Best practises for the installation placement of your modem

For better WiFi coverage, your modem should be placed in a central location, this works especially well if you have an open- floor type of house. Alternatively, placing your modem central to where the Internet is most often used is a good choice as well. 

Follow these best practises: 

• Choose a central location in the home, close to where you connect to WiFi the most—especially for streaming video. 

• Keep it visible. Do not place inside or behind cabinets or furniture, and make sure modem vents are not blocked to prevent overheating. 

• Position your modem upright and elevated on a shelf or table where it’s off the ground but not stacked on top of other equipment. 

• Avoid signal interference. Maintain at least 4 ft of space from the following: 

• Other wireless devices 

• Appliances 

• Electronics 

• Metal, concrete or glass 

Ensure you’re placing your modem: 

     ✔ Out in the open 

     ✔ Raised off the ground 

Avoid placing your modem: 

     ✖ In basements 

     ✖ In cabinets 

     ✖ Behind other objects 

To avoid interference, try to keep your modem away from: 

     ✖ Household appliances 

     ✖ Metal objects 

     ✖ Electrical equipment

On average, homes of approximately 1600 sq. ft. (or less) should be able to use one modem with no extra WiFi access points when the modem is centrally located, however, construction materials, interference and usage may cause issues in homes as small as 800 sq. ft. 
 
If you live close to your neighbours, like in apartment or condo buildings, your WiFi quality may be impacted by your neighbours wireless and electronic devices. 

Houses with multiple floors need to consider where consistent connections are needed most. In a multi-floor home, based on which floor you place your modem, the building material in between floors might decrease your WiFi range to the other floor. If you still have dead spots, you may consider extending your WiFi coverage.

WiFi operates on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, both of which have their own benefits based on the location, distance, and requirements of your devices. 

5 GHz frequency can carry more data and supply faster speed, but it has less coverage and is affected more easily by common obstacles. 

2.4 GHz frequency has a better range but lower speed which tends to be more easily affected by any radio interference compared to 5 GHz frequency. 

Note: Rogers Xfinity Gateway supports both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, but these won't appear separately in lists of available networks. Instead, the modem automatically routes your devices to the optimal frequency using a feature called band steering.