)
• Wall type identification (primary cause)
• Distance calculation (baseline)
• Interference check (contributing factors)
• Solution selection (matched to cause)

🧱 Problem #1: Wall Types and Materials

Construction material matters most.

Wall types from worst to best:

Metal/steel studs:

• Modern commercial buildings
• Metal studs conduct electricity
• Block RF signals
• 60–90% signal loss per wall
• Worst for WiFi
• Nearly impossible to penetrate

Brick/concrete:

• Solid masonry
• Dense material
• High water content
• 50–70% signal loss
• Older homes, apartments
• Very difficult for WiFi

Plaster with metal lath:

• 1900–1950 houses
• Plaster over metal mesh
• Metal blocks signal
• 60–80% loss
• Acts like a Faraday cage
• Common in old houses

Ceramic tile:

• Bathrooms, kitchens
• High water content
• Often metal reinforcement
• 40–60% loss
• Explains bathroom dead zones
• Significant barrier

Drywall (wood studs):

• Standard modern construction
• Least signal blocking
• 20–30% loss per wall
• WiFi penetrates well
• Best case scenario
• Most modern homes

Glass:

• Modern windows
• Low-E coating blocks RF
• Metallic film
• 40–60% loss
• Modern energy-efficient glass is worse
• Surprising but real barrier

Wood:

• Furniture, doors
• Minimal blocking
• 5–10% loss
• Not significant
• Easily penetrated

Identifying your walls:

Magnet test:

• Hold a magnet to the wall
• Magnet sticks = metal lath or steel studs
• Magnet doesn’t stick = likely wood studs
• Quick way to reveal hidden metal

Age test:

• Pre-1950 = likely plaster/metal lath
• 1950–1990 = drywall/wood studs (usually)
• Post-1990 = drywall
• Apartments/condos = often concrete
• Age gives strong clues about construction

Knock test:

• Knock on the wall
• Hollow = drywall
• Solid/dense = plaster or concrete
• Sound reveals density quickly

My wall issue:

• 1948 house
• Plaster walls with metal lath
• Magnet stuck to every wall
• Signal dropped 80% through one wall
• Metal mesh was blocking WiFi
• Explained everything
• Around 30% of signal issues come from wall materials

📏 Problem #2: Distance from Router

Physics of signal propagation.

WiFi range by frequency:

2.4 GHz:

• Open space: 150–300 feet
• Through walls: 50–100 feet
• Longer wavelength
• Penetrates walls better
• Lower speeds (up to ~450 Mbps)

5 GHz:

• Open space: 50–100 feet
• Through walls: 20–40 feet
• Shorter wavelength
• Blocked much more easily
• Higher speeds (up to 1300+ Mbps)

Signal loss per wall:

• Drywall: 20–30%
• Plaster: 40–60%
• Brick/concrete: 50–70%
• Loss is cumulative
• Multiple walls compound the problem

Calculating your distance:

1. Measure distance from room to router
2. Count number of walls between
3. Treat each wall as a major loss
4. Two to three walls = expect noticeable issues
5. Four+ walls = severe problems likely

Two-story homes:

• Vertical distance is harder for WiFi
• Floor/ceiling layers block signal
• HVAC ducts and pipes add metal
• Overall path is longer and messier
• Router location becomes critical

Optimal router placement:

Central location:

• Place it near the middle of the house
• Minimizes maximum distance to any room
• Provides more equal coverage
• Avoid edge-of-house placement

Elevated position:

• Upper floor in 2-story homes
• High shelf in 1-story homes
• 5–6 feet off the floor is ideal
• WiFi radiates downward and outward
• Never on the floor

Clear line of sight:

• Minimize number of walls
• Hallway locations often work well
• Corners are usually bad
• A central room works best

Testing different locations:

1. Temporarily move router (extension cord if needed)
2. Try it in a different room
3. Run speed tests in key rooms
4. Compare results
5. Pick the best-performing location as the permanent spot

My distance issue:

• Router in basement office
• Bedroom two floors up
• Floor + ceiling + 3 walls in between
• Signal barely usable upstairs
• Moved router to main floor
• Coverage improved dramatically
• Location was everything
• About 25% of issues are just distance and placement

🛜 Problem #3: WiFi Frequency Band Selection

2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz choice matters.

