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Although wireless routers have dropped in price recently purchasing or upgrading to a new wireless router is an expense that many do not want to take on unless absolutely necessary. If the primary issue that a user has with their existing router is poor signal strength there are several ways to boost the signal of a wireless router and all are within the abilities of almost any home computer user.
Change The Wireless Router's Location
Radio signals are susceptible to interference from many different sources, not all of them being electronic in origin. Metal objects near the wireless router can drastically affect the overall range of the router, and the only way to remove this problem is to move the router to a clearer area of the home of office.
Move the router away from metal filing cabinets, bookshelves, and electronic peripherals such as printers, monitors, and speakers. Make sure that the area around and behind the router's antennas is free and clear of metallic obstructions.
Another thing to consider about wireless routers is that they do not necessarily need to be located next to the computer or even the incoming Internet cable. Ethernet cables can run for a very long way without any signal degradation, so setting up a cable modem near the wall mounted cable jack and running an Ethernet cable from the modem to the router in another room may be a way to boost the signal of a wireless router to rooms or areas of the home that were previously unreachable.
Upgrade The Router's Firmware
For those that own an older router and want to avoid upgrading to a new one to increase range and throughput another option may be to upgrade the router's firmware. Manufacturers come out with firmware upgrades all of the time, usually to correct problems or to increase performance of the product. For users that own certain brands and models of wireless router this firmware upgrade can be taken to another extreme.
Many brands of wireless routers such as Linksys and Buffalo can have their router firmware upgraded with special third party firmware that unlocks or enhances features that the hardware was capable of using but had not been activated. Features such as increasing the router's transmission strength, adding port forwarding, and adding other special controls are all available to users that wish to upgrade to a third party firmware version.
Add A Wireless Repeater
If all else fails the easiest but most costly option is to add a wireless repeater in the area of the home that cannot receive an adequate signal. Wireless repeaters receive the signal from the wireless router and instantly send it out again at full strength. If a user is unable to find a dedicated wireless repeater some wireless access points can serve as repeaters by adjusting a setting in the access points configuration.
While it is true that purchasing a new wireless router is relatively inexpensive, discovering that a user can improve or upgrade their existing wireless hardware can be very satisfying. With a few simple adjustments or an hour's worth of research new life can be breathed into an older or poorly performing wireless router.
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