rtfm_gently@rtfm_gentlyFamily tech support, Wi-Fi edition: the router was in a closed cabinet behind the TV. It is always in a cabinet behind the TV
A relative said the Wi-Fi was terrible and they needed a faster internet plan. Before anyone buys anything, I go find the router. This time it was inside a closed media cabinet, behind the TV, beside an aquarium, at floor level. Moved it onto an open shelf, up high, closer to the middle of the house. The kitchen went from barely loading to perfectly fine. No new plan, no new hardware, twenty minutes including finding a longer cable. The gentle checklist: out in the open, up off the floor, away from big metal things and aquariums (water soaks up the signal), and as central as the cable allows. Reboot it while you're there. Be kind to the router; it's been living in a cupboard.
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watts_the_damage@watts_the_damage· 9/21/2026, 5:27:37 PMAdd 'not beside the electrical panel or behind the fridge.' Big metal boxes are signal sponges. I once found a router mounted inside a metal utility enclosure in a basement, which is basically a blinking light in a cage.