How to Set Up and Optimize Your Wireless Router for Maximum Performance

Are you looking to upgrade your wireless network for better performance or security? Configure your router and wireless network correctly by following these simple steps.

Networking-equipment makers have made installation utilities easier to use over the years, but getting the most out of your wireless router purchase requires going a little deeper than the usual setup routine. It doesn't mean your network's performance or security are as good as they could be just because you plugged in everything and the blinking lights turned green. To optimize your wireless network, follow these steps.

How Do I Connect My Wi-Fi Router?

The following steps assume that you have already found the right router for your home. If you're still looking to make a purchase, check out our wireless router buying guide (link above) or, if you're looking to get something for a little less, try our budget routers roundup, which includes our top players under $100. For the fastest possible connection for video gaming, check out our gaming routers guide. It contains our most recent and most comprehensive reviews in each category, with all players having completed PC Labs' wireless router testing.

You'll need to decide whether you want a Wi-Fi 6 router, a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router, or a Wi-Fi mesh system. While there are plenty of Wi-Fi 5 routers that can handle light to moderate networking needs, if you're looking for the latest technology and performance, a Wi-Fi 6 router will be your best option. To learn more about Wi-Fi 6, check out our Wi-Fi 6 explainer first.

For folks willing to spend a little more, mesh Wi-Fi systems offer two primary benefits: easy basic setup and full-home coverage. Even though you can extend the coverage in your home with a standard router and a wireless range extender, that solution tends to require users to jump through additional hoops to get things working properly, notably requiring them to log into multiple wireless networks depending on where in the house they are. The Wi-Fi mesh network eliminates all that by providing a quick and easy way to set up a series of wireless "nodes" that blend seamlessly into a single network that blankets your entire house.

A new generation of Wi-Fi mesh systems, such as the Amazon Eero 6 and Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8), combine Wi-Fi 6 and mesh technology-and in the case of the new Eeros, integrated Zigbee smart home technology.

It's certainly easier to achieve those blinking green lights with Wi-Fi mesh, but that's just the basic setup for a router, mesh or not. However, suppose you wanted to improve security with a guest network and parental controls, or to add quality of service (QoS) settings to protect traffic coming from a specific application or traveling to a specific device. After that, you will need to dig underneath your router or mesh system's basic installation utility. Here are the steps to follow.

Placement and Setup

You need to consider where you will place your router before you begin. The best way to ensure optimal coverage is to locate an open area near the center of your home. Walls and floors will interfere with Wi-Fi signals, so the more obstructions between your devices and your router, the weaker (and potentially slower) the signal will be. Avoid touching large metal, glass, brick, or concrete objects. Wi-Fi mesh systems solve this problem by letting you place attractively designed nodes wherever coverage is weakest. If you are using standard routers or even wireless range extenders, you will need to be patient and test your placement areas to determine where your optimal placement areas are.

Connect your router to your modem to begin this process. You will need an Ethernet cable, which you will plug into the WAN (wide-area network) port on the back of your router. From router to router, the port may look slightly different, but it will usually have a distinct color and be labeled "WAN," "Internet," or something similar. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of your modem. Your modem must be turned on before you can connect to the internet. Then, you must turn on your router by plugging it into an electrical outlet.

You can now configure a total of 90% of mesh Wi-Fi networks and some of the newer wireless routers from your smartphone, as I mentioned above. Each manufacturer will have their own setup app, so make sure you consult your router's quick-start guide to find the right one. There aren't all routers with mobile apps, though, and if you don't want to use one, there is always a backup method. Typically, this URL loads the router's internal configuration page. By connecting your computer to one of the router's LAN ports with an Ethernet cable and typing 192.168.1.1 or a similar address (as specified in the router's documentation) into your browser search bar, you can find the URL.

The first step to getting your network up and running is to create a username and password. In case you have a pre-owned router, you can reset the username and password to factory defaults by holding a recessed button somewhere on the router (usually the back). Many of these defaults are something like "admin" and "admin," which every would-be hacker knows, so be sure to change these immediately. Make sure your password includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

How Do I Configure My Router?

Now that you have the username and password set, you can configure your router's settings. Just as with cooking a meal, there is no one "right" way to install a router, and every model is likely to have its own unique steps, depending on its features. As a result, trying to describe every possible configuration path here would be exhausting and fruitless. Consult your router's manual for specifics.

