How To Get Internet In The Basement

How To Get Internet In The Basement
  • Author: Amanda Arnold
  • Posted On: July 3, 2022
  • Updated On: August 21, 2023

The WiFi modem is typically housed in the middle of the house for the WiFi signal to be received throughout the house. However, sending the signal to the basement has always been difficult. This is because basements have larger walls and a thicker cement foundation between the living portions of the house and the basement.

But don’t lose hope; there are solutions. Here are three solutions you can try to remedy weak WiFi on your property, depending on your needs, budget, and DIY skills. There are several ways you can enable WiFi in your basements.

You can use the techniques in this article to connect your basement to the internet. Continue reading to know more;

Ways To Get Internet In The Basement

Check out these solutions if you have a wifi network at home but are having trouble connecting to it from your basement. Here are several methods you can use to create a reliable wifi connection.

Setup The Router Location

Most likely, the cable connection was considered when deciding where to put your router initially. The signal strength improves with the distance between the router and your computer or wireless device.

Your router should be placed in the middle of the first level of a two-story building. Moving your router from the wall to the floor, if positioned there, can help the basement get better reception. Try installing the router in the basement to ensure a fairer spread of signals in a one-story building.

If the location of your home’s internet source is not in the middle of the room, you might need to look in the direction of Ethernet cables. Connecting the router in those areas of the house where the signal has been distributed will be simpler.

Install A Wi-fi Repeater Or Booster

The most well-liked method of extending a Wi-Fi network at home is with repeaters. They act like connected ripples in a pond, taking your internet access and passing it on to a larger area. That’s the issue—as they spread out, the ripples become weaker.

Most of them put up in a matter of seconds and are still quite practical. The strength of the signal can be a problem, especially if the repeater is far from the original router. Keep in mind that depending on the size of your backyard or the depth of your basement, you might not be able to stream videos.

Most repeaters can reproduce the original signals; switching from one network to another wouldn’t be a problem.

Go For Multiple Access Points

Similar to using power lines, creating multiple access points uses only ethernet cables; electrical wirings are not used in this manner. Due to the need to consider the arrangement of the ethernet connections, this procedure may be a little trickier than the previous one.

And if you build an access point in your basement, you could even need to use huge lengths of wire. However, because it is free of any electrical interferences, this approach offers WiFi connectivity that is more dependable than a powerline LAN.

The usage of several access points and the use of a controller will be preferable if your basement area is large. The right channels for your access points can be chosen with an access point controller.

If you weren’t aware, access points’ channels must not overlap to prevent your internet connection from being hampered. Even though there are several access points, switching from one to another won’t cause any network outages.

Move Away Other Wireless Devices From Router

Wireless signals are used by various home equipment, such as game controllers and cordless phones. Reaching lower levels may become much more challenging if too many gadgets in a compact area interfere with your router’s signal.

Make sure to move other wireless devices at least three to four feet away from the router. Indeed, it would be the best approach to reduce signal interference.

Install Powerline Or Adapter

A hybrid of the two preceding approaches is a powerline kit. It expands the primary network but utilizes an already-existing wired network, like the electrical wiring. This entails plugging an adapter into a different outlet after connecting a cable from your router to the other outlet to connect your devices to WiFi.

Undoubtedly, this will function in the basement scenario, but the only drawbacks to this approach are that it is pricey, and its efficiency depends on the wiring rather than 100%. A house with outdated wiring configurations won’t work well with it either.

Check Your Usage Bandwidth

Your WiFi’s bandwidth is the volume of data it transmits. The network’s speed may be impacted when the demand for bandwidth rises with the number of connected devices. Avoid consuming much data in the basement, such as downloading large files, to ensure better WiFi connectivity.

You may also set a bandwidth limit for each basement WiFi user to control your bandwidth.

Conclusion

The wireless internet router ought to be put on the main level of the house for a strong signal throughout, even in the basement. This is because basements, in particular, have thicker walls that cause the wireless signal to deteriorate.

You might also upgrade your network with a wireless repeater to boost and spread the signal to the basement. For optimal performance, install the repeater midway between the router and the computer in the basement; in many circumstances, you might need to mount the repeater on the basement ceiling.

The signal strength in the basement can be improved for general use by using the techniques mentioned above, along with modifying your wireless configuration.

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Author: Amanda Arnold

Amanda has been working with ConstructionHow since 2021. Her experience spans over 5 years in the creative niche such as home decor and trends, landscaping, renovations, and custom architectural values. As a home designer expert, she has a keen eye for the latest home improvement trends with accurate facts that readers find impossible to ignore. Being invested in home-building trends is how she has gained her lucrative expertise exploring more to bring a positive ambiance for all homeowners (and even tenants!). Currently, she lives in a beautiful beach home, a source of fascination for her.

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