by Charles Miller

In an earlier column I made an attempt to describe how the inverse-square law in mathematics explains why the signal strength from your Wi-Fi router fades so rapidly the further you move away from the router. Once again, I will acknowledge that a lot of people use the terms "modem" or "router" to describe what is correctly named a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP), but I am not going to stand on formalities. So long as you understand that your Wi-Fi radio signal emanates from a piece of equipment connected to the internet that is good enough for the purposes of this discussion.

The location of that "Wi-Fi Access Point (AP)" or "modem" or "router" or whatever you choose to call it can have a significant impact on your online experience. For the best Wi-Fi connection you need to be as close to your Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) as is possible. The further your Wi-Fi signal has to travel, the weaker it gets until the signal is too diminished to maintain an internet connection. Earlier I mentioned how if you move twice as far away from your AP that does not reduce your signal strength by half, it actually reduces the signal down to 25% of what it was before you moved. Triple the distance and the signal strength is reduced to 11%. Clearly, being closer to your Wi-Fi source is better.

Unfortunately, the best location for your Wi-Fi Access Point is not always where it is located. For the telephone company or cable company that provides your modem, the best place for them is wherever they can most easily drill a hole in the wall to run their wire into your house. Sometimes that location is okay, but often that is not the best location for the best Wi-Fi coverage.

In a recent case, a client reported that his smart TV was frequently buffering (because it was connected to the internet wirelessly and to an AP on the far side of the room). Even though the Wi-Fi Access Point was in the same room, it was probably more than 10 meters away (it was a big room). Also there was some furniture in the way and the AP was located close to some kitchen appliances that could be emitting radio interference.

In this case it turned out to be possible to install a new Ethernet cable and move the Wi-Fi Access Point to be adjacent to the TV for the strongest possible signal. That was the solution to the TV problem but another important consideration in this location was that the client also liked to use his iPad in this same room and I had just moved the Wi-Fi AP further away. That is not a good thing, but there was a mitigating circumstance.

The smart TV needs to have the best possible broadband internet connection in order to stream High Definition video to its 60-inch screen. An iPad simply does not require as much bandwidth to display lower-definition video on its smaller screen. So, because the demand for bandwidth is greater for the smart TV it needs to be closest, and the iPad will probably be okay a bit further away with a weaker Wi-Fi signal.

So maybe now it is clearer why I suggested to my client that his smart TV and his Wi-Fi access point should be moved to be closer together. Designing the test Wi-Fi coverage takes into many more considerations than the ones I have covered here, but the simplest rule still remains: closer is better.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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