Dec 2, 2025
Did you know that you can design your home office setup to ensure faster, more reliable WiFi?
From your office layout to the hardware you use, here are our top tips for smooth, work-from-home-friendly internet.
Room with a view
The perfect home office setup starts with choosing where you want your office to be. If possible, avoid using a garage, basement or shed for your work-from-home headquarters.
WiFi signals struggle to penetrate thick, concrete walls or travel long distances. For the best possible connection, ensure your router is located in the same room as you are working.
Router positioning
The physical location of your router also matters when it comes to fast internet, especially if you’re using WiFi. Position your router high up in the room, away from large electricals, thick walls or metal objects.
If you’re using a 5G router, you’ll get the best signal if it has an unobstructed line of sight to the nearest window.
Wired connection
Whether your router is right next to your PC or across the house, you’ll get the fastest and most stable connection by using a wired Ethernet connection.
An Ethernet cable connecting your primary device to your router is an essential part of your home office setup. Wired connections are up to 80% faster than WiFi on the same network.
Boosters and second routers
If your router is too far away to lay an Ethernet cable, a WiFi extender is another way to improve your home network.
These handy devices boost the signal strength of your home network, expanding the range of your network and covering any WiFi black spots.
However, they won’t improve the base speed of your network or help if you are struggling with too many active devices on the same network.
For that, you’ll need to look at either switching providers (see below) or adding a second home network. You can’t have two internet connections at one property using the same infrastructure - for example, you can’t have two Openreach broadband connections at the same address - so the second network will need to run off another technology such as 5G.
Setting up a second network also makes it easier to place your router right in the office with you, making it easier to run an Ethernet cable to your device or else giving your WiFi signal a shorter distance to travel.
Choosing the best network
Is your home office setup being held back by poor infrastructure in your area? Even in central London, there are many addresses where traditional, wired broadband is limited to slow and outdated ADSL technology.
If your home is one of them, look into alternative independent broadband options. From new, all-fibre networks to mobile broadband, smaller companies are increasingly moving in to provide Ultrafast broadband in areas not covered by the major suppliers.
A clean desktop
Perfecting your home office setup for a fast connection doesn't stop at the physical room; good habits in your virtual workspace will also improve your speeds.
Be sure to regularly clear your browser cache, and look out for network-heavy background processes like cloud backups or software updates that might be devouring your bandwidth.
You should also be sure to turn your device off completely at the end of the workday. Not only will it help you switch out of work mode, but it will also force close any background programs on your device and allow your computer to install regular system updates, improving performance.
