There is no single perfect position for every home, but some locations are usually worth avoiding.
- An open shelf beats a closed cabinet under the same TV almost every time.
- An enclosed space blocks signal and hurts the router's cooling.
- If you have to stay near the TV, pick the most open option available.
The basic rule: as central and open as practical
If one router is expected to cover the whole home, start with a position that is reasonably central to the rooms that matter. Keep as much open space around it as practical.
Router inside a cabinet?
Usually a poor choice. A closed cabinet adds obstacles and can also restrict ventilation. If the router must be hidden for aesthetic reasons, check whether that position reduces coverage in important rooms.
Router behind the TV?
Not ideal either. The TV, wall and furniture can make the radio environment less favourable. If the router has to be near the TV, consider placing it beside or above the screen rather than completely behind it.
Router on a shelf?
Often a better option. A higher, open position can be preferable to the floor or a closed cabinet. But the overall floor plan still matters most.
What about the provider's connection point?
This is a common problem: the place where the ISP brings the internet into your home is not necessarily the best radio position. If you are building or renovating, consider running Ethernet to a location that divides the home more effectively.
Perfect WiFi lets you work from the floor plan and compare router positions instead of choosing solely based on where the internet socket happens to be.
The best router position is not always the exact centre of the home. It is the position that best covers the important areas while accounting for walls and distance.
FAQ
Is a cabinet always a bad idea?
Almost always worse for coverage — wood and metal parts of the furniture attenuate the signal, and the enclosed space limits cooling too.
Does an open shelf fully solve the problem?
It's a big improvement over a cabinet, but being near the TV and an exterior wall is still a compromise position.
What if even a shelf isn't enough?
Consider an extra Mesh point elsewhere in the home rather than continuing to experiment with the exact spot near the TV.
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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