The Leetek guides

Home Wi-Fi

Find weak spots, place equipment sensibly and work out what is slowing a connection.

A wireless router on an open sideboard with space around it

Home Wi-Fi

Where to put your router before buying anything else

A better position can help a router reach the places you use most. Before changing settings or ordering extra hardware, try a small, repeatable placement test.

Home Wi-Fi

Why Wi-Fi is slow in one room

Compare one device in a few carefully chosen places before deciding that a troublesome room needs more equipment.

An Ethernet cable connected to a home router

Home Wi-Fi

Is it the internet connection or the Wi-Fi?

A connection has several stages. Testing them separately helps you avoid replacing the router for a problem elsewhere.

Two mesh Wi-Fi nodes in separate adjoining rooms

Home Wi-Fi

Placing mesh nodes where they can help

A mesh node needs a useful connection back to the network as well as a useful position near your devices.

Ethernet ports on the back of a home router

Home Wi-Fi

When a wired mesh connection makes sense

Ethernet backhaul can help a distant mesh unit, but the system, ports and cable route all need to support the plan.

A wireless router with four upright antennas

Home Wi-Fi

Choosing between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

The best band depends on the device, distance and task. A bigger number is not an automatic improvement.

Home Wi-Fi

Setting up a useful guest network

A guest network can make visitor access simpler while keeping everyday household devices on their usual connection.

Home Wi-Fi

Changing a Wi-Fi name without losing track of devices

A clearer network name is easy to recognise, but changing it can leave saved devices looking for the old connection.

Power and network connections on the back of a router

Home Wi-Fi

Restarting a router without reaching for Reset

A normal restart and a factory reset have very different consequences. Identify the control before touching it.

A person checking a speed-test gauge on a laptop beside a router

Home Wi-Fi

Running a speed test that answers a real question

Choose whether you are testing the incoming service, a particular room or one device, then keep the comparison consistent.

Household members using separate computers and a tablet

Home Wi-Fi

Sharing a connection in a busy household

When calls, streams and downloads overlap, identify the busy activity before paying for a faster package.

A laptop on a garden table with the router kept indoors

Home Wi-Fi

Getting a reliable connection near the garden

Start with the place you will sit and the route back indoors. Outdoor coverage needs more than a strong-looking signal icon.

A router in a cramped cupboard with its door open

Home Wi-Fi

Why a router in a cupboard can be awkward

A cupboard can hide the router neatly while making its signal, ventilation and controls harder to manage.

A network cable clipped neatly along a skirting board

Home Wi-Fi

Running one Ethernet cable neatly at home

One well-planned cable can make a fixed desk easier to connect without turning the room into a wiring project.

Two UK powerline adapters and a short Ethernet cable

Home Wi-Fi

What to check before trying powerline adapters

Powerline adapters use existing electrical wiring, so the building and socket arrangement matter as much as the box specification.

Home Wi-Fi

Keeping or replacing the router from your provider

A replacement router is only useful if it fits the incoming service and fixes a limitation you can identify.

A person taking a work call at a home desk

Home Wi-Fi

Making a work call more reliable over Wi-Fi

For an important call, reduce uncertainty in the connection and test the whole calling setup before the meeting starts.

A notebook listing a laptop, phone and printer beside home devices

Home Wi-Fi

Keeping a simple list of connected devices

A modest device list can make a router replacement or an unexplained offline message much easier to handle.

A wireless router illuminated in pink and blue

Home Wi-Fi

Changing the home Wi-Fi password carefully

Plan for the devices that will disconnect, and keep router administration details separate from the network password.

Clearly labelled status lights on a home router

Home Wi-Fi

Reading router lights without guessing

Router lights are model-specific clues. Record the pattern and look up its meaning before deciding what to restart.