As technology progresses and more devices in our homes connect, connections get slower, particularly during peak hours when everyone in the neighborhood or complex is winding down for the day. However, a technology professor shared a technique in which you place a sheet of aluminum foil behind your router. The goal is to assist you increase your Wi-Fi speed.
A Professor’s Take. James McQuiggan is a KnowBe4 Security Awareness Advocate and a part-time professor in Valencia College’s Engineering, Computer Programming, and Technology Division. As a result, he has studied and extensively investigated everything technology-related. He describes an innovative tip for increasing the speed of your Wi-Fi connection: place a layer of aluminum foil behind your router.Apparently, as more devices connect to the same wireless network, the signal weakens. “Like a sprinkler head spraying water in all directions,” McQuiggan adds. As a result, wireless signals travel to areas where they are not required and diminish where they are.
Furthermore, impediments like as furniture or walls can reduce signal strength. This is when the aluminum foil behind your router comes into play. Place the aluminum foil behind your router, with the shiny side facing outward, to reflect the signal. This permits it to travel more freely and deliberately. Furthermore, bending the aluminum foil behind your router gives you more control over where the signal flows.
Testing the Theory. Although this hack appears to be unauthorized, a Dartmouth research team investigated the theory and confirmed Professor James McQuiggan’s findings. The team said they made a “3D-printed shape” that was “covered in aluminum.” It was deliberately placed to regulate where the signal traveled. They increased the signal in the desired locations by more than half. Meanwhile, they reduced the signal in undesirable areas by slightly over 60%.
How to Put Aluminum Foil Behind Your Router. What You’ll Need: 1 Foot Sheet of Aluminum Foil (Make Sure to Cover the Aentena to the Top) Some routers will not include an external antenna. Make a “C” shape with the sheet and position the aluminum foil behind your router. The glossy side should face inside the curve, toward the router. If the sheet requires additional support to stand upright, fold it out at the bottom to form a stand.
Finally, test the connection by moving to a location where you expect to notice an increase in signal, such as the couch or the kitchen. Enter “Google speed test” into your phone or computer browser’s search box. Then click the blue “run speed test” button to generate a report with the connection speeds. Aluminum foil is placed behind your router for security. Home Test. It’s crucial to remember that this hack isn’t always effective, and the outcomes are not guaranteed. For example, Brooke attempted the hack at home but was unsuccessful.
“Before I began, I compared internet speeds between my porch and the living room, where the router is placed. “The difference was massive,” she explained. “One sheet of aluminum foil made little difference, and using two sheets of foil or a soda can appeared to reduce speeds by a few Mbps. I tried altering the angle at which the curved piece of the foil or can faced, as well as their locations in relation to the router, but I didn’t notice a significant difference in my internet speed when I tried to connect.”
Brooke concluded: “Though it didn’t exactly work for me, it can’t hurt to try this approach before spending a lot of money on a Wi-Fi extender if you’re having internet connection issues. After all, it worked for Dartmouth researchers.” She also mentions how the size of your area and your internet plan affect this theory’s success rate. Putting aluminum foil behind your router appears to be the simplest method, but other common home materials can also be used to replace the aluminum. Essentially, any metal item commonly found in a kitchen.
Examples include metal baking pans and beverage cans. The most crucial consideration is how they are fashioned and positioned. When mounting them, “make sure to position them so that the curved, reflective part faces toward the area in your home where you want to amplify the Wi-Fi.” Increasing the signal. Because this strategy isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, some people may lose hope and question whether they’re cursed to have slow connections. However, putting aluminum foil behind your router isn’t the only option to improve Wi-Fi performance.
“While foil can help concentrate the signals, it’s usually not a great solution compared with upgrading your router or positioning it more optimally,” Dr. McQuiggan said. The most popular method for rebooting the router is to turn it off. Always use the power button if it has one, as unplugging it while it is turned on can cause a short circuit. Another useful, although expensive, solution is a WiFi extender. This normally plugs into the wall, connecting to WiFi and extending the signal. Furthermore, services such as the national broadband map can help you report, troubleshoot, and resolve Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Although putting aluminum foil behind your router is not always the best solution, it is worth investigating because other options can be expensive.