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Knowledge document #271

Wi-Fi range is too low

The range of the Wi-Fi connection of one or more wireless devices to the FRITZ!Box or a FRITZ!Repeater, FRITZ!Powerline device, or another FRITZ!Box used in the FRITZ! Mesh is low. Even at a short distance from the FRITZ!Box, web pages load very slowly, files take a long time to download, and video streams are not displayed properly, for example.

Simply proceed as described below. After each measure, check whether the problem is solved.

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 Updating FRITZ!OS and Wi-Fi software

Updates contain improvements, bug fixes, and new functions. Therefore, install the latest FRITZ!OS and software versions on all FRITZ! products and wireless devices:

Installing the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box

  1. Install the latest FRITZ!OS on the FRITZ!Box.

Installing the latest FRITZ!OS for the Mesh Repeater

The following steps are only necessary if you are using one or more Mesh Repeaters in the home network of your FRITZ!Box:

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Mesh" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click "Perform update" next to the respective Mesh Repeater.

Installing the latest software for the wireless device

  1. Install the latest software version for the wireless device (for example Android, iOS) or the latest driver for the computer's wireless network adapter (for example from the Intel Download Center).

    Note:Refer to the device's manufacturer for information on how to update, for example consult the manual.

2 Optimizing the FRITZ!Box's Wi-Fi settings

Setting Wi-Fi channel settings automatically

In the factory settings, the FRITZ!Box evaluates the Wi-Fi environment and the connection quality of the wireless devices at regular intervals. Based on this evaluation, it automatically selects the best Wi-Fi channel settings. If you disabled the automatic adjustment of Wi-Fi channel settings, enable it again:

  1. Click "Wi-Fi" ("Wireless") in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Wi-Fi Channel" ("Radio Channel") in the "Wi-Fi" ("Wireless") menu.
  3. Enable the option "Set Wi-Fi channel settings automatically (recommended)".
  4. Click "Apply" to save the settings. Now Wi-Fi connections to the FRITZ!Box are briefly cleared and then automatically re-established.

Adjusting the name of the Wi-Fi network (SSID)

  1. Click "Wi-Fi" ("Wireless") in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Wi-Fi Network" ("Radio Network") in the "Wi-Fi" ("Wireless") menu.
  3. Click "Additional Settings for the Wi-Fi Network" and disable the option "Different names for the Wi-Fi networks on 2.4 and 5 GHz" to use the same name (SSID) for both Wi-Fi networks. Only then can the FRITZ!Box automatically steer your wireless devices to the ideal frequency band ("band steering").
  4. Click "More Information on the Wi-Fi Network" and disable the option "Hide name of the Wi-Fi network". This way, all wireless devices can connect to the FRITZ!Box and the FRITZ!Box can optimally control your wireless devices in the Mesh ("Mesh Wi-Fi Steering").
  5. Enter a unique name in the field "Name of the Wi-Fi network (SSID)". This prevents your wireless devices from trying to connect to the wrong wireless router if there are Wi-Fi networks with the same name in the vicinity.
  6. If you changed the name of the FRITZ!Box's Wi-Fi network (SSID), remove all special characters from the Wi-Fi network name. Since some wireless devices do not support all of the special characters allowed by the FRITZ!Box, only use letters (but not special characters such as ä, ë, ö, ü, á, é, í), numbers, and spaces.
  7. Click "Apply" to save the settings. All Wi-Fi connections to the FRITZ!Box are cleared when the new Wi-Fi network name is adopted. You must then reconfigure the Wi-Fi connections to the FRITZ!Box.

3 Optimizing the Mesh settings

The following steps are only necessary if you are using one or more Mesh Repeaters in the home network of your FRITZ!Box:

Checking the Mesh connection of the Mesh Repeater

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Mesh" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. If a Mesh Repeater is not marked with the Mesh symbol in the Mesh Overview, follow the steps in the corresponding guide:

Enabling the adoption of Mesh settings

  1. Click "Access to Home Network" in the user interface of the Mesh Repeater. If you are using a FRITZ!Box as the Mesh Repeater:
    1. Click "Home Network" and then "Mesh".
    2. Click on the "Mesh Settings" tab.
  2. Enable the option "Adopt settings enabled".
  3. Click "Apply" to save the settings.

4 Removing USB 3.0 devices from the FRITZ!Box

  1. For testing purposes, remove all of the USB 3.0 devices from the FRITZ!Box's USB ports.
  2. If the problem no longer occurs then, a USB device was interfering with the radio connection. Eliminate the interference caused by the USB device.

5 Optimizing the position

Finding the ideal location for the FRITZ!Box

  1. If possible, place the FRITZ!Box in a centrally located room. The FRITZ!Box has omnidirectional antennas. The Wi-Fi signal is therefore emitted spherically in all directions.
  2. Do not place the FRITZ!Box directly in the corner of a room.
  3. Position the FRITZ!Box so that it is as unobstructed as possible, i.e. not directly in back of or under an obstacle such as pieces of furniture or a heater.
  4. Place the FRITZ!Box as high in the room as possible, for example on a shelf.
  5. Place the FRITZ!Box so that there are as few obstacles as possible between it and the wireless devices. Even small objects in the immediate vicinity of your FRITZ!Box can greatly reduce the range of the Wi-Fi signal. Especially metallic objects or objects containing water, for example radiators, refrigerators, or houseplants, significantly reduce the quality of the Wi-Fi signal.
  6. Place the FRITZ!Box away from other radio transmitters, such as microwaves, wireless speakers, or Bluetooth devices.

Finding the ideal location for the Mesh Repeater

The following steps are only necessary if you are using one or more Mesh Repeaters in the home network of your FRITZ!Box:

  1. Position the Mesh Repeater where the quality of the FRITZ!Box's Wi-Fi signal is good. You can find tips on positioning it in the guide Finding the ideal location for the Mesh Repeater.

Now the FRITZ!Box and the wireless devices are ideally configured. If the range of the Wi-Fi connections of individual wireless devices is still low, then the problem lies with the respective devices. The manufacturer of the wireless devices may be able to give you advice on how to solve the problem.

If the range of Wi-Fi connections to the FRITZ!Box is still generally low, this is due to the Wi-Fi environment. In this case you can use a Mesh Repeater to increase the range and stability of the Wi-Fi connections.



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