Where shouldn't you put a home router if you want the internet to work properly?

Don't put your router in a corner, in closed cabinets, under a table, or behind heavy curtains. Metal objects (microwave, refrigerator) and thick walls are especially effective at blocking the signal. If you have an aquarium or a large mirror near the router, they can also mess up reception. Basically, the more obstacles between your router and your device, the worse the connection.

It's best to place it in the center of your living space, elevated (a shelf, a higher cabinet, but not inside one) and in an open spot without clutter. At least one antenna should be vertical and one horizontal so the signal covers all directions. If your place has multiple floors, put the router roughly in the middle height-wise.

Another common mistake is placing it next to sources of interference. Routers don't like being near microwaves, cordless phones, or Bluetooth speakers. They operate on similar frequencies and interfere with each other. Try moving the device away from these things for a couple of days and check if the signal improves. Often that does the trick.

Have you tried placing your router higher than where it is now? The thing is, people often put it on the floor or on a low shelf, but the signal spreads much better when the source is at eye level or higher. Metal really is enemy number one - microwaves, fridges, even steel heating pipes create dead zones. But people often forget about water: aquariums, heating radiators, and even humid air in the bathroom noticeably weaken the signal.

Here's what actually works, but hardly anyone does it: move your router closer to the center of your apartment, even if it looks weird. Not in a corner, not in a hallway at the far end of the place, but right in the middle of the rooms you want to cover. If that's not aesthetic, wrap it in a cover or put it on an open shelf - the main thing is to have air space around it.

Also check that your router isn't enclosed: some people hide it in a cabinet with a door (even if the door is kind of open - a closed space still blocks the signal). The antennas should stand vertically, not lie flat horizontally. And if you have thick reinforced concrete walls between rooms, no placement can fix that - you'd need to either buy a more powerful router or get a second repeater device.

I agree with both pieces of advice, but I'll add the main thing - a router really suffers from moisture and overheating, so a bathroom or a spot next to a radiator is the worst you can come up with. I tried different locations around my place, and when I moved the router higher up and further away from damp areas, the signal became noticeably more stable.