Boost your wireless router's signal strength - for free!

See this sexy little wireless router by the side? (yes, I did use the word sexy to describe a router). This is what I want my crappy, cheap Trendnet wireless router to act like, if not look like.

Before you smash your router and rush out to buy an expensive wireless router for the house, try considering these FREE steps, to boost the router's signal strength:

1. Why is that wireless router lying at the farthest corner?
Routers need some personal space too! Walls affect the signal strength, and the situation worsens when the router is snugly placed in a niche (like where my router used to sit). Try placing it in a central location, so that all rooms get optimal signal strength, and there are no dead zones.

2. Boost that signal!
And here comes the good part. There are many ways to increase the signal strength - like using wireless repeaters or wireless antenna boosters. But guess what, you can make your own antenna! I love this website - Free Antennas which gives you cool DIY antenna making tips (one's even out of a Pringles can). There are some that have sprung off this website too.

3. Change the firmware on the router
Although I haven't personally tried this, there's free firmware available online like dd-wrt and Open-wrtwhich gives you much more functionality on your existing router (like bandwidth management and enhanced frequencies).

4. Change the channel!
This is the most obvious one, but thought I'd write anyway. Wireless routers usually operate on a default channel 6. Unfortunately, so do other wireless appliances on your house (cordless phones, anyone?). Change the channel and use something weird like 11 and hope that your neighbor doesnt use this channel either.

Well 2 and 3 are going to be my weekend projects. Have you found any good ways to improve signal strength?