A router behind the TV is not automatically disastrous, but it is often not the best position either. The issue is not that a TV is a magic WiFi blocker. It is the combination of the wall, TV furniture, screen, cables and router position.
- It's not the TV itself that hurts WiFi — it's the combination of its metal casing, the wall behind it, and often an enclosed space.
- A closed TV cabinet attenuates signal more than an open shelf in the same spot.
- If the router has to stay near the TV, pick the most open option available.
Why consider moving it?
If the router is completely hidden behind the screen or inside a media cabinet, the signal may have less favourable conditions. It is also often positioned close to an outside wall or in a corner.
Where is better?
If the router has to stay near the TV, try placing it beside or above the television, in as open a position as practical. Avoid enclosing it inside the TV cabinet.
That does not mean every router behind a TV must be moved. If measurements show good WiFi throughout the home, the TV itself is not a reason to change the setup.
The whole floor plan matters
A router can work perfectly behind a TV in one home and poorly in another. Walls, distances, room layout and the locations where you actually need coverage make the difference.
Perfect WiFi lets you compare potential router positions on your floor plan and see which one best covers the important areas.
If your WiFi is poor, do not move the router blindly. Check how a new position changes coverage across the whole home.
Does the TV actually interfere with WiFi?
The TV itself usually isn’t a strong source of radio interference. The real problem is a combination of factors: the metal casing and screen can reflect or block the signal, and a router placed in that spot often also ends up close to an exterior wall, in a room corner, or in an enclosed space — it’s that combination that weakens coverage, not the TV alone.
Router in a TV cabinet — what happens to the signal?
A closed TV cabinet is one of the worse spots for a router for two reasons. First, the wood and metal parts of the furniture can attenuate the signal in every direction, not just towards the TV. Second, limited airflow in an enclosed space hurts the router’s cooling, which over long use can affect its stability.
What if you can’t move the router?
If the router has to stay near the TV, try at least taking it out of a closed cabinet onto an open shelf, standing it upright instead of lying flat, and moving it away from the furniture's metal parts. If coverage in other rooms is still weak, an extra Mesh point elsewhere in the home is usually a better fix than continuing to fiddle with the router's exact position.
FAQ
Does a more powerful router always solve the problem?
No. Better placement or a correctly positioned mesh node can make a bigger difference.
Does the TV’s metal casing block WiFi?
It can partially reflect signal in its direction, but in practice it matters far more whether the router sits in open space or inside a closed cabinet.
Is it worth buying a router with external antennas for this situation?
It can help, since it lets you physically aim the antennas, but it won’t replace a better router position if the spot itself is a poor one.
Upload your floor plan to Perfect WiFi, mark walls and important areas, and check where your router or mesh has the best position.
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