Help · 3 min · Last reviewed 5 Jul 2026
Where to place your router for best Wi-Fi
In short
Router placement often matters more than the plan speed. Here is the short version.
Wi-Fi is a radio signal. Where the router sits changes everything.
Do
- Place the router in the room where you use Wi-Fi most.
- Put it on a table or shelf — waist height or higher.
- Keep 20cm of clear space around it.
- Point antennas straight up if it has any.
Don't
- Hide it in a cupboard.
- Put it on the floor.
- Place it next to a microwave, cordless phone, or baby monitor.
- Put it directly against a metal object (a fridge, a mirror, a large TV).
For big homes
Consider a mesh Wi-Fi kit (any brand works with OCCTA). A single router cannot reliably cover more than about 100 square metres of typical UK brick construction.
Testing
Do a speed test in each room with an Ethernet cable first (that's your broadband speed) then over Wi-Fi (that's your Wi-Fi speed). If the Ethernet number is fine but Wi-Fi is bad, placement is the answer.
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Related
This guide is for general information only. Your accepted Contract Summary, Contract Information and OCCTA terms apply to your service.