Test wifi range upgrade#
Test wifi range series#

Ry Crist/CNET Other considerationsĮven with those whole-home averages secured, my testing typically isn't done there. My speed tests also give me a good look at latency, and a good opportunity to draw up some radar graphs, and honestly, who can say no to that. Running half of my tests with a front-to-back connection and the other half with a back-to-front connection gives me the best, most accurate look at a given router's real-world speeds - and it often helps me identify finicky routers that struggle to perform as well at range. Some routers will struggle to recognize when a distant device has moved closer and adapt the connection accordingly. Why do it like that? Your distance from the router when you connect will often make a significant impact on the quality of your connection, especially with routers that juggle your connection between the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, or between multiple satellite mesh devices. Then, I run the same battery of tests, but in reverse - I start in the back of the house and move closer to the router, room-by-room.

At this point, I disconnect from the router and reconnect while still in that back bathroom. I finish in my home's back bathroom - that dreaded dead zone I mentioned earlier. I continue these tests in three more spots throughout my home, each one at a greater distance from the router.

Test wifi range series#

I record the upload, download and latency results in a spreadsheet, then I move a little further from the router into my kitchen, where I run another series of tests. Then, I run multiple speed tests on Ookla, one of our top-recommended speed-testing sites. I begin by connecting in the living room, just a few feet away from the router. Ry Crist/CNETįrom there, it's time to start the speed tests, which I run on a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop that supports Wi-Fi 6. (Routers with stars next to their names were tested before Wi-Fi 6, with a Wi-Fi 5 client device). Getting this data together is a multiday process for each router I test - and in 2022, I'll be retesting many of these models on a gigabit network with faster top speeds. This graph shows the overall average upload and download speeds of each mesh router I've tested at home on a 300Mbps fiber network. Those reviews help CNET make money by way of advertisements on the page and also referral links, where CNET earns a small commission whenever someone buys a product using the links on our site, but none of that impacts the products we select for review or our opinions of their capabilities, which we'll always communicate clearly and honestly, backed by data from exhaustive tests.

Test wifi range upgrade#

Whether you're looking for a high-speed upgrade or just need something reliable - and affordable - our goal is to help demystify your options. That's why we've dedicated time to testing and reviewing the top selections from the router aisle. Questions like those get confusing fast, and perhaps a little intimidating if home networking isn't your strong suit. In that case, buying your own router could pay for itself within a few years - but which one is best for your home? Is it worth it to upgrade to a mesh router with multiple satellite devices, or maybe a router that supports Wi-Fi 6? What about Wi-Fi 6E, which adds in access to the exclusive, ultrawide 6GHz band? Most internet service providers will lease you a router (or a gateway modem device with the router built-in), but you can often do better by buying your own hardware outright - and in a lot of cases, using your own router will let you skip an equipment rental fee, too. Along with finding the right internet plan for you and your family, that also means that you'll want a dependable router managing your wireless connection. The past couple of years have made the importance of a steady internet connection at home abundantly clear.