What Causes WiFi to Only Work When You are Close to the Router?

It is quite frustrating when your router starts to underperform. One needs to perform the troubleshooting steps when the Wi-Fi signal becomes weak. Usually, a router device has a range of 50 to 150 feet but this also depends on the model you are using. Here, we are going to discuss some points that can help you have a better signal strength.

What Leads to a Poor WiFi Signal?

Your router unit's placement and the way in which the antennas are positioned directly impact the signal strength. One thing that impacts the range the most is the positioning of your router device. The best placement for the router would be a central location from where you can get the desired coverage.

Also, you need to make sure that it is kept away from all the interferences such as electrical components, power wires, metals, etc. In case your router device has antennas that can be adjusted, then it can improve the vertical and horizontal range of signals. In case adjusting the antennas does not work, then check the settings of your wireless router.

How to Check the Settings of Your Wireless Router?

In order to use your router, you need to have the IP address of your device. Usually, the IP address is written on the base of the router. To check the settings of your router device.

1) Check the Settings of Your Router Device

To access the settings of your router device, launch your internet browser. After that, enter the IP address in the location bar of your router. Now, the login page of your router will open up.

The default username and password of your router is "admin". in case the network administrator has changed the password, then you will have to enter those details.

Enter the username and password of your router and then press enter or click on login. Now, the administration page of your router will open up.

2) Which Settings Impact the Range of Your Wireless Router?

Go to the Advanced Settings and then check the Transmit Power setting. Please make sure that it is 100% as below 100% can reduce the transmission range. Other things that can affect the performance of your router.

    Channel Setting

This setting decides the channel that is going to broadcast the signal. There is a maximum of 11 channels and modern router devices select the channel that has been least used. This is significant in the areas where there are many networks and there is a lot of crossing over of networks. Therefore, changing the static signal can enhance performance.


There is a chance that the firmware that is installed on your router is outdated. Go to the website of the manufacturer and make sure you are using the latest firmware of the model that you are using.

So, these are all the things that you can try out to improve the signal strength of your router. This can help you fix the problem of why wifi only works near the router.

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