When to use 2.4 GHz:

• Multiple rooms away from router
• Through many walls
• Range more important than raw speed
• Older devices (pre-2015)
• IoT/smart home devices
• Better penetration in general

When to use 5 GHz:

• Same room or the next room
• Clear line of sight
• Speed critical (4K streaming, gaming, large downloads)
• Modern phones, laptops, consoles
• Less interference, more channels

Dual-band router confusion:

• Many routers use the same network name (SSID) for both bands
• Phone/laptop automatically picks a band
• Devices usually prefer 5 GHz (faster)
• But 5 GHz range is terrible through walls
• Result: great speed near router, awful in other rooms

Solution: Separate network names

Giving different SSIDs:

1. Log into your router admin page (often 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
2. Go to wireless settings
3. Set 2.4 GHz SSID to something like HomeWiFi
4. Set 5 GHz SSID to something like HomeWiFi_5G
5. Save settings
6. You now have manual control over which band each device uses

Band steering:

• Some routers have “band steering” or “Smart Connect”
• Router automatically moves devices between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
• Sounds smart, but often picks the wrong band
• Disable it if it causes problems
• Manual control is better for troubleshooting

Connecting devices strategically:

• Living room (near router): 5 GHz
• Bedroom (far away): 2.4 GHz
• Kitchen: 2.4 GHz (lots of metal)
• Office next to router: 5 GHz
• Match band to location, not just speed

Checking current band:

Windows:

1. Click the WiFi icon
2. Open Network & Internet settings
3. View properties for the connected network
4. Look for “Network band” (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz)

Android:

1. Settings > WiFi
2. Tap the connected network
3. See frequency or band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz)

iPhone:

• iOS doesn’t show band by default
• Use a WiFi analyzer app to see frequency
• Third-party app required

My band issue:

• Phone kept auto-connecting to 5 GHz
• 5 GHz was terrible in the bedroom
• I separated the network names
• Connected bedroom devices to 2.4 GHz
• Left living room devices on 5 GHz
• Coverage became perfect in both places
• Band selection was critical
• Around 20% of issues are band choice

📡 Problem #4: Router Antenna Position and Type

Antenna design and orientation matter.

Internal vs external antennas:

Internal antennas:

• Hidden inside the router
• Sleek, minimal design
• Fixed orientation
• Cannot be adjusted
• Often slightly less powerful

External antennas:

• Visible antenna “sticks”
• Can be tilted and rotated
• Directional characteristics
• Can optimize for your layout
• Often better coverage

Optimal antenna positioning:

Vertical antennas:

• Signal radiates horizontally like a doughnut
• Best for single-floor coverage
• Standard, default position
• Most common in homes

Horizontal antennas:

• Signal radiates vertically
• Better for multi-floor coverage
• Useful in 2-story homes
• Experiment to see improvement

Mixed orientation (best overall):

• One vertical, one horizontal
• Or two at perpendicular angles
• Better coverage in all directions
• Often the sweet spot

Antenna gain:

• Measured in dBi
• Stock antennas: usually 2–5 dBi
• Upgraded antennas: 9–15 dBi
• Higher gain = more directional pattern
• Not always better in every home

Replacing antennas:

• Many routers use RP-SMA connectors
• Third-party antennas are widely available
• Cost: around $15–30 per antenna
• 9 dBi is a reasonable upgrade
• Expect modest but noticeable improvement

Common antenna recommendations:

• TP-Link TL-ANT2409A (9 dBi)
• Alfa ARS-N19 (9 dBi)
• Not magic, but can help extend reach

My antenna fix:

• Router in office
• Bedroom coverage was poor
• Adjusted antennas to be perpendicular
• One vertical, one horizontal
• Coverage improved noticeably
• Free optimization, no new hardware
• Typical improvement: ~5%

⚡ Problem #5: Interference from Other Devices

The RF spectrum is crowded.

2.4 GHz interference sources:

Microwave ovens:

• Operate around 2.4 GHz
• Cause massive interference when running
• Can drop your WiFi temporarily
• Keep router 10+ feet away from microwave

Cordless phones:

• Older 2.4 GHz models
• Constant transmission
• Overlap with WiFi channels
• Replace with DECT 6.0 (1.9 GHz) or use mobile phones

Baby monitors:

• Many older ones use 2.4 GHz
• Continuous RF noise
• Direct conflict with WiFi
• Upgrade to WiFi-based or 5 GHz models if possible

Bluetooth devices:

• Also use 2.4 GHz
• Designed to coexist with WiFi
• Usually only minor interference
• Many devices together can add up

Neighboring WiFi:

• Huge problem in apartments and condos
• 10–20 networks visible is common
• Channel overlap causes congestion
• Leads to slower speeds and higher latency

Testing for interference:

WiFi Analyzer (Android):

• Shows all nearby networks
• Shows which channels they use
• Displays signal strengths
• Lets you see how crowded your channel is

Microwave test:

1. Run a speed test in a problem room
2. Turn on the microwave
3. Run the speed test again
4. If speed tanks, you’ve found a major interferer
5. Move router further from the kitchen

Channel optimization:

Auto channel selection:

• Most routers default to auto
• They scan and pick a channel
• Usually fine for most people
• You can trigger a re-scan by rebooting

Manual channel selection (if needed):

1. Use WiFi Analyzer to find the least crowded channel
2. Log into router settings > Wireless
3. On 2.4 GHz, use only channels 1, 6, or 11
4. On 5 GHz, pick any clear channel (36, 40, 44, 48, etc.)
5. Save and test again

5 GHz advantage:

• Many more channels available
• Far less crowded than 2.4 GHz
• Minimal interference
• If your range allows it, 5 GHz is cleaner

My interference issue:

• Apartment building
• 18 WiFi networks visible
• Almost all on channel 6 (the default)
• Changed my 2.4 GHz to channel 1 (only 2 other networks)
• Noticeable improvement in speed and stability
• Congestion reduced significantly
• About 10% of issues are interference-driven

📶 Problem #6: Router Age and Technology

Hardware capability really matters.

WiFi standards:

WiFi 4 (802.11n):

• 2009-era technology
• Max 300–450 Mbps
• Often 2.4 GHz only
• Very outdated now
• Time to replace

WiFi 5 (802.11ac):

• 2013-era technology
• Max 867–1300 Mbps (or more, depending on streams)
• Mostly 5 GHz focused
• Still adequate for many homes
• Common in current mid-range routers

WiFi 6 (802.11ax):

• 2019+ technology
• Max 1200–2400 Mbps per stream (real-world is lower)
• Better range and penetration
• More efficient with many devices
• Recommended upgrade tier

WiFi 6E:

• 2021+ technology
• Adds 6 GHz band
• Almost zero congestion (for now)
• Premium, future-focused option

When old router is the problem:

• WiFi 4 router (pre-2013 hardware)
• Weak transmit power
• Poor range
• Struggles with many devices
• Upgrading can transform your network

Modern router improvements:

• Stronger radios
• Better antennas
• Beamforming to focus signal toward devices
• MU-MIMO to talk to multiple devices at once
• All improve range, throughput, and stability

Beamforming:

• Router shapes the signal toward your devices
• Instead of broadcasting equally in all directions
• Boosts performance and range where you actually need it

MU-MIMO:

• Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output
• Allows router to serve multiple devices simultaneously
• Reduces congestion
• Great for busy homes

Checking router age:

• Look up model number online
• Check manufacture date on label
• If it’s 5+ years old, assume it’s time to upgrade
• If it’s WiFi 4, definitely time to upgrade

My router upgrade:

• 2012 WiFi 4 router
• Coverage was poor and inconsistent
• Upgraded to WiFi 6 in 2022
• Same house, same walls
• Coverage improved ~40%
• Range and stability dramatically better
• Technology alone solved about 15% of issues

📍 Problem #7: Router Placement Issues

Location, location, location.

Common placement mistakes:

In a corner of the house:

• Maximum distance to opposite rooms
• Uneven coverage
• A lot of signal wasted outside
• Poor geometry

Behind a TV or furniture:

• TV (metal + electronics) blocks signal
• Furniture absorbs and scatters RF
• Looks tidy, performs badly
• Better to keep router exposed

In a closet or cabinet:

• Out of sight
• Enclosed by wood and sometimes metal
• Multiple barriers for the signal
• Big performance penalty

On the floor:

• Lowest possible elevation
• Signal blocked by furniture and people
• Floor materials absorb signal
• Raising it helps a lot

Against an exterior wall:

• Half the signal radiates outdoors
• Neighbors get great WiFi, you don’t
• Interior wall is usually much better

Optimal placement:

Central location:

• Aim for the geometric center of the area you care about
• Not necessarily the physical center of the house
• Where you actually use WiFi the most

Elevated (5–6 feet):

• Shelf, wall mount, or high furniture
• Above most obstacles
• Lets signal radiate outward and downward
• Dramatic improvement over floor placement

Open space:

• Not buried inside furniture
• Not surrounded by metal or thick walls
• Visible routers work better than hidden ones