We do have a few suggestions, however. Use the easy setup wizard first. The majority of routers include a brief setup routine that asks for little more than the SSID and password. Start here if you are not sure. You can change this SSID to something creative, such as "FBI-surveillance-van.") Yes, this utility only gets you as far as that set of blinking green lights, but even if you want to go beyond that, you have to get there first. It is always shortest to use the router's setup utility and follow its documentation.

Second, use the WPS button to connect Wi-Fi devices. If you have ever paired two Bluetooth devices, such as a smartphone and headphones, you know how this works. Let's say you want to connect your Windows laptop to your router. You will see your router's SSID appear on the list of visible wireless networks in Windows. When you select the SSID and attempt to connect, Windows will prompt you to enter the network security key (which is an overly technical way of saying "password").

In the end, if you made a password with randomized uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, you'll have forgotten it and not want to type it ever again. Press the WPS button on your router instead. Give the router and laptop at least a minute to find each other and pair. Keep in mind that WPS only works with Windows and Android devices.

If in doubt, let the router handle it. Certainly, you can create your own internal IP address range and assign static addresses to all your devices by hand, but you can simply check the DHCP box in your router's settings, which automatically assigns IP addresses to your devices. It doesn't mean you should change something just because you can. During setup and the early stages of use, use the automatic settings as much as possible.

2.4GHz? 5GHz? Which Frequency Should I Use?

When you use a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 router, you can connect your client devices to either a 2.4GHz or 5GHz band. In a tri-band router, you get an extra 5GHz band and can use it for gaming and video streaming. In short ranges, a 5GHz connection will perform better than a 2.4GHz connection. While 5GHz is somewhat faster, it cannot travel as far or transmit through some objects due to its shorter wavelengths. Conversely, the 2.4GHz band travels further, but tends to have more congestion and fewer channel options.

If you want to use 2.4GHz, experiment with the channel selection. "Auto" usually does a great job of hopping around the channel options and finding the best one, but if you're having problems connecting, try manually setting the channel to 1 or 11. 2.4GHz has a total of 11 channels you can choose from to avoid interference, with channel 6 usually being the default. There are usually some signal spillovers when you select a channel. Choosing channel 2, for example, will often lead to traffic spilling onto channels 1 and 3. By switching to the extremes of 1 or 11, the farthest points from the default of 6, you can sometimes ensure the best performance.

In general, Wi-Fi 6 routers support 160MHz channels across the 5GHz band, which offers a higher data rate than 2.4GHz channels (and therefore better performance). Moreover, Wi-Fi 6E, the latest addition to the Wi-Fi 6 standard, allows users to connect to the 6GHz radio band, which is relatively uncrowded and offers lower latency and faster performance than the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Wi-Fi 6E routers can connect to older devices, but only devices that support Wi-Fi 6E can connect to the 6GHz band. Client devices are still slow to reach the market, even though these routers have finally hit the shelves.

Once the "easy" setup is complete, some routers will walk you through additional steps, such as setting up parental controls (features that enable you to filter certain types of content) and automatically updating the router's firmware. To activate your Wi-Fi network, click "wireless setup," or a similar-named tab/screen. Once you have activated your network, you can connect any device to it and begin browsing the web.

Simply activating your network and connecting to the internet is only a small part of what you can do with most routers. Despite the names of tabs like "advanced settings", you can often control some of your router's most useful features from here. Here are some of our favorites.

How to Configure Quality of Service (QoS)

QoS is one of the most useful features of online entertainment, as mentioned above. You can prioritize the upstream and downstream traffic on your network, which will provide a performance boost for your favorite streaming service or online game. The app/configuration page of most routers will have a tab dedicated to traffic monitoring. Find the QoS tab there. You can then prioritize certain services, such as online games or video streaming, by enabling QoS.

Additionally, you can prioritize devices on the network. It used to be done by providing the device's unique MAC address and setting a priority level. In this day and age, vendors like Netgear are increasingly offering more intuitive, graphical approaches to the same idea, as in the screenshot below for Manual Prioritization.

As a result of QoS options, you can also see how your total bandwidth is distributed by device, so you can spot anyone who is taking more than their fair share.

Most traffic these days is download-based, especially with multimedia streaming. Try using QoS to prioritize their traffic if your streaming services pause to buffer from time to time. However, gamers are generally the only ones who have to worry about upstream prioritization.

