Nothing kills the mood like a buffering wheel. You’re streaming in the living room—perfect bars. Take two steps into the kitchen and the signal collapses. Sound familiar? Before you blame the Internet provider, try these three quick fixes that cost exactly zero dollars.

1. Shrink the Bandwidth, Boost the Signal  

Most routers broadcast on two bands: 2.4 GHz for range, 5 GHz for speed.  

– Legacy smart bulbs, old laptops, or anything that just needs “a” signal: lock the 2.4 GHz channel width to 20 MHz. You’ll punch farther through walls and dodge interference from baby monitors and microwaves.  

– Phones, tablets, 4K TVs that crave speed: drop the 5 GHz width to 80 MHz. You still get gigabit-class throughput, but with cleaner spectrum and fewer drop-outs.

2. Move the Box—Yes, Really  

Routers are directional. Download any free Wi-Fi analyzer, spin the router 90°, watch the heat-map change. Point the strongest face toward the dead zone; sometimes two inches is the difference between “no signal” and “five bars.”

3. Pick a Quiet Channel  

Neighbors’ routers are louder than you think.  

– 2.4 GHz: stick to channels 1, 6, or 11—those are the only non-overlapping choices.  

– 5 GHz: manually test 36–64 until you find a slice no one else is using.  

Pro tip: screenshot the “before” settings. If the new channel backfires, one click restores peace.

Still Got Gaps? Extend, Don’t Replace.  

Big house? Thick brick? Repurpose that old router gathering dust. Flash it into repeater mode: scan for your main network, punch in the password, done—instant second hotspot. No spare hardware? Plug-in Wi-Fi 6 extenders (AX1500) add 30 % more capacity than last-gen AC1200 kits, sport four high-gain antennas, and blend into the décor like a tiny white bookend. One tap on the WPS button and every corner of your home gets full-bar Wi-Fi.

Bottom line: stronger signal doesn’t always mean pricier gear. Tweak a setting, slide the router, or drop in a compact extender—and stream, scroll, and game anywhere you darn well please.