How To Boost Wi-Fi Signal Through Walls Quickly

Dealing with Wi-Fi in a space surrounded by lots of walls or tricky materials can be a real headache. Even if your router is pretty solid, thick bricks or concrete walls act like little barriers that sap your signal and make browsing, streaming, or gaming frustratingly slow or unreliable. Because of course, Wi-Fi signals don’t just blast through everything without losing strength — they weaken depending on what’s in their way. This guide is here to help navigate those wall-related issues and figure out some practical ways to keep your signal solid, even if you can’t tear down walls or move the router every other day. The goal is to maximize the coverage without needing a full-scale renovation of your place. After all, sometimes it’s just about working around the problem instead of fighting it.

How Much Do Walls Affect Wi-Fi Signal?

Wi-Fi’s notorious for not traveling through thick stuff very well. Signal strength is often measured in decibels relative to a milliwatt (dBm), and in the wild, devices usually hover between -40 and -80 dBm. The closer to -40, the better the connection. Less signal loss, fewer hiccups. When it dips past -70, that’s where things start to get sketchy. But what causes this? Mainly, distance and those lovely obstacles, like walls. Walls especially brick and concrete ones cause the biggest hits—studies show a 200mm concrete wall can cut your signal by 20-50 dB. Brick? Usually 15-30 dB loss. Wood or drywall? Much less, around 3-10 dB. So, if your Wi-Fi is cutting out or crawling when you’re in a different room, those walls are probably the villain.

Ways to Boost Wi-Fi Signal Through Walls

Honestly, fighting the physics of walls head-on by boosting the signal directly often isn’t the best move. Instead, it’s smarter to work with what you’ve got. Moving the router, adjusting the antennas, or adding extra hardware can help—but only so much. Walls are just too good at absorbing or reflecting the signal. That’s why exploring options like additional access points, mesh systems, or even wiring solutions can be a game-changer. Sure, those DIY boosters and directional antennas sound tempting, but unless you’re willing to tinker with some serious gear, they’re not a silver bullet. Sometimes, it’s about adding coverage where needed, not just cranking up the power.

Optimize Router Positioning

This is probably the easiest starting point and often forgotten. The idea is to place the router in a spot with the fewest walls and obstacles in the path. Using the Settings menu, sometimes called Network Settings or Wi-Fi Setup, you can find the best spot. Place it high on a shelf or mount it high on a wall, away from thick metal objects, microwaves, or Bluetooth devices—anything that can cause interference. The goal? Minimize the number of walls and barriers between the router and all your favorite spots. On some setups it worked on the first try, on others it took a lot of finetuning. Remember, a central, open spot beats a corner tucked away in a cabinet or behind a bookshelf.

  • Place the router high up on a wall or mounted on the ceiling.
  • Avoid hiding it in cabinets or behind thick furniture.
  • Keep it away from Bluetooth speakers, microwaves, or other sources of interference.
  • Position it closer to the devices or areas where you need the most signal.

Upgrade Router / Antennas

If your gear is old or budget-tier, upgrading might do wonders. It’s often about better range or more powerful antennas. You can find routers with higher-range specs—look for those with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and check reviews for real-world range. If your router has detachable antennas, replacing or upgrading them to ones with higher dBi gain (like 10 dBi or even higher) can boost coverage significantly, especially in specific directions. Just remember, omnis radiate in all directions—directional antennas focus the boost, but are less flexible. DIY boasters or “cantenna” projects are out there, but most folks get reliable results from purpose-built antennas from brands like Kaunosta. Honestly, on some setups, this is the easiest upgrade with the biggest payoff.

Use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

Because of the physics, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi waves tend to penetrate walls better than 5 GHz. If coverage and wall penetration are primary concerns, switching your devices to 2.4 GHz often helps. But beware of interference—lots of other devices, like cordless phones or baby monitors, also use this band. When setting your router, you can pick channels—stick to 1, 6, or 11 to avoid overlapping channels that introduce noise. If you’re after faster speeds and less interference, 5 GHz is nice, but it doesn’t get through walls quite as well. Weigh your needs—coverage vs.speed—before deciding which band to favor.

Setup APs / Mesh

This is probably the most effective way to blanket an area with Wi-Fi without ripping down walls. Instead of trying to boost a single router’s signal, add additional Access Points (APs) in key locations—wired back to your main router if possible. Using Network Settings to switch routers into AP Mode makes this straightforward. For large spaces, a mesh system usually beats extenders, because they work seamlessly together. Just remember, wired connections from your main router to each AP are best. No wired? Wireless extenders can be a quick fix, but they’re not always reliable or fast, especially if placed far away or behind obstacles. Mesh networks are designed to distribute bandwidth evenly, so they’re worth the extra cost.

Powerline Extenders / MoCA

If running Ethernet cables across the house isn’t an option, and wireless extenders just aren’t cutting it, building on your existing wiring can be a lifesaver. Powerline adapters plug into outlets near your router and the device you want to connect, and they communicate over your electrical wiring.Powerline systems are cheap and easy but can vary in quality—some report slow speeds or instability. Similarly, MoCA adapters use coaxial cables (the TV wiring), providing very stable, high-throughput connections if your house has coax accessible. These options tend to work well, but beware: Powerline tends to be more sensitive to wiring noise, so results can vary.