Your Wi-Fi signal will stretch much further if you move your router away from these five household items. The placement of your router is vital for its performance. Many people aren't aware of how important router placement is, and might not realise that it's the reason their internet is working slowly and not reaching every room of the home. Before calling your broadband provider and potentially paying for a more expensive plan, make sure your router is placed exactly where it should be.

According to tech experts, several household items stop your Wi-Fi signal from reaching as far as it can. This can be a particular issue for homes with sunrooms, attics and back gardens, where you might need a Wi-Fi signal when using your smartphone, laptop or smart speaker in your outdoor space. An expert shared a go-to trick for helping WiFi signals reach further in your home to places like the attic and the rooms furthest away from the router.

Sam Jenkinson, a garden room expert for Tiger Modular, revealed that items like TVs and microwaves significantly impact how well your WiFi performs. "When placing your Wi-Fi router, avoid positioning it near thick walls, metal surfaces or large electronics like TVs and fridges, as these can absorb or block the signal," he said.

"Similarly, devices like microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors and Bluetooth gadgets can interfere with the connection because they operate on the same frequencies as many Wi-Fi signals."

The appliances you should keep your WiFi router away from are:

• Microwaves


• Fridges


• Bluetooth devices (such as smart speakers)


• TVs


• Cordless phones


• Baby monitors

Additionally, things like mirrors and fish tanks can disrupt your internet speeds as well. Advising on router placement, Jenkinson added: "Aim to place it centrally, elevated, and in the open, think of Wi-Fi like light from a lamp: the more visible and unobstructed it is, the better it works throughout your space."

"Your router is the heart of your setup. If it's old or outdated, it might not be capable of delivering a strong signal to the far corners of your property, let alone the garden," he added. "Upgrading to a modern, high-spec router can dramatically improve coverage and speeds.

"Wi-Fi extenders work by rebroadcasting your router's signal to reach further, while mesh systems use multiple devices that communicate wirelessly to create a seamless wireless network that blankets your home and garden," he added. "They're both great for smaller setups or when the distance isn't too extreme.

"However, these solutions rely on having a decent existing signal to work with. If the garden room is too far out or the signal is being blocked by thick walls, you may find performance drops off."