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Door staff@engadget.com (Erin Carson) - 19 Oct 2026
Odds are you probably want to stick your router somewhere inconspicuous, like a closet or a corner. Despite the aesthetic advantages of squirreling the device away, where you place the router could be slowing you down. XDA explained that when situated too close to drywall, for example, the router's signals bounce off the walls and back toward its antennae, in turn degrading that original signal.
The fix could be as simple as moving the router to a place like an open media console shelf, or at least three feet out from the corner. Once you do that, rerun the test and see if your speeds have improved.
Aside from where you position your router, you might also consider how many devices are connected to it. These days, phones and tablets are hardly the only devices on the Wi-Fi. You might have everything from wearables to home appliances connected, even if they're not always active at the same time. You'll want to pay attention to whether slowdowns happen when everyone is home and streaming or remain relatively consistent throughout the day, as that could be an indicator of what's going on. Most homes have at least 20 connected devices, according to Netgear. To keep up, you need not only a router with a fast processor that can accommodate a number of devices and that offers at least two frequency bands, but also enough bandwidth from your internet service provider.
Netgear also noted that Wi-Fi 7 introduced multi-link operation (MLO), which lets compatible devices use multiple bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz) at the same time, ideally creating connections that are both faster and more reliable.
The fix could be as simple as moving the router to a place like an open media console shelf, or at least three feet out from the corner. Once you do that, rerun the test and see if your speeds have improved.
Aside from where you position your router, you might also consider how many devices are connected to it. These days, phones and tablets are hardly the only devices on the Wi-Fi. You might have everything from wearables to home appliances connected, even if they're not always active at the same time. You'll want to pay attention to whether slowdowns happen when everyone is home and streaming or remain relatively consistent throughout the day, as that could be an indicator of what's going on. Most homes have at least 20 connected devices, according to Netgear. To keep up, you need not only a router with a fast processor that can accommodate a number of devices and that offers at least two frequency bands, but also enough bandwidth from your internet service provider.
Netgear also noted that Wi-Fi 7 introduced multi-link operation (MLO), which lets compatible devices use multiple bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz) at the same time, ideally creating connections that are both faster and more reliable.