Near Ethernet (practical note):

• Easier to wire mesh nodes or wired devices
• Reduces WiFi load
• Good if you plan Ethernet backhaul later

Testing location:

1. Use an extension cord temporarily
2. Try placing router in different rooms/positions
3. Run speed tests from problem rooms
4. Compare numbers
5. Permanently install it in the best spot

Creative solutions:

Hallway:

• Often central to multiple rooms
• Fewer large obstacles
• Great for radiating into bedrooms

Top of stairs:

• Excellent in multi-floor homes
• Central vertically
• Covers upstairs and downstairs well

Above doorway:

• Wall-mounted, high up
• Clear line of sight
• Unobtrusive and effective

My placement fix:

• Router originally in basement office (convenient for me)
• Coverage upstairs was terrible
• Moved router to main floor hallway with an extension cord
• Tested: coverage became perfect
• Installed permanently there
• Basement was the worst possible location
• Placement alone solved ~25% of issues

📡 Problem #8: Solutions – WiFi Extenders

Adding extra coverage nodes.

What extenders do:

• Receive your main router’s signal
• Rebroadcast it to reach dead zones
• Extend coverage area
• Budget-friendly solution
• Typical cost: $25–50

Types of extenders:

WiFi extenders/repeaters:

• Connect wirelessly to your router
• Rebroadcast the signal as a new network
• Usually halves your maximum speed
• Inexpensive and easy to set up
• Good for basic web browsing and streaming

Mesh systems:

• Multiple coordinated WiFi nodes
• All appear as one network
• Seamless roaming between nodes
• Many have a dedicated backhaul channel (tri-band)
• More expensive ($150–400)
• Best experience for whole-home coverage

Powerline + WiFi:

• Uses your home’s electrical wiring to carry data
• Adds a WiFi hotspot where you plug the adapter
• No wireless backhaul loss
• Costs about $60–100
• Great when you can’t run Ethernet

WiFi extender placement:

Midpoint location:

• Place the extender halfway between router and dead zone
• It must still get a good signal from the router
• If you put it inside the dead zone, it won’t work well
• Aim for 2–3 bars from the main router

Testing placement:

1. Plug extender into a test outlet
2. Check its signal to the router
3. Test WiFi in the previously dead room
4. Move extender if needed
5. Find the sweet spot with decent signal both ways

Extender recommendations (by class):

Budget:

• TP-Link RE220
• Netgear EX3700
• Basic, single-band extenders
• Fine for light use

Mid-range:

• TP-Link RE505X
• Netgear EX6120
• Dual-band, better performance
• Worth the extra cost if budget allows

Setting up an extender:

1. Plug it in at a midpoint outlet
2. Connect to the extender’s temporary WiFi
3. Open browser and follow setup wizard
4. Connect extender to your router’s WiFi
5. It usually creates a new network name (e.g., HomeWiFi_EXT)
6. Connect devices in dead zones to the extended network

Mesh upgrade path:

• If extenders aren’t enough or feel clunky
• Consider a mesh system:
  • Google WiFi
  • TP-Link Deco
  • Eero
• Three nodes typically cover most homes very well

My extender solution:

• One bedroom was a dead zone
• Bought a TP-Link RE220 (~$25)
• Placed it in the hallway, midway between router and bedroom
• Bedroom went from unusable to full bars
• Cheapest and fastest real-world fix
• Roughly 30% of issues can be solved this way

🧵 Problem #9: Solutions – Ethernet Backhaul

Wired connections to support wireless coverage.

What is Ethernet backhaul:

• A wired Ethernet link between router and a WiFi node or access point
• Removes wireless backhaul bottlenecks
• Preserves full speed to remote nodes
• Most reliable and highest-performance option

When Ethernet backhaul makes sense:

• New construction (you can pre-wire Cat6)
• Unfinished basements or accessible crawlspaces
• Easy attic access
• You want maximum performance and stability

Running Ethernet:

Through basement:

1. Run Cat6 cables along joists
2. Drill up into rooms where needed
3. Terminate with wall plates
4. Connect to router/switch and access points

Through attic:

1. Run Cat6 in attic space
2. Drill down into walls/ceilings
3. Terminate in rooms
4. Ideal for multi-story homes

Along baseboards:

• Use adhesive cable raceway
• Not hidden, but neat
• Great DIY option for rentals or a quick solution
• Costs around $20–30 for basic materials

Professional install:

