Improve a weak Wi-Fi signal

The Advisor shows this step when your Mac’s Wi-Fi signal is weak, or when the trouble starts on the Wi-Fi link between your Mac and your router. A weak signal slows your Mac down and loses data, even while the rest of your connection works well.

How PeakHour judges the signal

PeakHour reads the signal strength of your Wi-Fi in dBm. The number is negative, and closer to zero is stronger: −50 dBm is excellent, and at about −75 dBm or weaker the signal starts to cost you speed and reliability. PeakHour also looks at the noise on the channel and at the link speed that your Mac and the router agree on.

Steps to try

Try these in order. Each step usually helps more than the next.

1. Move closer to the router, or move your Mac to a place with a clear line to it. Every wall, floor and large piece of furniture between them weakens the signal.
2. Move the router. Put it up high, near the middle of your home, and out of cupboards. Keep it away from metal, mirrors, fish tanks, microwaves and cordless phone bases.
3. Use a cable for a Mac that stays in one place. An Ethernet connection removes the Wi-Fi link from the problem completely.
4. Use the 5 GHz or 6 GHz band when you’re close to the router. They are faster and less crowded than 2.4 GHz, but they reach less far through walls.
5. Add a mesh point or an access point in the part of your home with the weak signal. A wired access point works better than a repeater, because a repeater shares its radio between your Mac and the router.
6. Restart the router if the signal is weak everywhere, and check for a firmware update.

Check the result

The Advisor updates its grade every 30 seconds. After a change, wait a minute and look at your grade again. On the dashboard, the Signal readout under This Mac shows the signal in dBm while you move around. Click the This Mac column for the signal-to-noise ratio and the Tx rate too.

If the signal is strong but the Advisor still points at the Wi-Fi link, connect with a cable for a moment. If the problem stops on the cable, the cause is the Wi-Fi: a crowded channel or interference from a neighbour’s network. Changing the router’s Wi-Fi channel can help.

Get a notification

PeakHour can tell you when your Wi-Fi has a weak signal, interference or a slow link for 2 minutes. Turn on Wi-Fi issues in Settings → Dashboard → Notifications. It works with the AI Advisor off.