Wifi Works Downstairs But Not Upstairs

No ane likes to accept a weak wifi signal, but even with modern routers it even so happens and is more likely the further away you are from your router. The more obstacles (walls, doors, floors, people, furniture) a wifi signal has to travel through before information technology reaches a device from the router, the more than probable the signal is to exist disrupted and weakened and the more likely yous are to feel lag in gaming or buffering in videos.

This problem obviously gets more common if you are trying to utilize the internet upstairs and your router is downstairs. The signal is more likely to drop out and cause lag, buffering or slow loading pages for people on the outset floor or above in the dwelling.

There are some quick steps we tin accept to endeavor and set this, which we'll cover immediately beneath, simply what if these don't piece of work and we all the same have a weak Wi-Fi signal upstairs?

Thankfully, there are are diversity of abode networking solutions which can help to solve this problem, ranging from basic single plug extender models, to powerline adapters, to total on mesh systems, to boost wireless and wired connectivity in the abode. Nosotros'll embrace all of these options, listing the pro's and cons of each for dissimilar situations.

One style or some other, in that location commonly is a way to fix weak Wi-Fi signals upstairs and become a better connection even at distance from the router on the first or second floors of a property. Let'due south go through some quick solutions and then some more in depth options you take to solve this problem.

Quick Fire Tips For Fixing Weak Wi-Fi Upstairs

Hither are some very quick steps yous tin can try and take to fix a weak Wi-Fi bespeak upstairs.

• Reset your router and devices.
• Attempt to motility your router and devices closer together, if possible.
• If there are any obvious and clear obstructions between your router and device that tin exist moved, then move them. (eg. movable article of furniture, stands, racks, household or DIY "stuff" lying around etc.)
• Try and get on a wired connexion by running a long ethernet cablevision through the house if you can do this or desire to. See our article on creating a wired dwelling network for links to resources to assistance you practise this. We get this is not practical for anybody – see the beneath sections for other solutions.
• Check if you can at least go a proper connectedness plugged into your router. If not, the router itself may be broken, and y'all'll demand to contact your Internet service provider for repair or replacement.
• If you accept had your current router a long fourth dimension, also contact your Isp and see if there is a more up to date router they can send yous with meliorate performance.
• Signals may exist weaker in full general at busy peak times when lots of people are using the cyberspace at the same time. Try again at quieter times or try plugging into your router instead,

These are pretty obvious solutions but are worth trying as a short term fix, whilst working on a more permanent solution. If your problem with weak Wi-Fi upstairs is a one-off or rare event, so doing one of these things may prepare it, just if it's more common or permanent, that'southward when you'll likely have to invest in some kind of home networking solution to get a meliorate all round signal.

But this can all be very confusing, between Wi-Fi boosters, extenders, powerlines and mesh systems, which one is best in which circumstances, and how much does these things cost?

This is what we'll cover in the balance of this post, going through all the different home networking solutions yous can try to fix the problem of weak Wi-Fi upstairs, detailing the relative costs of each solutions, and when each might be better for you.

Basic Solution – Wi-Fi Range Extenders (Boosters)

If you've got a problem with weak Wi-Fi in the home, and so the well-nigh basic home networking product you can try to solve this is a simple range extender, sometimes also known every bit a signal boosters or Wi-Fi boosters.

These are unproblematic single plug adapters that y'all plug into the wall, and they "capture" and amplify the existing bespeak from the router, hopefully spreading it more reliably to more remote parts of the firm, including upstairs.

And that's really information technology for range extenders. They are a more basic product that aim to boost the Wi-Fi signal further. Loads of dissimilar models are available.

Run across the video beneath for an excellent 2 minute demonstration of how Wi-Fi range extender models work. They work best when installed in direct line of sight of the router.

Here are the situations when a Wi-Fi Range Extender Model might exist a good option:

• For getting a meliorate indicate upstairs for lower bandwidth activities like basic browsing, emails, coincidental wearisome paced online games, perhaps light streaming.
• If you need to extend the point just to i specific room or corner of the firm, or to a specific device (eg. habitation office in the room side by side to the router).
• If you live in a open plan apartment.
• They piece of work best over curt to medium distances, and in open up plan spaces. They may or may not work well in more traditional habitation layouts.
• Performance of range extenders tin can exist hit and miss, since yous are still on Wi-Fi, even if it'south boosted. Some people get great results using extenders; others less then.
• You don't have a massive upkeep. Range extenders tin can be bought for very inexpensive prices.

Here are two popular Range Extenders models (click affiliate links below to view products on Amazon):

Netgear Wi-Fi Range Extender EX3700 – Cheaper lower stop extender model, but still has decent average review scores from plenty of ratings. Easy setup, small detached white plug design, and generally reported to accept decent range. Also has an ethernet port to connect upward a wired device if needed.

TP Link AC1750 RE 450 Range Extender – Generally well reviewed, easy setup, and delivers very good throughput in a large number of cases. More towards the pricey cease though for single plug Range Extenders.