• Hire electrician or low-voltage specialist
• $100–200 per drop (varies by region)
• Clean, in-wall installation
• Worth it for long-term setups

Alternatives to Ethernet:

MoCA (Ethernet over coax):

• Uses existing coaxial TV cables
• Real-world speeds: 1–2.5 Gbps
• Cost: $60–100 per adapter
• Excellent performance if you have coax available

Powerline adapters:

• Ethernet over electrical wiring
• Real-world speeds: 200–1000 Mbps (varies a lot)
• Cost: $40–80 per pair
• Quality depends heavily on house wiring

My Ethernet solution:

• Ran Cat6 cables through basement
• Connected opposite side of house to router
• Placed a mesh node using Ethernet backhaul at far end
• Achieved full gigabit speeds everywhere
• Coverage became flawless
• Around 15% of serious cases benefit from Ethernet backhaul

🚀 Problem #10: Solutions – Upgrade Router

Sometimes you just need better hardware.

When to upgrade:

• Router is 5+ years old
• Uses WiFi 4 (802.11n)
• Coverage still inadequate after optimizing placement and bands
• You have many devices and modern usage (4K, gaming, etc.)

Budget routers ($50–100):

• TP-Link Archer A7 (AC1750)
• Netgear R6700 (AC1750)
• ASUS RT-AC68U (AC1900)
• Good for small homes and apartments
• WiFi 5 technology

Mid-range routers ($100–200):

• TP-Link Archer AX55 (AX3000, WiFi 6)
• Netgear RAX45 (AX4300, WiFi 6)
• ASUS RT-AX86U (AX5700, WiFi 6)
• Better range and modern features
• Great balance of cost and performance

High-end routers ($200–400):

• ASUS RT-AX88U (AX6000)
• Netgear RAX200 (AX11000)
• TP-Link Archer AXE75 (AXE5400, WiFi 6E)
• Maximum performance and coverage
• Overkill for some homes, perfect for heavy users

Mesh systems (best for whole-home coverage):

• Google WiFi / Nest WiFi
• Eero / Eero Pro 6
• TP-Link Deco X55 and similar
• Use multiple nodes instead of one powerful router
• Seamless roaming and great coverage

My router upgrade:

• Old WiFi 4 router couldn’t keep up
• Tried extenders, which helped but didn’t fully solve it
• Upgraded to TP-Link Deco X55 mesh (3-pack, around $250)
• Coverage became rock solid in the entire house
• No more dead zones
• About 10% of cases truly need a full router/mesh upgrade

🏠 Building-Specific Issues

Different structures behave very differently.

Single-family homes:

• Typically drywall with wood studs
• Generally WiFi-friendly
• Central router + maybe one extender does the job
• Standard solutions work well

Apartments:

• Often concrete and steel
• Many neighboring networks
• Interference and wall loss combined
• Smaller space but tougher RF environment
• Mesh or multiple access points often needed

Condos/townhouses:

• Shared walls with neighbors
• Multi-floor
• Stacked vertically
• Central router on the middle floor helps
• Mesh system is ideal

Old houses (pre-1950):

• Plaster with metal lath
• Thick solid walls
• Worst case for WiFi
• Mesh with multiple nodes is almost mandatory
• Single router will never cover everything well

Modern houses:

• Energy-efficient construction
• Low-E windows that block RF
• Better insulation that also blocks signal
• Radiant barriers (metalized foil)
• Ironically harder for WiFi despite being “modern”

My old house:

• 1940s plaster/metal lath construction
• Single router solution was impossible
• Ended up with a 3-node mesh system
• Added Ethernet backhaul where possible
• Finally got adequate coverage
• Old construction is the hardest environment

✅ Complete Troubleshooting Checklist

Level 1: Free optimizations (about 30 minutes)

1. Move router to a more central location (even temporarily)
2. Elevate router to 5–6 feet on a shelf
3. Adjust antennas to perpendicular positions
4. Separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks (different SSIDs)
5. Connect far-away devices to 2.4 GHz
6. Change the WiFi channel (try 1, 6, or 11 on 2.4 GHz)

Level 2: Measurements (about 30 minutes)

1. Run speed tests in each room and note results
2. Use a WiFi Analyzer app to check signal strength (dBm)
3. Identify worst rooms (dead zones)
4. Count walls between router and dead zones
5. Identify wall types (magnet test for metal)
6. Check router age (5+ years = consider upgrade)

Level 3: Budget solutions ($25–50)