Guest Networks

When it comes to data and files on your personal network, a guest network can be very useful if you want to keep them out of the hands of unapproved users. Set one up by navigating to the wireless settings on your router's app/configuration page. In most routers, guest networks are disabled by default, so you'll usually find a page to configure one here. Once the network name and password are confirmed, the network will be set up.

It is strongly recommended that you apply at least WPA2 encryption to your regular Wi-Fi network, but you may want to leave your guest network "open" for easier access. In addition to being convenient, this might also encourage interactions with neighbors and strays who park along your curb. Make sure to limit guest-network access privileges, such as which band people can access or what hours the network is active. You may also want to restrict the guest network to either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, but not both.

Monitoring Traffic

Knowing what traffic goes through your network and putting a limit on that traffic can be useful. Go to the advanced settings menu of your router if you're interested in either of these two features. There is usually an option called traffic monitor, traffic meter, or something similar. By enabling this feature, you can observe your router's traffic. You can also choose to limit incoming traffic (downloads) or outgoing traffic (uploads) in some routers. Routers do not all have traffic-monitoring features, but there are many online services that do it for you, including Solarwinds RTBM or PRTG.

Monitoring traffic on a regular basis will be of great benefit to any business setting up a wireless network. Whether it's tracking security breaches or ensuring that key applications (such as your phone or video conferencing system) have enough bandwidth, traffic monitoring can be helpful. When a wireless network is your business' primary LAN, a dedicated Wi-Fi management tool like Ekahau Pro is your best option. Ziff Davis, which also publishes PCMag, owns Ekahau.

FTP Servers

People who have used the internet for several years might recall the days before Dropbox, when transferring large files between systems required using dedicated file-transfer applications. While FTP apps have fallen out of popularity, the technology can still be useful for transferring large files without having to deal with cloud services.

Routers with at least one USB port can connect to FTP servers. First, you'll need a USB storage device, such as an external hard drive, plugged into your router. Go to the advanced settings of the app/configuration page and look for a tab called USB Storage, USB Settings, or something similar. In that tab, select "FTP via internet" or something similar. Now your USB device will be accessible from your network. For access to the USB device to be limited to only you, you can set the read and write access to admin-only.

There are some routers that require you to configure read and write access to specific folders. You can click "new folder," "select folder," or something similar, and navigate to the desired folder on your USB device. Choose the folder and apply the changes.

MAC Address Filtering

A MAC (media access control) address is a universal name for any network device. This address identifies the hardware. It is possible to set a list of MAC addresses that can (or cannot) access your network on some routers. This is like blacklisting or whitelisting which devices can access your LAN.

The MAC filter can be found under the advanced settings tab. On dual- and tri-band routers, you usually have to select which band the filter will apply to, and some routers let you choose whether you want the given MAC address to be the only one accepted onto the network or the only address rejected by Item. The last step is to find the MAC addresses of the devices you wish to filter and type them in.

On mobile devices such as phones or tablets, the MAC address can be found by accessing the device's settings and clicking on the About Phone tab. The MAC address can be found in a tab titled Status on some devices, and in the About Phone section of others. You can open the network and sharing center on a Mac or PC by navigating to the network settings page. Select Details or Properties for your Wi-Fi connection. Your device's "physical address," another term for its MAC address, will be displayed in this area. (On a Mac, it is known as "Wi-Fi Address.")

Parental Controls

With parental control, you can establish time limits for when each allowed device (identified by MAC address) can connect to the network. As a result, if your kid has a bad habit of using devices after bedtime, but you don't want to constantly be the bad cop who has to police where and when the devices are turned in at night, that's fine.

Make sure that your router can only connect to approved devices by using MAC address filtering first. Be sure that any devices allowed to connect are only allowed to do so during approved hours using parental controls. This takes only a few minutes to set up, and just like a well-configured router will cure countless headaches and make your household run much more smoothly.

Next Steps

In most cases, anyone can set up an internet connection in a few minutes using their router's quick start guide, but many models hide interesting features in their setup menus. You should explore these advanced options if you want to get the most value out of your router investment. For those in the market for a new router, think beyond the box's features and the product's specifications. Take a look at these advanced features, and see which ones will have the most impact on your environment. Check your Internet speed once you are up and running.