--- title: Where to Put Your Router for a Strong Wi-Fi Signal url: https://hdiss.net/guides/where-to-put-your-router/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Guides](https://hdiss.net/guides/) - Where to put your router # Where to put your router Put the router as high and as central as you can, in the open, with a clear line toward the rooms you use most, and away from metal, mirrors, fish tanks and the microwave. High Desert's cable comes in at the indoor power injector, so ask the technician on install day about running the cable to the spot you want. A Wi-Fi router on a shelf. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) On this page - [What makes a good router spot?](#what-makes-a-good-router-spot) - [What blocks the signal most?](#what-blocks-the-signal-most) - [How does fixed wireless change the plan?](#how-does-fixed-wireless-change-the-plan) - [What if the ideal Wi-Fi spot is far from the cable?](#what-if-the-ideal-wi-fi-spot-is-far-from-the-cab) - [How do you test a spot before you commit?](#how-do-you-test-a-spot-before-you-commit) A router in the wrong place can cut your Wi-Fi in half before a single bit leaves the house. The rules for a good spot are simple, and with fixed wireless there is one extra thing to plan: the cable that feeds the router comes from where the outdoor antenna was mounted. ## Takeaways - Center of the house, up off the floor, out of cabinets and away from metal. - Walls matter more than distance. Stucco, brick, masonry and metal siding are the worst. - The cable from the power injector sets where the router can go; plan it before install day. - A mesh or a second access point is better than a router in the garage. ## What makes a good router spot? Think of the router as a lamp. You want the light in the middle of the rooms you use, not in a corner behind a couch. Place it near the center of the house if you can, on a shelf or table at about chest height or higher. Keep the antennas upright if it has them. Leave a few feet of open space around it, and do not shut it in a cabinet, a media closet or a desk drawer. Radio signals go out in every direction, including down. A router on the floor sends a lot of its energy into the slab. A router on a second-floor landing or a high shelf reaches both floors better than one in the basement or crawlspace. ## What blocks the signal most? Materials do. Wood framing, drywall and glass pass signals well. Brick, stucco over wire lath, concrete block, a stone fireplace, tile in a shower wall and a mirror take a lot. Large metal objects, such as a refrigerator, a safe, a metal desk or a water heater, reflect it. Water absorbs it, which is why a big aquarium next to the router can cause trouble. Neighbors' routers on the same channel add noise but do not block anything. Many houses in this region have stucco, adobe or metal walls. If yours does, read [the guide on stucco, adobe and metal walls](https://hdiss.net/guides/stucco-adobe-and-metal-walls/) for the extras to plan on. Keep the router a few feet from cordless phones, baby monitors and the microwave, which use the same 2.4 GHz band. ## How does fixed wireless change the plan? High Desert mounts an outdoor antenna and radio where they can see a tower, and runs a cable inside to a power supply and injector, as the service agreement describes. Your router connects to the injector by Ethernet, into the router's internet port. That means the router has to be within a cable run of the injector, unless you run a longer cable of your own afterward. Ask the technician before the work starts where you want the router. The cable path through the wall is easier to choose with you standing there. If you want the router in a central hallway but the antenna is on the garage gable, say so and ask what is practical. Nothing about the router's final place needs to be decided in advance on the phone; the technician and the office can look at it with you. See [how to get ready for your install](https://hdiss.net/guides/how-to-get-ready-for-your-install/). ## What if the ideal Wi-Fi spot is far from the cable? You have two sound options. Put the router near the injector and add a second access point or a mesh node where you need coverage, joined by an Ethernet cable if you can run one. Or keep the router where the cable is and use a wired link to the places that need strong service, such as the office desk. A wireless extender that repeats a weak signal gives weaker results than either. The [mesh guide](https://hdiss.net/guides/whole-home-wifi-and-mesh/) covers when a second unit helps. ## How do you test a spot before you commit? Move the router for a day with a long cable if you have one. Stand where you work and run a speed test at each spot, noting the result. A phone running a test in each room gives a quick map. The right spot is the one that gives acceptable results where you use Wi-Fi, not where the number is highest. The [dead spots article](https://hdiss.net/support/wifi-dead-spots/) has a short procedure. Never go up on the roof to adjust the antenna or handle its cable. If a move needs the outdoor equipment touched, call the office at 775-575-9593 any day 9 to 5, and a technician comes. ### Sources - [hdiss.net/services/](https://hdiss.net/internet-plans/) (High Desert plan cards, read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/terms-of-use/](https://hdiss.net/service-agreement/) (HDISS Service Agreement V 1.12, read 10/15/26) - [consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-secure-your-home-wi-fi-network](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-secure-your-home-wi-fi-network) (FTC, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/) ### Keep reading - [The internet is fine but the Wi-Fi is slow: how to tell](https://hdiss.net/guides/internet-fine-but-wifi-slow/) - [Whole-home Wi-Fi and mesh: when you need it](https://hdiss.net/guides/whole-home-wifi-and-mesh/) - [Set up a new router](https://hdiss.net/support/set-up-a-new-router/) - [Wi-Fi dead spots](https://hdiss.net/support/wifi-dead-spots/) - [How installation works](https://hdiss.net/installation/) - [The equipment](https://hdiss.net/equipment/) ## More on wi-fi and home network - [The internet is fine but the Wi-Fi is slow: how to tell](https://hdiss.net/guides/internet-fine-but-wifi-slow/): Plug one computer into the router with a cable and test it. If the wired result is close to your plan's up-to speed and the Wi-Fi result is far lower, the line is fine and the problem is inside your house. - [Whole-home Wi-Fi and mesh: when you need it](https://hdiss.net/guides/whole-home-wifi-and-mesh/): You need mesh when one router in the middle of the house cannot reach the far rooms with a usable signal, and a cable to a second unit is the way to get the most from it. For a small or open house, one well-placed router - [Wi-Fi to a shop, barn or guest house](https://hdiss.net/guides/wifi-to-a-shop-barn-or-guest-house/): The most dependable way to reach a detached building is a buried Ethernet or fiber cable to an access point inside it. A point-to-point wireless bridge is the next choice, and a signal pushed through the air from the hou ## Questions people ask ### Should the router go next to the TV? Only if the TV is central. Many homes put the router there because the cable comes to that wall, which makes the rest of the house suffer. ### Does it help to point the antennas? Upright is fine for most routers. On a two-story house, tilting one antenna sideways can help the upper floor on models that have more than one.