Improving Wi-Fi Speed and Coverage at Home
Your internet plan sets the maximum speed available to your home, but what you actually experience on your laptop, phone or smart TV depends heavily on your Wi-Fi setup. A fast plan paired with a poorly placed router can still feel slow in the bedroom or backyard. This guide covers the most effective, low-cost changes you can make to get faster, more reliable Wi-Fi throughout your home.
Note
If you do nothing else, move your router out of a cupboard or cabinet and onto an open shelf, off the floor, near the centre of your home. This single change fixes more Wi-Fi complaints than almost anything else.
Check your router and devices support modern Wi-Fi standards
Speed is only as good as the weakest link in the chain. Make sure:
- Your router supports Wi-Fi 6 or newer — older Wi-Fi 4/5 routers cap your maximum possible speed regardless of your plan.
- Your devices (phones, laptops, smart TVs) support the same generation of Wi-Fi as your router. An older device connected to a modern router will still only get the older, slower connection type.
Where you put your router matters more than you'd think
Router placement is the single biggest factor in whole-home coverage. Aim for:
- Central and raised. Place the router in a central location in your home, off the floor — on a shelf or table rather than the ground.
- Open space, not hidden away. Avoid cupboards, cabinets, or behind furniture. Enclosed spaces trap and weaken the signal before it even leaves the room.
- Close to where you actually use it. Put the router near the rooms where the most devices are used most often, rather than wherever the phone line or NBN connection box happens to be.
- Line of sight. Wi-Fi signal weakens every time it has to pass through an object. The fewer walls, doors and floors between your router and your devices, the stronger and faster your connection will be.
Know what's killing your signal
Not all household objects are equal when it comes to blocking Wi-Fi:
| Impact | Examples |
|---|---|
| Major signal blockers | Metal doors, large appliances (fridges, ovens), mirrors, solid brick or concrete walls, floors and ceilings |
| Moderate blockers | Interior walls, furniture, glass windows |
| Signal absorbers | Fish tanks, fridges, hot water systems — anything with a large volume of liquid |
| Electronic interference | Microwave ovens, baby monitors, cordless phones/radios, and other Bluetooth devices operating on similar frequencies |
If a room has patchy Wi-Fi, look at what's physically between it and the router — a fish tank, a mirrored wardrobe, or a brick feature wall can be the culprit even if the distance looks short.
Let your router manage its own bands
Most modern routers broadcast on multiple frequency bands — typically 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and increasingly 6GHz — and automatically assign each device to the best one for its location and needs. This is usually called Band Steering and is switched on by default. In general, it's best left alone; if you think it needs adjusting for a specific device or use case, contact your provider's support team rather than changing it yourself.
Remember everyone is sharing the same connection
An average household now has around 25 devices connected to Wi-Fi at once — phones, laptops, smart TVs, speakers, security cameras, and more. Think of your plan's speed as a pie: every connected device takes a slice, whether it's actively streaming or just idling in the background. If speeds feel slow during peak hours, check how many devices are connected and consider disconnecting ones you're not using.
Use Ethernet for anything that stays in one place
For devices that don't move — a smart TV, games console, desktop PC, or work-from-home setup — a wired Ethernet connection is faster and more stable than Wi-Fi, and it takes that device's demand off your wireless network entirely, freeing up capacity for everything else. When running or replacing cabling, use Category 6 (CAT6) cable or better for best performance, since older cabling degrades over time and can bottleneck an otherwise fast connection.
Consider a mesh network for larger or multi-storey homes
If your home is large, multi-storey, or has awkward layouts that a single router can't reach well, a Wi-Fi mesh network — multiple linked routers or access points placed around the home — extends strong coverage everywhere, rather than relying on one router to cover every room. This scales more reliably than a single high-powered router and avoids the dead zones and drop-outs common with one-device setups. If you're renovating, it's also worth having an electrician run in-wall Ethernet cabling and install wall ports in high-use rooms, so you have the option of wired connections later without exposed cables.
Quick troubleshooting checklist
Before assuming there's a fault with your connection, work through this list:
- Router is central, raised off the floor, and out of any cupboard
- Router isn't sitting next to a fish tank, mirror, or metal appliance
- Microwave, baby monitor or cordless phone isn't running nearby during the slow period
- Router and main devices support the same Wi-Fi generation (ideally Wi-Fi 6+)
- Number of connected devices isn't unexpectedly high (check your router's app or admin page)
- Stationary devices (TV, console, desktop) are wired via Ethernet where possible
- Ethernet cabling in use is CAT6 or newer
Frequently asked questions
Why is Wi-Fi slower in some rooms than others? Distance from the router and what's physically in the way — walls, appliances, mirrors, fish tanks — are the most common causes. Try relocating the router or adding a mesh access point to the affected area.
Will a more expensive router fix everything? Only if your current router doesn't support modern Wi-Fi standards. Otherwise, placement and interference usually matter more than router price.
Do I need a mesh system? Not always. A single well-placed router is enough for most small-to-medium homes. Mesh systems are most useful in larger homes, multi-storey houses, or homes with thick walls that block a single router's signal.
Does Wi-Fi speed affect my plan speed? No — your internet plan sets the maximum speed coming into your home. Wi-Fi setup determines how much of that speed actually reaches each device wirelessly. A wired Ethernet connection will always get closer to your full plan speed than Wi-Fi.
Need more help?
If you've worked through the checklist above and still experience slow or unreliable Wi-Fi, contact support with details of which rooms are affected and what devices you've tried — this helps the team diagnose whether it's a Wi-Fi setup issue or something on the line itself.
Note this article draws on general in-home Wi-Fi optimisation guidance published by nbn co.