The range of a typical home wireless router like Linksys is around 100 feet. There are lots of other factors that can lower this range decreasing signal strength lower than you want. The most important being obstacles that stand between your wireless router and your laptop or computer.

Fortunately, there are simple tricks you can use to boost the signal of your wireless network (WLAN). Try some of these tips for extending your wireless range and improving your wireless network speed and performance.

1. Wireless Router Position.

The maximum range of your wireless router is limited. The antennas of your router are omni-directional. That means they transmit signals in every direction with the same strength. So to enjoy reasonable signal strength everywhere, place your wireless router at a central location compared to your access points.

It is good to keep your wireless router in as high a position as possible. This helps reducing interferences and give a clear path for signals to reach your devices.

InSSIDer is a free utility that can show you the strength of wireless networks. Install it in your laptop and walk around your house to find out signal strength in all parts of the house. Based on that info, you can quickly choose a more suitable position for your router.

Many a times, you won't have much freedom to move your wireless modem or router. Don't worry, there are other methods as well to help you. Just make sure you keep the router in as much a central location as possible.

2. Change your antenna.

The default router antennas are omni-directional and transmit the signal in all directions equally. In most cases, these antennas are removable and you can replace them with high-gain antennas which are also called directional-antennas.

High-gain antennas use the total power to transmit only in a particular direction and hence will have a much improved signal strength and range in that direction. If you can position your access points accordingly in the direction of the high-gain antenna, you can get a range increase from 25-40%.

If you can’t find a compatible high-gain antenna for your router model, consider a booster antenna. It is omni-directional but will still boost both the range and strength of wireless signals.

3. Simple trick to Improve default antenna performance.

You can easily convert the default omni-directional antennas of your wireless router to directional ones increasing the range of your wireless router.

The trick is to place a parabolic metallic sheet just behind the antenna. The metal sheet reflects all radiation coming towards it in the opposite direction there by increasing the signal strength in that direction. An ordinary aluminum foil from your moms kitchen is more than sufficient for this.

To make things easy, you can download this ready made template which you can print and cut out. See this video on how to make the signal reflector:

4. Increase router power

Some routers allow increasing transmit power. If your router allows this, set it to max to get highest range. Also disable both frame burst and afterburner (accessible from the router's web dashboard). Chaning your router firmware to DD-WRT or Tomato firmware can also help improve range by a few meters if not more.

5. Objects surrounding the router.

Make sure to remove possible obstacles that are in the immediate vicinity of the wireless router. These can include metal objects, books and other junk stuff that you have cluttered around your wireless router. More the interferences, the lesser the range.

Always make sure not to put your router in metal shelves, filing cabinets, near window grills and other enclosures. They decrease your wireless range severely.

6. Extend your network with a spare second router.

If you have a second spare router, you can easily extend your existing network range to cover double the area of your original router. All it takes is some Ethernet cable which would cost you around 10-20$.

7. Use repeaters.

A repeater is an electronic hardware that takes signal from your router, boosts its strength and re-transmits it. So if your router range is around 100ft, placing a repeater at say 75ft will increase the total range to 175ft if the repeater range is also 100ft.

Wireless repeaters are now becoming inexpensive and affordable even for home uses.

8. Choose an ideal channel.

Wireless routers can broadcast on several different channels (frequencies), same as radio stations broadcast on different channels. The channels are all in the 2.4Ghz range.There are may factors that decide the performance of a particular channel depending on your surroundings.

Most wireless routers allow you to select a channel or frequency. So select one that gives maximum range by trying out one by one.

9. Reduce Wireless Interference.

There are many other electronic gadgets like cordless phones, mobile, microwave ovens, baby monitors, garage door openers, and other wireless electronics that use the same 2.4Ghz frequencies as your router. These can interfere with the wireless router channel reducing their signal strength and quality.

You cannot eliminate them altogether, but you definitely can reduce signal loss due to interference by placing and using them away from you router. So instead of keeping your cordless phone over your router, may be keep it in the other end of the room.

These simple methods are enough to increase the wireless router range for most home uses. Hope this was useful to you and awaiting your opinions as comments below.