It’s important to note that this hack won’t always work and the results aren’t guaranteed. For example, Brooke tried the hack in her home, and the results were unsuccessful. “Before I started, I compared the internet speeds between my porch and living room, where the router is located. The difference was massive” She shared. “One sheet of aluminum foil didn’t make any difference at all, and using two sheets of foil or the soda can seemed to drop speeds by a few Mbps. I tried adjusting the angle that the curved portion of the foil or can faced, as well as their locations beside the router, but I didn’t notice much of a difference with my internet speed when I tried to connect.”

Brooke concluded: “Though it didn’t quite work for me, it can’t hurt to give this trick a shot before forking over significant cash for a Wi-Fi extender if you’re having internet connection problems. After all, it did work for the Dartmouth researchers.” She also notes factors including the size of your space and your internet plan impact this theory’s success rate.

Other Tools

Putting aluminum foil behind your router is seemingly the easiest option but other basic household items may also be used to substitute the aluminum. Essentially, any metal item, typically, found in the kitchen. Some examples include metal baking sheets and beverage cans. The most important aspect is how they’re shaped and positioned. It’s recommended to “make sure to position them so that the curved, reflective part faces toward the area in your home where you want to amplify the Wi-Fi.”

Boosting Signal

Because this method isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, some may be left without hope, wondering if they’re doomed to experience slow connections. However, putting aluminum foil behind your router isn’t the only way to help increase Wi-Fi connectivity. “While foil can help concentrate the signals, it’s usually not a great solution compared with upgrading your router or positioning it more optimally,” added Professor McQuiggan.

The most common way to reboot the router is to turn it off. Always use the power button if it has one as unplugging it while it’s on can cause it to short-circuit. Another helpful, but costly, option is a WiFi extender. This typically plugs into the wall, connecting to the WiFi and helping to extend the signal. Moreover, resources like the national broadband map, are available to help you report, troubleshoot, and fix a problem with Wi-Fi connectivity.

Although putting aluminum foil behind your router may not always be the solution, it’s worth considering because other options can become costly.