It can be hard to determine the best location for your WIFI router in your home or business. You want to be sure that the router will easily deliver internet access to your entire building, and it can be tempting to consider locations that are out of the way, like closets or cabinets.
You can put your WIFI router in a closet or cabinet, but this can be a very challenging place to put this kind of device. Routers need to have a clear zone with no objects around them to operate with optimum capacity. Putting your WIFI Router into this kind of space can block signals and make dead spots inside your business or home.
If you are ready to learn more about whether or not you can put your WIFI router into a closet or a cabinet, you need to read on!
Why should the WIFI Router not be Placed in a Closet/ Cabinet?
1. Speed Limitations
The speed can be greatly limited when you place a WIFI router in a space like a closet or a cabinet. When you limit your router’s speed, you will directly impact your ability to do your work or even browse online daily.
Limiting the speed of your browser can render it mostly useless for your needs. You should never do anything that will negatively impact your router’s speed if you want it to take care of your needs each day.
2. Reduced Signal Strength
There is a common myth that says that putting your router into a closet will cause the signal to be stronger due to it bouncing off the walls of the small space. This is not actually how routers work, and you will find that placing your router in this kind of space will actually directly impact your signal strength.
You might even make your router stop sending signals to large areas of your location just by placing it inside a closet.
3. Coverage Area Reduction
When you place your router inside a small space that is closed off, you will reduce the coverage area that it can offer. This means that you might actually be preventing large segments of your home or business from getting signals.
Routers are not made to be closed inside these kinds of spaces, and doing so will directly impact their ability to function optimally.
4. No Electrical Access
When you choose a closet for your router, you will almost always have to do additional work to add an outlet to plug it in and connections for the ethernet. This can add a lot of cost to the installation process.
Since you will not be gaining any other benefits from placing your router in this location, you should not commit to the extra costs needed to install these necessary items in the closet space just for the router.
Best place to put wifi router in 3 story house
One of the key reasons that you will not want to place your router in a closet or a cabinet is that these locations are often not at the center of your home or business.
Your router will perform its best when it is at the center of the area that it needs to provide coverage. If you do not place your router at the center of the location where you are providing internet, too, you will make dead spaces.
If you also block the signal it is sending out by closing it into a small space, you will make it almost impossible for your router to work properly.
Placing WiFi Router Near Windows
If you place your router near a window, you will suffer some of the same issues that you will have when it is placed in a closet. Some signals will be sent outside rather than delivered to a usable location inside your home or business.
Your router might have to be somewhat close to a window, but you should avoid having it directly against the window because you do not want to lock it in a closet.
No matter which location you have picked for your router, it needs to be able to deliver signals from the most central location without being blocked by walls or the confines of a cabinet.
Other Considerations
Routers are not designed to transmit signals through closed spaces; you will want to ensure that your router is in a space where it can clearly transmit its signal. While it can be tempting to lock your router up to keep it safe from being knocked over or damaged, you will only be rendering it useless to you.
Your router needs to be placed somewhere that will be reasonably safe but you should not lock it up in a small space if you want it to work its best.
Pro Tip: No matter what kind of router you have, you will want to be sure that you have placed it as close to the center of your home or business as possible. This will prevent impediments to the signal and will make sure that you are getting signals to every part of the building.
In the end
While it can be tempting to place your router in a fully enclosed location to prevent damage to the router, this is not a helpful choice to make for the router’s overall performance.
You might be able to place your router in a protected location that will not block the signal so that it will not be harmed if someone bumps into it or brushes past it. This is usually the best course of action, and it is a much better idea than enclosing the router in a location that will prevent it from delivering optimal performance for your needs.
