Wi-Fi dead zones in your home
easy 1–2 h
Tools: phone with a Wi-Fi analyser app, laptop for speed tests, Ethernet cable · Materials: mesh Wi-Fi system (two or three nodes), or a second access point plus an Ethernet run
Steps
- Walk the house with a Wi-Fi analyser and note the signal in each room; you are mapping which walls block it, not just where it is weak.
- Move the router first: off the floor, out of the cupboard, and as central as the internet line allows — the cheapest fix often removes half the dead zones.
- Split the bands and use 2.4 GHz for far rooms and smart devices, 5 GHz for nearby laptops and TVs; change the 2.4 GHz channel if the analyser shows neighbours on yours.
- If a room is still dead, add a mesh node halfway between the router and the room, not in the dead room itself — a node with no signal has nothing to repeat.
- Where there is any cable run available (an old phone or coax line, a conduit), use wired backhaul; mesh over a wall that blocks Wi-Fi halves your speed.
- Retest every room and set the mesh to one network name so phones roam without dropping.
Stop and call a pro if
- the house has brick, concrete or foil-backed insulation between floors and Wi-Fi backhaul cannot cross it — cable runs are the answer
- the internet line enters at the far end of a large house and there is no way to move the router
- you need outdoor coverage or a detached building
What a pro does that you can't
A network installer surveys the house, runs Ethernet to ceiling access points for wired backhaul, and configures roaming and channels so every room gets the connection you pay for.
DIY cost: $100–300 for a mesh kit