Why You Should Put Aluminum Foil Behind Your Router

Imagine it’s a cozy Friday night at home, and you’re all settled in to binge-watch your favorite show. You’ve got your snacks lined up, your comfiest blanket at the ready and the perfect spot on the couch. There’s just one problem: Your Wi-Fi signal is dragging.

In this age of instant streaming and virtual meetings, all of us are way too familiar with that dreaded spinning wheel. But what if I told you there’s a science-approved tech tip that promises to put an end to your Wi-Fi woes, and the solution is a household staple that’s probably in your kitchen right now?

Yes, you read that right. Turns out, boosting your Wi-Fi signal is one of many fascinating aluminum foil uses you never knew about.

To get the inside scoop, I asked an expert to explain how this trick works, and even grabbed my lab coat (aka my pajamas) to test it out. Thanks to a strategically placed sheet of aluminum foil, you just may be one step closer to banishing sluggish internet connections for good.

How Can Aluminum Foil Boost a Wi-Fi Signal?

The way this hack works is shockingly simple. But first, you need a little background on Wi-Fi signals: They come from the antenna on your router, which creates the connection with your smartphone, computer and other internet-connected electronics.

To reach all the devices in your home, these signals behave like radio or light waves, spreading out to cover every available space. “Like a sprinkler head spraying water in all directions,” says tech expert James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at the online security platform KnowBe4.

Unfortunately, this also sends Wi-Fi signals to parts of your home where you don’t need it, leading to dead zones in certain areas and weakening the connection. That may be one of the reasons behind your slow internet. Large obstructions like walls or floors can block the signal as well.

By placing a curved sheet of aluminum foil around the router, you can shape the flow of the Wi-Fi signals more effectively. The shiny side of aluminum foil will reflect the beams coming from the antenna and point them at a specific place.

From there, adjust the direction of the curve of the foil to steer the signal toward the parts of your home where you need a better internet connection — like your living room, bedroom or office — or direct it away from spots where it would be wasted, like a window.

Does This Actually Work?

If you think this trick sounds too good to be true, we don’t blame you. But don’t just take our word for it — researchers at Dartmouth University vouch for it.

When they tried it out, they found a reflective, curved surface like a soda can or a piece of aluminum foil could strengthen Wi-Fi signals in some spaces and weaken it in others, maximizing the coverage’s overall efficiency.

Still skeptical? In their paper, the researchers reported their 3D-printed shape covered in aluminum foil, matching the specific Wi-Fi needs of the room, boosted wireless signals up to 55.1% in certain spots and reduced them up to 63.3% in others. So there you have it!

Are There Any Other Benefits?

Strengthening your Wi-Fi speed isn’t the only perk of this handy hack. It can also boost your online security, according to the Dartmouth researchers.

By limiting the reach of your Wi-Fi’s beams to the areas where you actually use it, you reduce the risk hackers will access the signal and attempt to steal your data.

“Such physical confinement of wireless signals serves as a complementary method to existing network security measures, such as encryption, and hence raises the barrier for attackers,” the researchers wrote.

What You Need to Do

Step 1: Gather your materials

Find a roll of aluminum foil, and cut a sheet approximately one foot long and the height of your Wi-Fi router. If your router comes with an antenna extending from the top, make sure the foil reaches a few inches above it. This won’t matter for routers with an internal antenna.

Step 2: Fold the foil

Bend the foil to create a “C” shape, with the shiny side facing inside the curve. For routers with outer antennas, you might need to fold the top so it covers the antennas, too.

Step 3: Position the foil behind your router

Place the foil behind the router, with the curved portion facing toward the router and the target area where you want to boost the signal. You might need to fold the bottom part so the foil stands upright.

Step 4: Check your internet speed

Go to the targeted area, enter “Google speed test” into your phone or computer browser’s search bar and select the blue button that reads “run speed test.” The test will evaluate the upload and download speeds of your internet connection and deliver a brief report.

Can You Use Substitutes?

While aluminum foil is lightweight, flexible and widely available, it’s not the only item that can improve your Wi-Fi.

Other common household metals — steel or copper baking sheets, or soda and beer cans — could be equally effective for this hack, McQuiggan says. Just make sure to position them so the curved, reflective part faces toward the area in your home where you want to amplify the Wi-Fi.

Testing This Hack

I decided to put this aluminum-foil hack to the test from my porch, the one spot in my home with consistently a poor internet connection.

Before I started, I compared the internet speeds between my porch and living room, where the router is. The difference was massive: I got a download speed of only 30 Mbps from my porch versus 230 Mbps from my living room.

Now it was time to add the foil. After cutting a single sheet of aluminum foil, I folded it into a “C” shape, with the shiny side facing inward, and placed it beside my router, making sure the concave part faced toward my porch. Then I went outside and ran the speed test again.

The download speeds slightly improved, to 35 Mbps. Meanwhile, the download speeds in my living room dropped a little to 225 Mbps.

I beefed up the test by adding two sheets of foil instead of just one, as well as replacing the foil with a soda can, but no dice. The two additional tests seemed to make my Wi-Fi speeds worse. Trying to load a Netflix show took a little longer than before.

Next, I tried this trick from my bedroom. Without the foil, download speeds ran between 226 and 229 Mbps. One sheet of aluminum foil didn’t make any difference at all, and two sheets or the soda can seemed to drop speeds by a few Mbps.

I tried adjusting the angle the curved portion of the foil or can faced, as well as their locations beside the router, but I didn’t notice much of a difference with my internet speed when I tried to connect.

The verdict: Though it didn’t quite work for me, if you’re having internet connection problems, it can’t hurt to give this trick a shot before forking over significant cash for a Wi-Fi extender. After all, it worked for the Dartmouth researchers.

I would guess this hack might be more effective at improving your internet speeds depending on the size of your space, the number and type of obstructions between your router and device, and your internet plan.

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