1. Buy a WiFi extender ($25–50)
2. Place it in a midpoint location (hallway is ideal)
3. Test coverage improvement
4. Adjust extender placement as needed
5. Use multiple extenders if necessary
6. Or consider upgrading to mesh if it still struggles

Level 4: Mid-range solutions ($100–300)

1. Upgrade to a WiFi 6 router ($100–200)
2. Or install a mesh system ($150–300)
3. Ensure optimal placement for router/nodes
4. Configure 2.4/5 GHz bands properly
5. Enjoy the dramatic improvement

Level 5: Advanced solutions (cost varies)

1. Run Ethernet cables (DIY or professional)
2. Use MoCA adapters over coax ($60–100)
3. Consider a professional WiFi survey ($100–200)
4. Deploy multiple access points with Ethernet backhaul
5. Aim for maximum performance and reliability

📚 Real-World Success Stories

Scenario 1: Band selection

• Problem: Bedroom WiFi was unusable
• Cause: Phone kept connecting to 5 GHz with poor range
• Solution: Separated SSIDs and connected bedroom devices to 2.4 GHz
• Result: Full, stable coverage in the bedroom
• Lesson: Band selection matters more than you think

Scenario 2: Router placement

• Problem: Router in basement, upstairs had dead zones
• Solution: Moved router to main floor hallway
• Result: Coverage across entire house improved dramatically
• Lesson: Central placement is critical

Scenario 3: Metal lath walls

• Problem: 1940s house, terrible WiFi through walls
• Cause: Plaster walls with metal mesh
• Solution: Installed 3-node mesh system
• Result: Adequate coverage everywhere
• Lesson: Old construction needs mesh and multiple nodes

Scenario 4: Simple extender

• Problem: One bedroom dead zone
• Solution: $30 TP-Link extender in hallway
• Result: Perfect coverage in that bedroom
• Lesson: The simplest solution often works

Scenario 5: Router upgrade

• Problem: 2011 WiFi 4 router with poor coverage
• Solution: Upgraded to WiFi 6 router
• Result: About 40% better range and stability
• Lesson: Modern technology makes a big difference

Scenario 6: Ethernet backhaul

• Problem: Large house, mesh system struggling wirelessly
• Solution: Ran Cat6 through basement to feed remote nodes
• Result: Gigabit speeds and rock-solid coverage everywhere
• Lesson: Wired is still the gold standard

📌 The Bottom Line

Key takeaways:

1. Wall material is the #1 factor – Metal lath, concrete, and brick are worst; drywall is best for WiFi.
2. Use 2.4 GHz for distance – 5 GHz is for speed but has terrible range through walls.
3. Central placement is essential – Router location and elevation determine coverage more than raw power.
4. WiFi extenders are the cheapest fix – $25–50, placed in a midpoint, can recover a dead room quickly.
5. Mesh is best for whole-home coverage – $150–300 can solve 80% of multi-room WiFi headaches.
6. Old houses almost always need mesh – Pre-1950 plaster/metal lath construction is WiFi-hostile.

Solution priority:

1. Separate 2.4/5 GHz networks, use 2.4 GHz for distant rooms (free, fixes ~20%)
2. Move router to a central, elevated location (free, fixes ~25%)
3. Add a WiFi extender in the hallway midpoint ($25–50, fixes ~30%)
4. Upgrade to a mesh system ($150–300, fixes ~80% of issues)
5. Add Ethernet backhaul where possible (varies, fixes up to ~95%)
6. Consider professional install if all else fails

Final advice:

Most WiFi signal issues between rooms are caused by wall construction and router placement, not “bad internet.” If you live in an older home with plaster walls, accept that a single router is never going to cover everything perfectly. A mesh system or multiple access points is the realistic solution.

In modern drywall homes, start with the free fixes: centralize and elevate your router, separate 2.4/5 GHz networks, and put distant rooms on 2.4 GHz. Those changes alone solve almost half of all coverage problems.

If that’s not enough, a $30 WiFi extender in the hallway between the router and the dead zone usually makes WiFi usable in stubborn rooms. For a cleaner, long-term setup that “just works,” a WiFi 6 mesh system like TP-Link Deco, Google WiFi, or Eero is designed specifically to solve this problem.

Don’t fight physics. 5 GHz WiFi simply doesn’t penetrate walls well. Use 2.4 GHz for reach and 5 GHz for speed, and match the right tool to the right room. And if your router is more than five years old, upgrading to a modern WiFi 6 model is one of the easiest ways to get better coverage through the same walls.