Almost half of UK homes experience poor WiFi signal

Good Internet essentially depends on two components: the transmission rate and the reception. According to a recent study by online electrical retailer reichelt elektronik, 45% of Brits have issues with their WiFi temporarily cutting out. A further 34% said they had issues with the quality of reception in different rooms.

Households in the West of the UK experienced the issues with WiFi quality the most (38%). Furthermore, the Western region also experienced issues with reception cutting out the most - 50% said this was a problem, highlighting the focus areas for signal improvement.

“There is nothing more frustrating than watching your favourite Netflix boxset and facing the dreaded buffer wheel as the signal cuts out half way through an episode. For households that struggle with quality WiFi coverage, particularly in the West of the UK, WiFi repeaters can help to solve the issue in the home by repeating the signal and increasing the signal range to reach all the areas it is needed in the house,” said Thomas Kruse, Product Manager for network technology, reichelt elektronik.

Repeat repeat repeat
Despite repeaters being an affordable, easy to install solution, only 10% are currently using a repeater in the home to improve reception and a mere six percent are planning on installing one soon. A staggering 54% say they don’t know what a repeater is, rising to 58% amongst 18-24 year olds, resulting in 30% of UK adults not planning to install one and will therefore continue to have WiFi coverage issues.

Routers reach their limit
Conventional WiFi routers, typically near telephone sockets or cable connections, reach their range limits, causing the quality of the reception to decrease.

WiFi access is most important to Britons in the living room – 76% of UK adults concurred and this was consistent across all age groups. The top three rooms in the home that were cited as the most important places for good reception were:

1. Living room – 76%
2. Bedroom – 52%
3. Kitchen - 33%

Top tips to improve your WiFi reception:

1. Keep your router visible – any objects blocking router can cause the signal to be disrupted so ensure it’s in a visible place in your home.
2. Secure your WiFi inside and outside – ensure that only trusted people have access to your router password so neighbours and other sources are using your WiFi, affecting your signal.
3. Use a repeater – increase the range of your router signal by installing a WiFi repeater.