Placement Guidelines for a Wired Home Network Router

A home network router will allow you to connect multiple computers to a single Internet connection. When you choose to use a wired router for this, the placement of the router will play a big role in how well the signal can be reached by other computers in the house. Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding this.

Proximity to the Base Computer

For a wired home network router to work, you will need to have it connected to a computer. This computer should be one that you have full administrative access to. It's best for the computer to be as close to the main Internet connection as possible. If this is a phone line, you want to be sure to place the set-up close to a phone line. Same idea for cable networks. 

Proximity to Other Electronics

Interference from other electronic items can create connection issues for other users trying to access the network. With this in mind, don't place your router on top of other electronic items. This includes modems. Try to keep a good distance from the router itself and other computer add-ons.

Basements and Lower Levels

When you set up your home network, you need to understand that basements and lower levels of the home may not be ideal places to set the router. The signal will reach any devices in the same room, but it will be very difficult to get a signal outside the basement. Consider instead using a different method, or an addition to the router itself.

Consider Using an Access Point

Even in smaller homes you can run in to problems with a router sending a strong enough signal to reach computers behind walls or electrical structures. If you have your router set up in the living room, bedrooms may not be able to access the router effectively. This is also common in larger homes with more than one level, or for basements that are used as offices. To overcome this, you can use a wireless access point. An access point is wired to the router and will bypass any obstructions that cause interference. 

Using Signal Repeaters

A signal repeater is different than an access point in the aspect that it is still wireless. These can be placed in between the router and the other devices you want to connect to strengthen and bounce the signal from the router to the other devices. These can be difficult to set up. The repeater needs to be able to get a good signal from the router, but also close enough to the devices to send the signal out. If you choose to use a repeater in a larger home, or in between bedrooms, you may have to play around with the placement to find a good fit.