Range Extenders are the simplest of the home networking solutions for weak Wi-Fi

More than Advanced Solution – Powerline Adapters

If you are wanting a more advanced solution, then a powerline adapter is ane step upward from a range extender or Wi-Fi Booster.

Powerline adapters consist of two adapter plugs instead of one, and are practiced for bypassing Wi-Fi altogether and creating a wired connection upstairs instead. Y'all plug one adapter in and connect it to your router, you plug the other adapter in and connect it to your device.

The two plugs then communicate through the electrical wiring of the business firm to deliver a wired net connection to your device, effectively turning your wall socket into an cyberspace connectedness.

They are a clever and under-utilized abode networking solution that can very effectively evangelize a potent internet connection upstairs, or to any other office of the house further abroad from the router, where the Wi-Fi signal may be weak and inconsistent.

Come across the video below for an excellent 2 minute demonstration of how powerline adapters piece of work.

Click here to view the entry level TP Link Nano powerline on Amazon. See our page on powerline adapters for more models.

The fact that powerline adapters evangelize a wired connection can give them some clear advantages over Wi-Fi Range Extenders in some cases.

Here is when a powerline adapter may be a good choice for y'all:

• You are doing some more heavy duty things like HD streaming, and need the best possible connectedness to deliver the most bandwidth possible.
• Netflix streamers, YouTube streamers etc. Annihilation where yous would rather accept a wired connection if possible but are too far abroad from the router to run a cablevision directly.
• You are playing games online upstairs in a more serious manner, where yous demand low ping and a stable connection. A wired connection is better than Wi-Fi for this – see our post where we cover this.
• Y'all are a long style from the router upstairs, and are not sure a simple Range Extenders is going to extend the signal far plenty (their performance does vary)
• The electrical wiring in your house is in skillful condition to let the adapters to communicate, and is wired normally, running off just one meter or feed.
• If you as well desire to connect wireless portable devices, like tablets, iPhones etc, and so more advanced wireless powerline adapter models are available, which deliver a cloned Wi-Fi access signal likewise as ethernet connections.
• In rare cases, powerline adapters may non work very well, if the firm wiring is in poor condition, or the circuitry is unusual. Meet our article for more on these rare cases.

When they work well, powerline adapters can deliver near of the bandwidth you'd get plugged direct into the router, and virtually identical latency or ping. See our article where nosotros tested this. They can also evangelize a more reliable connexion than Wi-Fi, and in this sense can be adept for solving the problem of weak Wi-Fi upstairs.

Top Range Solution – Wi-Fi Mesh Systems

If you lot don't like the audio of either range extenders or powerline adapters, and desire a more comprehensive wireless only networking solution that volition evangelize a stronger signal upstairs, and all through the business firm in full general, than a Wi-Fi Mesh Arrangement may be something else to consider.

These can be seen as more advanced (and more than expensive) versions of the simpler range extender models.

Mesh systems consist of a kit of ii or three pods or "nodes" that yous place in certain parts of the house, to boost and amplify the wireless signal

In this sense, they piece of work in a like manner to extenders, simply by using more advanced and reliable applied science. They are much more expensive as a result.

You connect one node to your existing router, and this becomes your new "main" router. Yous then place the other i or ii pods around the dwelling so they can capture and boost wireless coverage more reliably upstairs and to all parts of the home.

See the video for a demonstration of how mesh systems work.

Click hither to view the popular Netgear Orbi Mesh router on Amazon. Encounter our Mesh Systems folio for links to some other models.

Here are some cases when Wi-Fi Mesh Systems may be a good pick, despite the greater cost:

• You live in a big two storey or three storey dwelling house, with some people a long way from the router, and actually want to guarantee better wireless coverage to all parts of the house upstairs.
• Yous take multiple users in different parts of the home (upstairs and elsewhere), not just in one room, who all demand a more reliable connection for streaming etc.
• Yous don't desire to use wired connections at all, and want to stay on wireless merely for convenience.
• Your connectivity bug are with portable devices that tin can only employ Wi-Fi anyway and range extenders aren't a good choice.
• Budget is less of an event and you lot are willing to spend a bit more money to solve the trouble.

Wi-Fi Mesh Systems are a much more sophisticated solution, and take become quite reliable every bit the manufacturers have perfected the technology since they began to be widely sold several years agone. They'll set y'all dorsum more, but can actually assist in larger homes when yous need a good signal over a larger surface area.

Summary

Let'south just quickly go over your options once more in terms of products for getting a better Wi-Fi signal upstairs:

• Simple Solution – Range Extenders – Single plug boosters, skilful for shorter distances, lighter internet use. Cheaper selection. Click hither to view extenders on Amazon.
• More Avant-garde Solution – Powerline Adapters – Adept for delivering wired connections for gaming and streaming. Wireless models also available for more than all circular solution.
• Tiptop Range Solution – Mesh Systems – More avant-garde, expensive kits. Deliver better wireless signals over a larger area. Encounter our folio on them. Good for large homes.

Source: https://weakwifisolutions.com/solutions-for-weak-wi-fi-signal-upstairs/

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