Slow Wi-Fi at home: where to place your router before the holidays

In a few weeks, the house will be full: family, friends, and with them phones, tablets and game consoles that will all want to connect. If your Wi-Fi is already slow in the back bedroom or in the basement, now is the right time to deal with it. The good news: most often, the problem does not come from your plan, but from where the router sits. Here is what to check, in order.

First, find where the slowness comes from

Before moving anything, run a simple test: plug a computer directly into the modem with a network cable and measure the speed. If it is close to your plan's speed, the line is fine: the Wi-Fi is what slows things down. The steps are in our frequently asked questions.

If the speed is low even by cable, restart the modem (unplug it for 10 seconds), then call us if nothing changes. In all other cases, keep reading: the rest is fixed at home, without changing plans.

Slow Wi-Fi: where the router sits matters more than you think

The Wi-Fi signal leaves the router in every direction and weakens with distance and obstacles. The farther away a device is, the slower the connection. The Government of Canada, in its “Get Cyber Safe” advice, in fact recommends placing the router near the middle of the home rather than near a window: the signal covers your rooms better and spills over less to the neighbours.

• In the centre of your home, on the floor where you use the Internet the most, rather than in a corner of the basement.
• In the open and up high: on a shelf or a piece of furniture, not in a closed cabinet or behind a large appliance.
• Away from what disrupts the signal: the microwave oven, the base of a cordless phone, large metal surfaces and concrete walls.

The modem has to stay near the cable outlet, but the router can often be moved a few metres away with a longer network cable. That small move is sometimes enough to change everything.

2.4 GHz or 5 GHz: the right band for the right device

Most recent routers broadcast two networks. As tech columnist François Charron explains in his guide to Wi-Fi at home (May 17, 2023), the 5 GHz band is faster and more stable, but it does not reach as far and does not go through walls as well. The 2.4 GHz band is slower, but it reaches farther.

In practice: demanding devices that are close to the router (high-definition video, online games, video calls) go on 5 GHz; those that are far away or need little (a printer, a smart thermostat) stay on 2.4 GHz.

A cable is always faster than Wi-Fi

A network cable connection remains faster and more stable than wireless. If a device never moves and is used a lot, such as the office computer or the game console, plug it into the router by cable. At the same time, you free up the Wi-Fi for your guests' phones and tablets.

Your home phone, for its part, does not depend on Wi-Fi: the adapter for the home phone line plugs into the modem or the router by cable.

An old router can slow everyone down

A router that is more than a few years old can top out well below your plan's speed, especially when several devices are connected at the same time. A recent Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 model often solves the problem. At Club Internet, the modem is a free rental and you can plug in the Wi-Fi router of your choice.

Is the house large or on several floors? A signal extender, plugged into an outlet halfway, relays the Wi-Fi to the far rooms. It costs a little speed, but that is better than no signal. Place it where the signal is still good, not where it is already weak.

Before the visit: a strong password

A poorly protected network can be used by others, which slows it down and exposes your devices. The Government of Canada's “Get Cyber Safe” advice comes down to three steps:

1. Change the router's original network name and password: the ones that come from the factory are known to fraudsters.
2. Choose a passphrase, long and easy to remember, rather than a short word. You will be able to tell it to your guests without writing it on the fridge.
3. Keep your devices up to date: router, computers, phones and smart devices.

And if all that is not enough?

If the speed is good by cable but the family is large and everyone is watching, playing and working at the same time, the plan may have become too small: the speed is shared among all devices. Our unlimited cable Internet plans start at $34.95 per month and go up to 450 Mbps, with no data limit and no contract. Call us at 1 833 541-2582: we will advise you based on your real use.

Not a customer yet? Check your address in a few seconds to find out whether the service is offered at your home, or place your order online. To choose your speed, also read how to compare Internet plans.

Sources: Government of Canada, Get Cyber Safe (Pensez cybersécurité), “Private networks” page, modified October 27, 2021 (consulted November 10, 2026); François Charron and Vincent Paquette, francoischarron.com, “Comment optimiser et augmenter la vitesse internet de votre réseau Wi-Fi à la maison”, May 17, 2023.