10 Ways to Boost Your Wireless Signal

Troubleshooting your network's wireless performance can seem like a baffling exercise, until you consider that there are really just two main factors to consider—coverage and speed. Yes, you can have one without the other. For example, it's great to have a screaming-fast wireless network,

In general, however, these issues can all be lumped together as performance issues. You want both your speed and coverage to be as robust as possible. There are several factors that can have an impact on both aspects of performance.

Distance can certainly impede performance. You may have a room in your home or office that is simply too far from your wireless router. Even the way your home or office is structured could be a factor in poor wireless performance. If the signals have to bounce around too many corners to reach your wireless devices, that can cause problems (although a technology in newer routers called beamforming can help direct a router's signal to wireless clients).

Maybe it's the software you're using. Routers need firmware updates just like everything else—and sometimes, even out-of-the-box, the hardware can be improved with a software update.

These are just a few of the possible reasons your connection might be poor (or nonexistent). Fortunately, there are many ways to extend your wireless signal, and most of them simply involve a bit of tweaking to your wireless network. Some involve purchasing reasonably affordable components. We'll walk you through ten of the most useful fixes for your connectivity woes.

View the slideshow for ten ways to extend your Wi-Fi signal. Some of the suggestions require no additional hardware or software to purchase, while others may require a small or larger investment, depending on the particular performance problem you're experiencing.