Things That Block Wi-Fi Signals That Make Your Home Network Slow As A Turtle

Unlike LANs, which are only affected by the length of the cable (which is negligible in a home), Wi-Fi signals are easily obstructed by objects in the home, including people. In reality, users will never have a perfect home where nothing can obstruct the Wi-Fi signal. Therefore, it is important to understand where in the house the Wi-Fi signal is strongest, how to place the transmitter, and avoid objects that can block or degrade the connection quality.

One of the factors that greatly affects the quality of Wi-Fi signals in the home that many people do not expect is the decorative items. Normally, we always blame the concrete walls, large, heavy items when the Wi-Fi signal is weaker than expected. But seemingly innocent items that contribute to the beauty of the house are the "hidden culprits".

Fish tank

Glass and water in the aquarium are very effective at blocking Wi-Fi waves. Placing a router near the aquarium is like installing Wi-Fi and then "giving away" a damper next to it, or more easily imagined, digging a channel for water to flow but building a dam to block the flow. On this side of the aquarium, where the router is, the Wi-Fi quality is fine, but when you move to the other side of the aquarium, you will notice a noticeable decrease.

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Bookshelf

Books are quite thick and if you stack them close together, you will create a "wall" of shelves and books - an effective tool to weaken Wi-Fi signals. Therefore, you should not place routers or nodes in your home mesh network on (in) bookshelves.

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Mirror

Mirrors and glass are made of the same material, but mirrors have an additional coating that helps reflect light and wireless signals that hit the surface. Many families have the habit of placing large mirrors on the wall without realizing that they are reducing the ability of the router to transmit Wi-Fi to other areas of the house. In addition, older mirrors made with older technology have better signal blocking ability than newer mirrors.

TV

Modern TVs look like black mirrors when they're not on, but that's not the main cause of signal interference. The real culprit is the giant metal plate inside. The best way to see this is to remove the flat screen of the TV, and you'll see a metal plate covering almost the entire back. This plate acts as an electromagnetic shield, while also strengthening and protecting the TV's structure. Of course, one 'use' that no manufacturer mentions is blocking Wi-Fi signals.

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Metal decoration

Metal in general can affect the strength of your home's Wi-Fi. Metal decorations hanging or placed around your home can interfere with wireless signals, so make sure you don't place your router near, on, or in any metal objects.

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Kitchen utensils

Have you ever wondered why your phone always has a poor signal when you are in the kitchen, not only when it comes to mobile network connection but also Wi-Fi? The reason is not entirely due to the location of the kitchen in the house, but rather the appliances in the kitchen. Refrigerators (especially large ones with metal/mirror tops), dishwashers, microwaves, and ovens are all made up of a lot of metal, so the kitchen area is always extremely effective at blocking waves.

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Concrete wall

Solid concrete walls or floors (for multi-story houses, the more floors, the greater the ability to block signals), thick are "enemies" of Wi-Fi waves but bring a solid structure to the house. Similarly, brick walls are no better at improving the wireless network at home. However, plaster walls are completely different when this material is "invisible" to wavelengths, almost not hindering Wi-Fi waves.

David Pac

Update 16 January 2025